Psalm 126:1 says, "Then was our mouth filled with laughter,and our tongue with singing:then said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done a great thing for them." It is so very true that when you have joy in your heart it will show up in your life. Happiness depends on circumstances. However Jesus gives us joy that no man may take unless we allow it to happen. That is the reason I have been sharing humorous things that have happened to me in the 45 years of the ministry. I pray it will bring a smile to the face of those who read it and perhaps motivate someone to be a blessing to someone else. "A man that hath friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." Prov.18:24.
For several years I traveled to North Carolina to preach for a mountain preacher that pastored in the black mountains and was a dear friend. We had many wonderful services and saw many decisions for Christ.
This pastor had 3 sons who were what a person would picture in their minds as mountain men. They loved the Lord and were active in their dad's church. It was our habit to preach at night and then travel to the top of black mountain where they had built a beautiful 2 room cabin. We would hunt and fish and enjoy wonderful fellowship. On one occasion the sons had planned to take me 'coon hunting after the service. I That night I preached and was truly exhausted. However they would not hear of me missing going 'coon hunting. Now I had been 'coon hunting many many times. However instead of letting the dogs run and then going to them when they treed, they decided we should run with the dogs. We ran and ran and ran! When we returned to the cabin I was so tired I barely made it to the bed before I collapsed. Five hours later they woke me up to take me squirrel hunting. We split up into two groups and I went with the son who was my age. We entered the woods and found a good place to sit and listen. I sat on a fallen log and Larry sat on a tree stump about 6 or 7 feet away. Being exhausted it did not take long until I fell asleep. Now I had with me a 12 gauge shotgun with a hair trigger. When I dozed off I began to fall off the log and awakened with a jerk. When I did I pulled the trigger! I shot right at the feet of Larry. He arose and said he was going back to the cabin. He was white as a ghost. All the way back to the cabin I asked him over and over if he was mad at me. Finally he looked at me and said, "Preacher, I am not mad at you but I will never hunt with you again." Though it was an accident I can say that for the rest of the revival meeting when the service ended they let me go to bed. "All things work together for the good..." Amen?!!
I pray this makes you smile and you will wear it all day and share Jesus at every opportunity.
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