(Continued from page 3)

that I am going into bankruptcy. I do not have a table full of bills that I cannot pay.
• I am happy that I do not have any of these things.
• It could be the benefit of getting old. I guess I am getting old, at least I am getting older and my plan is to get as old as I possibly can. Next month I will celebrate another birthday, but I am getting to the age that I cannot remember how old I really am. I "Have Not" a clue. I guess I will have to count how many candles are on my cake if I can see through the smoke.
• But as a part of the "older generation," I do not really need anything that I do not have. I suppose it would be nice to have a new truck, but there is nothing wrong with my old truck. It still gets me where I want to go, the air conditioner still works and the radio still plays my kind of music. Why would I need a new truck?
• It probably would be nice to have a new house. At our age, my wife and I do not have the energy to pack up everything and unpack everything in a new place. As it stands, everything in our house is exactly where we want it. I think I will be happy with what I Have and not waste time on what I Have Not.
• I choose to focus not on what I "Have Not" but on what I really do "Have."
• I have a wonderful wife, but do not tell her I said so, it might get me into some kind of a situation. This year we will have been married some 43 years and why she has put up with the likes of me all this time I will never know. Actually, the fact that she has put up with me all these years brings into question her sanity.
• I know I could not put up with myself all that time. Last week I was beside myself and had to get up and move.
• I have some wonderful children and grandchildren. It would be nice to live long enough to see my great-grandchildren, but I am not pushing that issue. I am rejoicing in what I have.
• The best thing that I have, the thing I treasure the most, is my relationship with God. I can identify with what David said, "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want" (Psalm 23:1).
• What David is really saying here is that when "the Lord is my Shepherd," then the reality is simply, "I shall not want." The other side of the picture is true as well. If I find myself constantly in want, maybe the Lord is not my Shepherd.
• Rev. James L. Snyder is pastor of the Family of God Fellowship, PO Box 831313, Ocala, FL 34483. He lives with his wife, Martha, in Silver Springs Shores. Call him at 1-866-552-2543 or e-mail jamessnyder2@att.net or website www.jamessnyderministries.com.