Bible Study for Ministry, Christian Women, and The Pastor's Wife ~ I Am Christmas Emotive, Part 2

Bible Study for Ministry, Christian Women, and The Pastor's Wife ~ I Am Christmas Emotive, Part 2
     Psalms 71:1 "In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion."
     According to Strong's Concordance, the word "confusion" is bûsh, pronounced boosh. It's a "primitive root; properly to pale, that is, by implication to be ashamed; also (by implication) to be disappointed, or delayed: - (be, make, bring to, cause, put to, with, a-) shame (-d), be (put to) confounded (-fusion), become dry, delay, be long."
     The Christmas emotive for yesterday was anger with the way out being laughter.
     The Christmas emotive for today is sadness. I meet so many people who are sad, just flat sad, during the season of Christmas. Perhaps this is the first year without a loved one. Perhaps that loved one has been gone a long time. Perhaps youthful expectations have fallen to the bottom of the deepest, darkest cave. Perhaps someone has hurt you, disappointed you, abandoned you. Maybe that person was you. Perhaps health and wealth 
have taken wings and soared out of site.
     The sadness is real. Way too real and way too painful.
     Have you ever been lost in travel and stopped to ask for directions; wrote them down, followed them exactly, and found yourself an hour later that much tireder and even further away than you were before you asked?
     That is exactly what the enemy and his imps do. They are so convincing and conniving but freely give wrong directions on purpose. After all, they take their job description very seriously! John 10:10 "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."
     But God never gives us the wrong directions, by accident or intentional. Never!
     What is the opposite of sadness? It is joy. We really need to look at Nehemiah 8:10. "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."
     We can't ignore the reaching out to others, the caring for ourselves, and realizing that the joy of The Lord, truly is our strength.

Be blessed in The Name above every name, Jesus! I know I am!
Linda L Culbreth

P.S. ~ Still on the road and can't load my pictures. I will add them as soon as I can.