Turn of Phrase

Some people have such a charming way of talking it is delightful just to be with them.

Kenneth has a gift for using words in a charming way. Sometimes he will take my hand and caress me and say, "Would you rather be married to me or be sick in the hospital?" Well, you know, there are different ways to say, "I love you!" Anyway, I'll laugh and he'll chuckle and I feel a great joy to be married to this witty, wonderful and Godly man.

Children are that way. Last week in AWANA Cubbies I was helping the children say their scripture verse. I opened Valerie's book and read to her, "When they saw the star they were overjoyed. Matthew 2:10." Valerie, looking very serious lest she forget a word, repeated, "When they saw a star they were over the joy!" She had started slowly and finished with enthusiasm and exuberance. The Wise Men were not done with the joy but way over the top with it!

A woman from Ukraine prayed to receive Christ in Kenneth's office a couple of weeks ago. The friend who brought her told us this week that she is a completely different person now. Full of joy. We could say she was "over the joy!" She ...believes in Him and rejoices with in - expressible and glorious joy! I Peter 1:8b

Have you noticed that people who recently accepted Christ's gift of forgiveness, grace and salvation have a radiance about them? They lugged around great loads of burden in a kind of dreariness and darkness for so long but now they carry Christ's love in their hearts and radiate His light in their eyes!

I have no greater joy than this: to hear that my children are walking in the truth. This verse in I John 4 expresses what we feel when we see God at work in someone's life, or when we experience God's grace in a special way. It is just like the Wise Men seeing that star, we feel that way over the top feeling and we are "over the joy!"