Good morning on this Saturday, the 17th of January. Beyond dispute we are having an old fashioned, button-up, bone-chilling winter in the mid-west. By some measures the mercury reached -29 (that's 29 degrees BELOW ZERO) yesterday. Chicago reached two milestones so far this winter, the longest string of consecutive days of measurable snowfall (nine days) and the coldest winter in a decade. Obviously the Quad Cities is sharing equally in the pain the winter weather has wrought this year. Other parts of the country have it much worse with Alaska enduring temps of -70 degrees and Spokane six feet of snow on the ground, although that is cold comfort when your teeth are chattering here. Now is the time to apply a Biblical principle found in the Book of Ecclesiastes, the principle of counteraction thinking. It says, In the day of prosperity, be joyful; but in the day of adversity, consider: God also has set the one over against the other (Ecclesiastes 7:14a). This harsh winter weather should make us both anticipate and appreciate the joys of warmer weather. I know that I will rejoice in those sun-kissed days and balmy evenings even more because of the extreme cold we have endured this winter. So when trudging along on these frigid days, consider that when the warm breezes come, we will relish them even more because of their contrast to the extreme cold as we experience the fruits of the counteraction principle.
Tomorrow's sermon is Making The Most Of Your Money - Part 3. Please make sure to pick up the notes which are chocked full of money-saving tips and applications of Biblical financial principles at the Information Desk in the main foyer. I hope to see you in church tomorrow.
Mel Brown