A young kid was trying to raise some money by collecting old bottles. Going door-to-door in his neighborhood, he came to the home of a woman who was the “town grouch.”
The boy asked, “Do you have any Coke bottles?” “No,” she replied with a scowl. Then he said, “Do you have any old whiskey bottles?” “Young man,” the woman said, “Do I look like the type of person who would have old whiskey bottles?”
The kid studied her for a minute and then asked, “Well, do you have any old vinegar bottles?”
I’m afraid that we sometimes look and act like we have been sipping vinegar. Even church members. Even pastors.
It doesn’t have to be that way. Scripture teaches that one of the side-effects of faith in God is having joy in our lives. Genuine joy. Jesus said, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you, and your joy complete.” (John 15:11)
The Apostle Paul wrote, “The fruit of the Spirit is . . . joy.” (Galatians 5:22)
Today, may God make a real difference in our lives. A joy-filled difference. A holy difference. An eternal difference. Perhaps we will stop looking like we have just sipped vinegar!