"Much More Than Pleasure"

"In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted." (Psalms 89:16)
As many of you may know, my life is a little bit complicated; not that I don't mind it, because I have been given a blessing that not many have the chance to experience. August 12th, 2003, that was the date that my life was turned upside down, that was day my wife had her ordeal in the hospital. And I can say, without sounding like I am bragging, that every since I have had her at home with me, she has not had to go back. With the exception of early on, when we had her fixed G-Tube replaced with a G-Tube that we change ourselves, she has been kept away from the hospital. We have what is referred to an Advance Directives Form, which is placed on the refrigerator in our home. It is a form that stipulates what kind of actions are to be taken in the event that my wife stops breathing; very minimal CPR actions are to be taken, with absolutely no chest compressions. I dread the day that it happens, but it's only because I would hate to not have her in my life. Maybe I am just being selfish, not wanting her to go; I am the one who gets the pleasure of loving on her, while she just has to lay there day in and day out. I'm sorry; I just woke up missing her; this happens most mornings that I am out of town and can't kiss her good morning when I wake up. To the point of the title of today's post. As I was driving here yesterday, I was able to catch part of a message; it was about this new movement within the church, that we somehow come to the Lord expecting life to be free from sickness or poverty or any sort of discomfort. I have long disputed anyone with this sort of belief; mostly because I know what the Bible says about such things, and secondarily because I have watched many saints suffer through so many different things. This salvation that we have been given guarantees us nothing in this life except peace and joy. That's it! Peace and joy! And let me tell you something about how this works; you accept the peace and you bring out the joy! I say accept the peace, only because our peace does not come from within us, it comes from the Lord. If you don't feel His peace, then you need to ask Him for it, because it's a peace that passes all understanding; which basically means, that even though you don't understand what's going on or why it's happening, you still have peace! Joy, although it is also associated with knowing Jesus, it is something that we bring out from within us. Unlike peace, joy is something that we choose to express, either within or without, it's something that we get to bring out and it is based upon the relationship that we have with Jesus Christ. We get to experience His peace, but we choose to rejoice...
"Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again -rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:4-7)