.

What? You say well how much did you pay? Well, I paid 2.28 a gallon. What? You say isn’t that about 75 cents more a gallon than you paid last year at the same time? Well, yes you are absolutely right. So are you saying we shouldn’t rejoice because of that? Hey, I know people like you, sometimes I am people like you.

You see we have a choice don’t we. We can be hacked off because we are paying more for gas now than a year ago or we can be happy about the fact that we are paying less than we were not too long ago.

Finding joy is a choice that we must make everyday. We can choose to be angry with the past wrongs of life, we can choose to hold grudges and we can focus on the past failures if we desire. If we make that choice let me inform you of a one word definition of your life; bitter. You will grow bitterer by the day and let me also inform you that others will not enjoy your company in the least. Bitter people are no fun.

There is nothing worse than watching a bitter person take out there ill feelings on everyone around them. You know who they are; you work with them, worship with them and many of you live with them. Nothing ever satisfies them, they find fault in everything especially those around them. They make each day drudgery for those they live around and for themselves as well.

Well you know what? I am going to choose to find the good. In life the car is going to break, the boss is going to be in a bad mood, the kids are going to be grumpy and sometimes demanding of time, you’re going to get passed up for that promotion, in general bad things are just going to happen. So what good will it do me or you to get upset about it, nothing that’s what.

Let’s here at Loaves and Fishes be people who find the good in everyday because it is there if you look hard enough. Sure sometimes the good is easier to find than others, that’s called life. God didn’t call us to be sad Saints or martyrs carrying our cross with a chip on our shoulder. There is nothing worse than watching that go down. Remember one of the fruits of the spirit is joy, let’s capture that thought, not in a phony way; there is nothing worse than that either.

Let’s keep it real, let’s start with the small stuff. Let’s work together here:

1. Gas is cheaper today than it was a month ago.
2. In Dallas the weather is unbelievably nice for November.
3. My family’s health is good.
4. I have a job to go to everyday and a church to serve.

Go ahead now you try it, you can do it.

By the way, the best reason to find joy everyday is that your God loves you, He sent His son to die on the cross for your sins and some day He will come back for you and if you have accepted that sacrifice on the cross you will live with Him in his heaven forever. Hey with that thought in mind who cares what the cost of gas is?

Scripture: Galatians 5:22, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Against such things there is no law.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to find the joy in life, even in the little things. Help us to be people of praise that are good to be around so that people might ask about the source of our joy. Help us to keep it real and not be phony. In Christ Name, Amen.