The Sunshine of His Love
Words from Jesus
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(Note from Maria Fontaine: If you’re having one of those rough days or weeks, here are some words from Jesus to cheer you up, to help you to see past the clouds and the rain of discouragement, and to see the sunshine of His love that is always there. No matter how dark things seem around you, you can overwhelm that darkness with praise, until there’s no room left for the gloom!)
It’s been a tough day and a rough week, as “problems tumbled about you, and heavier came each task,” and while you longed to “see joy and beauty,” “the day toiled on, gray and bleak.”
I’m really sorry about that. My heart goes out to you. Into every life, a little rain must fall, and sometimes it seems more like a downpour than a drizzle! You look up and see dark clouds and gloomy skies stretching across the horizon.
But it never lasts forever, you know. In fact, those rain clouds and the rain itself are just a tiny layer of gloom when compared to the millions of miles of sunshine and warmth and light above you, which is only hidden from your sight for a little while. The rain and the clouds will pass, your day will once again be sunny, and the weather forecast for eternity is blue skies and smooth sailing forever!
There’s a lot to be thankful for, even in the midst of the storm, and praising Me for the good helps to drive the rain and clouds away. You can be thankful if you’re so far down that you can only go up, that things can only get better. You can be thankful for the clouds and the rain, the trials and tears that help your spirit to grow.
You can be thankful if you feel like a mess, because then you know that only I can do anything good through you. You can be thankful that in you, in your flesh, dwells nothing good, because then there’s more room for Me to live and move and work through you.1
In everything give thanks. Praise Me in the midst of problems and mistakes, shortcomings and failures, your weaknesses and lacks. Praise Me for My love, care, help, mercy, grace, and salvation. As you do this, the gray skies will clear, the rain will stop, the sun will come out, and the Sun of Righteousness will send warm and comforting rays of peace, hope, and strength down upon you, brightening your day and illuminating your way!
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Happiness of the Spirit is far above the momentary pleasures this world offers, for happiness of the Spirit is something that will always be there for you, even through the loneliest nights and the darkest times.
Happiness of this world is fleeting; it comes and goes with your circumstances and surroundings, with the things you see and feel and experience. But My lasting joy comes from knowing that I am your Savior and that I love and watch over you; those truths never change.
My everlasting joy is as constant as the sun. When the sun disappears beneath the horizon at night, do you worry that it’s gone forever? No, you realize that it is still there and only out of sight for a time. Night comes and you cannot see the sun, but you never doubt its existence or that it will rise the next morning. My unending joy exists always and forever, like the sun.
When darkness settles on your spirit and you lose sight of happiness, that is the time to trust until morning, until you see and feel the sunshine of My love again. Never doubt. The dawn will come.
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You can’t make the sun come out on a rainy day, but you can change the mood around you.
Most people feel happier and are more upbeat on a warm, sunny day than on a stormy one. You can warm and encourage the people around you by the sunny “rays” or good vibes you send their way. But if you’re carrying around a cloud of problems and woes, you’re likely to create a “pressure system” that will dump rain and dampen and darken the day for everyone around you.
So carry a warm, sunny atmosphere with you wherever you go. Let the sun of your happy countenance shine on others and cheer them up. And in times when you don’t feel happy—when you’re under pressure or you feel like you’re under a big cloud yourself—call on Me to drive away the clouds and shine the light of My love on you instead.
The sun is always shining where I am. I always have plenty of warm rays to send your way, and I want you to soak them up and reflect them to others. Let’s make some nice weather!
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If you’re feeling down, try singing a song. If you can sing out loud‚ then sing out loud. There’s something about singing out loud, even if you don’t feel like it, that helps pull you out of the dumps. But even if circumstances don’t permit you to sing out loud, then sing in your heart, and I will lift those burdens and weights.
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Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
Psalm 100:1–2,42
Published on Anchor November 2015. Read by Jon Marc. Music by Michael Dooley.
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