“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth” (3 John 1:4).

The older pastor had served the Lord for nearly fifty years. Although many depended on the pastor for many things, few people ever thanked him for his ministry. Sometimes it seemed like quite a long stretch in between the words of appreciation. One particular time in his life the pastor was going through a rather discouraging time. The church was still growing. People were being saved, but this pastor lived with a great deal of pain each day. The cold weather made the pain even worse, and on one particular day this pastor was just simply discouraged. An amazing thing took place that morning. The pastor encountered a particular person in town who told him, “I want you to know that your daughter was a great blessing and ministered in my life this past week. The Lord used her in a very special way to richly bless my life. It must be a joy to have a daughter who loves the Lord Jesus and who is walking with Him!” The pastor was no longer discouraged as joy flooded his heart to be reminded that he could “have no greater joy than to hear that his children walked in truth.”

For today: It’s amazing how much discouragement is lifted when we think of the blessings that the Lord Jesus gives us daily.