One of my favorite songs when I was a child was “Peace like a River.” It was fun to sing the verses with the motions…”.I’ve got’:
Peace like a river (waves)
Joy like a Fountain (hands up like a fountain)
Love like an Ocean (arms make a big circle)
I once heard a speaker describe the first three fruits of the Spirit – love, joy, and peace – as the “big three.” If you possess them, the speaker shared you can make it through anything.
When you meet someone who possesses true joy, you discover a powerful truth: Joy allows us to rise above our circumstances.
There is a simple reason for this: Joy that comes from God is constant and does not depend on what happens in our daily lives. Someone put it well who said:
Joy is not the absence of suffering but the presence of God.
May God richly bless you today as you hold the hand of God, a God whose love for you will never end!
Peace,
Pastor Cathy