This is a good month to remember that we prophesy the day by the 1st words that we speak when we get out of bed in the morning. So, the 31 days of the month of March, I want to challenge you to take the MARCH GLADNESS TEST. It works like this: when you open your eyes each morning to greet the day, say, "this is the Day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it." Then when you are around the church and meet your friends, greet them this way, "THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE, I WILL REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT." This is just an exercise, which you can use to change your demeanor and attitude, reminding yourself and others that God is in Control, not your emotions.
Let's spend a moment to take a test to see how we are doing today. It is the Happiness Test, and it is good for all of us.
I was happy when I was a kid because of who my mom and dad were. Today I am happy because God is my Father. Have you received Him? "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons and daughters of God…" I loved being my father's son. I have so many wonderful memories of the times we fished together on riverbanks, untangling fishing line, patiently for what seemed to be hours. Memories of him coming in late at night after running a trotline, bringing home an 80 or 90, pound catfish. The mouth on a fish that size was big enough to swallow a kid my age. Late at night, the downtown people would gather under the streetlights on the courthouse square, to see the catch of the week.
The San Saba Courthouse was my playground when I was a boy. I can remember sitting and listening to grown men at the gas station on the corner of our block. I actually had the run of the streets, when I was 5 and 6 years old.
I remember when I first saw death impact our family. I can still feel the sadness of the day when my dad's fishing buddy was killed. He ran into the back of a cedar post truck stopped on the county highway. Sam Bass was his name. He was the father of my mom's dear friend, Waydene, and father-in-law of her husband Johnny B Ivy, the local mechanic. As a child I could feel the difference between what people were acting like, as opposed to the normal atmosphere of the family and friends. I did not know what it was, but I could literally sense that something was different.
I am sure that some of you can relate to this. I miss my father's stories and remember them all these years later, his stories have become part of who I am. When my father passed away, some of the biggest men you would ever see, crowded the funeral home. He was not a man of prominence or notoriety, but my dad was known as a hardworking man of honesty and integrity. Yes, I was filled with gladness as a kid because my dad was a great father, always with a smile on his face.
We sing a song at church, "He is the Best Dad in the Whole World, in the Whole World." I always have felt that my father instilled in me, confidence, trust, responsibility, and at the same time the importance to be someone who could be trusted. When I sing this song, I always am thankful for the example my father demonstrated as a dad. I still am filled with gladness as I think of him. There are words he spoke concerning me that still have influence on my life today, and on the choices I make, or even the way that I may think. My Dad forgave me for disobedience. He corrected me when I needed it, and he loved me unconditionally. I watched his interaction with my brother and sister, his loving affectionate interest in their lives and it made me more secure. The gladness my father had in me was the same kind of gladness I have had in others. It is a gladness that is a shared privilege in the wellbeing for others. This gladness we share, is to know I am my Heavenly Father's son, and today it is even a greater reality. Join the Gladness Test today by remembering who made the day.
Jesus makes my day.
I am a part of your cheering squad,
Pastor Cleddie Keith
Let's spend a moment to take a test to see how we are doing today. It is the Happiness Test, and it is good for all of us.
I was happy when I was a kid because of who my mom and dad were. Today I am happy because God is my Father. Have you received Him? "But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons and daughters of God…" I loved being my father's son. I have so many wonderful memories of the times we fished together on riverbanks, untangling fishing line, patiently for what seemed to be hours. Memories of him coming in late at night after running a trotline, bringing home an 80 or 90, pound catfish. The mouth on a fish that size was big enough to swallow a kid my age. Late at night, the downtown people would gather under the streetlights on the courthouse square, to see the catch of the week.
The San Saba Courthouse was my playground when I was a boy. I can remember sitting and listening to grown men at the gas station on the corner of our block. I actually had the run of the streets, when I was 5 and 6 years old.
I remember when I first saw death impact our family. I can still feel the sadness of the day when my dad's fishing buddy was killed. He ran into the back of a cedar post truck stopped on the county highway. Sam Bass was his name. He was the father of my mom's dear friend, Waydene, and father-in-law of her husband Johnny B Ivy, the local mechanic. As a child I could feel the difference between what people were acting like, as opposed to the normal atmosphere of the family and friends. I did not know what it was, but I could literally sense that something was different.
I am sure that some of you can relate to this. I miss my father's stories and remember them all these years later, his stories have become part of who I am. When my father passed away, some of the biggest men you would ever see, crowded the funeral home. He was not a man of prominence or notoriety, but my dad was known as a hardworking man of honesty and integrity. Yes, I was filled with gladness as a kid because my dad was a great father, always with a smile on his face.
We sing a song at church, "He is the Best Dad in the Whole World, in the Whole World." I always have felt that my father instilled in me, confidence, trust, responsibility, and at the same time the importance to be someone who could be trusted. When I sing this song, I always am thankful for the example my father demonstrated as a dad. I still am filled with gladness as I think of him. There are words he spoke concerning me that still have influence on my life today, and on the choices I make, or even the way that I may think. My Dad forgave me for disobedience. He corrected me when I needed it, and he loved me unconditionally. I watched his interaction with my brother and sister, his loving affectionate interest in their lives and it made me more secure. The gladness my father had in me was the same kind of gladness I have had in others. It is a gladness that is a shared privilege in the wellbeing for others. This gladness we share, is to know I am my Heavenly Father's son, and today it is even a greater reality. Join the Gladness Test today by remembering who made the day.
Jesus makes my day.
I am a part of your cheering squad,
Pastor Cleddie Keith