Gladness Past, Gladness Present, Gladness Future--Eternal Gladness!

"You have put gladness in my heart, more than when their grain and new wine abound."  (Psalm 4:7)

An old high school football teammate brought by a highlight film of our state and national championship team of 1958.  That was a half century ago!  At the end, they took film of us individually.  I was 15 once.  Now, well, it's only on film.  There's an old ballad called, "Early Autumn."  It was early autumn, 1958, when the dreams of a young boy came true.  But that "early autumn" was so very long ago.

Some people think that I get an idea, then right a devotional about it.  I don't have to do that.  My daily reading is full of life-experience-Kingdom illustrations.  Today is the first of the month; hence, our text-- "You have put gladness in my heart...."  That glorious season 50 years ago was filled with great accomplishments, great victories, "gladness in my heart."  But I can tell you honestly, very honestly this morning, that the "gladness in my heart," the gladness of the Faithful and True Jesus, has, never has, and never will have an equal.  Even back then, amidst all the happiness and glory, I knew.  I knew it was fleeting.  It's something like the old Roman adage, "All glory is fleeting."

You probably have great memories.  But you know as well as I that if your greatest memories, are in the past, it is a very bad state, filled with depression, regret, even despair.  Don't let that happen.  I have run into football "has-beens," people who constantly live in past glory days.  That is a very sad place to be.  The greatest "gladness in...heart" for all of humanity is the gladness which Jesus Christ is.  It is in the eternal-now gladness.  The Message paraphrase says, "I have God's more-than-enough, More joy in one ordinary day than"___________
I'm telling you that you can just fill in the blank with anything this world has to offer.  It brought back great memories to see those plays, breaking tackles, scoring touchdowns, being a part of a national championship team.  You can believe this or not, but
          "I've thrown it all away
          That I might gain a life in you
          I've found, all else is lost compared
          To the joys of knowing you
          Your beauty and Your majesty
          Are far beyond compare.
          Take the world but give me Jesus
          You're the treasure in this life
          Take the world but give me Jesus is my cry."

Father, in Jesus' Name, I sing this song to You.  Amen.
         


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