By Greg Miller © 2019

JessieJoe and his wife, JilliJo, had vastly different concepts of time.

JessieJoe always seemed to be running out of time. “No matter what I do, I’m never able to accomplish my goals for an entire day,” he explained to JilliJo. “I feel like a failure almost every day.”

JilliJo, on the other hand, had mastered the art of successful time use. “The first thing I do after I wake up is thank and praise God for giving me another beautiful day of life,” she told JessieJoe during an evening meal.

The following morning before the two went to work, JilliJo shared Psalm 118:24 with her husband. “’This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.’”

“So you’re telling me every day is made by God and that we should be happy every day?” asked JessieJoe.

“Not just happy. You see, happiness can depend on our circumstances. When circumstances are less than ideal, even seemingly unbearable, and if we can’t be happy, we can be joyful. Joy doesn’t depend on circumstances. It depends on our trust in the one who controls time and eternity. Our lips might not want to smile, but our hearts must smile and praise the creator of the universe.”

The Scripture, plus JilliJo’s positive attitude, brightened JessieJoe’s countenance. “You’re absolutely right, sweetheart,” he said with a hint of a smile. “Do you have any other Bible verses about joy to share with me?”

“I certainly do!” exclaimed JilliJo, who was always ready to share God’s Word. “We’re told in Isaiah 25:4, ‘For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.’”

“So when we need His strength, He gives it to us, when we need a refuge from life’s storms and when the intensity of the heat of life’s situations bother us the most, He is the source of our relief?” asked JessieJoe.

“Yes, He is, honey,” said JilliJo.

“I think I have time for one more Scripture before I go to work, if you can think of one,” said JessieJoe.

“Nehemiah 8:10 tells us, ‘Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.’”

“Wow!” exclaimed JessieJoe. “With that kind of power backing me up today, I’ll be the strongest guy in the world!”

To contact the writer of this column about speaking engagements (in the U.S.A.), including Christian Comedy Fundraising Outreaches, Christian Creativity Seminars and/or puppet ministry, please type “Speaking Engagements” in the subject line and e-mail [email protected] or [email protected]

By Greg Miller  2018

 Greg is retired from the Elizabethton STAR Newspaper, after working there for almost 23 years. He now freelances for the paper. Contact email address is [email protected], also facebook.com/kidcool4jesus. Available for speaking engagements/other ministries. Jesus is Lord