Salvation is such a wonderful gift. We are saved by grace through faith. Faith consists of really 3 things - knowledge, belief and trust. For example, I realized I was lost and needed to be saved. I found out by the Word of God that Jesus died and shed His precious blood for me. This is knowledge. Then I realized Jesus died for my sins and the sins of the entire world. That was belief. Finally,I trusted what God said and called on His name and He saved me. Hallelujah!It is not my works but grace and only grace.
This is also true for serving the Lord. To know the joy of serving it takes knowledge - We are saved unto good works; belief - He wants every child of God to serve Him; and trust - know that it is not in my power but His.
As I have said so many times serving the Lord is a true adventure. You never know what is going to happen. Years ago in my first pastorate I experienced the most embarrassing moment of not only my ministry but my life!
My wife and I lived in the parsonage next to the church. One Sunday morning I got up early to go over to the church to finish preparing for the day. I was getting dressed and told my wife I could not find my white shirt. She told me it was in the dryer. I opened the dryer, removed my shirt and promptly finished dressing. That morning as I was preaching I became warm and removed my suit coat in the midst of preaching. Then something strange happened. Every time I would walk to the left side of the platform the right side of the congregation would laugh and giggle. Likewise, when I moved to the right side of the platform the left side of the auditorium would laugh. Finally I could not stand it any longer so I stopped and asked what was so funny. By now folks were laughing so hard they were crying! I discovered when I removed my white shirt from the dryer my wife's pantyhose had become attached to my shirt by static electricity. I was preaching with those on my back and each time I would turn my back to one side of the people the other half would see them and had to laugh. Needless to say I was embarrassed. My wife was even more embarrassed. I guess the only good thing that came from this event was I never had to retrieve my own shirt from the dryer.
It is so true that a merry heart doeth good like a medicine. Yes, this really happened to me in the ministry.
