Tuesday, July 31, 2018    

       A very well known and beloved bible verse is Romans 8:28 which reads: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” To many of us, that verse is a reminder that God has a habit of taking a painful, sad, even tragic event in our lives and turn it around to do us good. I can almost hear an “amen” from many of you. One good example of that truth is what happened in the life of Joseph. His many painful experiences, including the one in which his own brothers sold him as a slave, could have destroyed him forever. God turned that experience around and it became the best thing that ever happened to him. In fact, it was the best thing that happened in the lives of his brothers. After Jacob, their father, died, Joseph’s brothers, fearing retaliation, humbly and meekly asked his pardon. Joseph replied: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20)

       Actually, I was reminded of this truth some time back when I heard a line in an old popular song which said something like: “What can you do with a broken heart?” My immediate thought was: “By God’s grace, you can do something good with it.” Some of you are aware that many great hymns and Christian songs were born from someone’s broken heart. Two prime examples are Horatio Spafford’s “It Is Well With My Soul” and Thomas A. Dorsey’s “Precious Lord Take My Hand.” These two men did something great with their broken hearts. Their hymns have inspired, blessed, and comforted millions of people and will continue to do so until Jesus returns.

       If you are struggling today with the painful effects of a broken heart, do what your God does: Turn it around! In fact, your broken heart is what God may use to bless, inspire and comfort those around you. Whining, sulking, feeling sorry for themselves, and bringing many others down with them, is something losers do. God’s children, on the other hand, regardless of their situation, bless those around them. That is because they are more than winners, they are conquerors.

God’s promise for today: (Psalm 34:19) “The righteous have many troubles, but the Lord delivers them from them all.”