Deal or No Deal?
Deal or No Deal? Have you seen the show on TV? One of my children loves to watch the show. I remember when I was a child I often tried to make deals with other children. It usually involved trading one thing for another. If my memory serves me right, those trades that I tried to make as a child were usually trades that were to my advantage. I probably tried to make the other child feel as though they were getting the best end of the bargain, but chances are, at least in my mind, I thought I was getting the best deal. Perhaps you did the same thing.
Life is filled with “deal or no deal” scenarios. Buying a car or a house fall into that category. You negotiate and give and take until finally you make an exchange that in your mind is to your best advantage. After all, no one ever knowingly makes a deal in which the exchange is to the advantage of the other person. Or do they?
Following is a description of a deal the Lord is willing to make with you this morning. It is an exchange he is willing to make with everyone. The Lord will give you beauty for your ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:2-3). Who wins in that deal? You do! For your ashes, that is for the ruins of your life the Lord gives you a new and beautiful life. For your mourning and sadness, the Lord gives you joy. The joy of the Lord gives you strength each day as you by faith walk in the reality of a guilt-free conscience knowing your sins are forgiving, knowing God is on your side, and knowing that one day you will see him face to face. Finally, the Lord gives you praise in exchange for your depression. This means that if you will begin worshipping and praising God, that heaviness will begin to lift. You may think, “I don’t feel like praising God and so it wouldn’t be genuine praise.” Please understand, you can act your way into a new way of feeling quicker than you can feel your way into a new way of acting (you may want to read that again). Begin worshipping, begin praising and soon you will realize the lifting of the depression.
You get the advantage in the Lord’s deal. So the question is, “Deal, or No Deal?”
God bless you,
Pastor Gary
