Sand Mountain Sermonette 82
Galatians 5:22-23
The Great Coolant Escape!
“Then he (Ezra the Scribe) said to them, ‘Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’”
When I was a Junior in High School, my dad and mom helped me get a 1973 Nova “Super Sport” automobile, and the day dad and I drove it home from a dealer in Albertville, I took it across town to show my Papaw Mabrey. When I pulled into his yard right off the Old Birmingham Highway, I saw Papaw standing in the front yard talking to his brother, Audie who lived in Boaz, just a few miles away. Well, they both loved the car and after a few minutes Papaw suggested he fill my new “used” car with its first tank of gas, so the three of us hopped in and I drove down the Old Birmingham Highway a few miles to a familiar country store-gas station and Papaw, true to his word as always, filled her up!
Well, everything was fine until we pulled back into Papaw’s front yard, I turned off the motor, and we stepped out of the vehicle. My Uncle “Audie” said, “T” (the name my grandad was known by to everyone), let’s check and make sure he has enough coolant in his radiator and before I knew it, as Uncle Audie slightly turned that radiator cap “off,” hot coolant spewed out all over my nice, clean engine! Now no one was hurt, and although I didn’t say anything, old car-perfectionist- Louie wasn’t happy, so Papaw and his brother grabbed a hose over by Mamaw’s flower garden and rinsed off the engine and everything was alright! Then, after a little more good visit time, I drove my Nova home gassed and cooled!
Well, I don’t know about you, but sometimes I don’t behave in a God-like fashion when the coolant spews and the anxieties of life seem to multiply in rapid proportion! I know for a fact that day I quickly replaced the blessings of spending time with my grandfather and his brother as well as receiving my first tank of gas bought and paid for, with a countenance that quickly turned from “joy” to “frown” in a split-second!
In proclaiming God’s Word before a great crowd of worshippers who had gathered at a particular entrance gate at the wall surrounding the city of Jerusalem and in celebration of the restoration of the gates and the rebuilding of the wall itself following their previous destruction by the Babylonians, Nehemiah reports of a day holy unto the Lord. The day when Ezra proclaimed God’s word and commanded God’s people to celebrate and not be grieved any longer following their repentance of sin, “for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” There is a deep-seated joy that only God can provide which comes from the Holy Spirit’s abiding in the life of the Christian believer. This “joy” is a “fruit of the spirit” (Galatians 5:22-23), and it will replace any possession that has taken first-place in your life with His Presence!
Invite Jesus to turn your frowns into smiles for the world to see!
Pastor Louie