Living Life
Abundantly
Through the Tears & Laughter;
Living a Joy Filled
Abundant Life.
John 10:10
Pastor John Selvage Jr.
Living Life Abundantly…
#1 Through the tears.
Life is not fair (Ecc. 7:2-4).
There is NO shame in shedding tears (John 11:35).
When we mourn, God comforts us (Matt. 5:4).
And as time goes by, laughter will return (Luke 6:21).
#2 Through the laughter.
Laughter is great medicine for our souls (Ecc. 3:1).
When God answers our prayers, we should laugh and celebrate life’s blessings with others (Gen 21:5-7).
When God moves in a powerful way, our laughter and singing are a powerful witness to others (Psalm 126:1-3).
#3 Through it all.
It speaks volumes that “joy” is the fruit of the Spirit that is found between “love” and “peace” (Gelations 5:22).
The Bible is a roadmap for living a joy filled life (1 John 1:4).
We must not allow trials and tribulations to rob us of joy (James 1:2).
Joy comes in knowing that God is our defender and His shield of protection surrounds us (Psalms 5:11-12).
Editor’s Note: This sermon was preached by Pastor John Selvage Jr. on Sunday, September 20, 2009. The sermon notes can be found here.
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How do we truly not let life rob us of joy when we are such fickle creatures that are easily swayed by our own emotions? Can you feel joy when you don’t have happiness in your heart?
While I’ve certainly had the shame of shedding tears knocked out of me by life, there still remains that look of “manhood” by not shedding tears. Can we really shed tears in front of our friends if we don’t trust that they may perceive it as weakness or unneeded?