"Good Means Your Glad"

"That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all Thy wondrous works." (Psalms 26:7) Can you imagine what heaven will be like? It's really not that far away! I do Termite Inspections on homes most every day of the week, and over this past week I have visited three homes where I have seen customers that I have seen at least once a year for the past ten years, and I think I might have seen them for the last time. If there is one thing I hate about visiting people on a yearly basis, it's that every year is closer to the end. One thing is for sure, you can really tell those that are ready to go, and those that are not; it's really obvious in the joy that they have in being so close to heaven; knowing that it is just a matter of a few more days, they are really looking forward to departing. I see open Bibles in the house, and I know they have been reading the promises of what is coming next; seeing that, gives me so much encouragement and hope for what is ahead. The most striking thing that I remember about the day I accepted Jesus Christ into my heart, was the gladness that I felt in my life; even though I was locked up inside of a jail facility at the time, I was full of joy and gladness. It's not that I could not be happy before, because I was the kind of person that liked to make friends, and usually tried to be a happy friend to be around; but the gladness that I felt was something entirely different; it was as though I had been set free from prison, even though I was still behind bars! What this gladness is from, is that we are no longer condemned, and have been set free from the chains of hell; no longer bound by the darkness that once held us captive, we have been given Light that illuminates the eternity  awaiting us. The verse today is actually a continuation of yesterday's, with the focus being upon the alter of the Lord; the point of which, is that because we can leave our sins and the alter, we have the blessing to walk away cleansed; which then provides for a heart of thanksgiving, and the gladness to cause us to want our thanksgiving to be known! Once we enter into a right relationship with God, we actually begin to absorb all of His greatness; meaning, we can now actually understand how wonderful He really is. Before accepting Jesus into my heart, God was always so distant; somewhere out there in the heavens, and way far away. Now, I feel God in my life; I can fellowship with Him, just as I would sit and talk with a friend; only better, because the friendship that I have in God is based on 100% truth, and I never need to worry what He thinks of me, because He knows me better than I even know myself..."Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice! Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand! Be careful for nothing: but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:4-7)