Happy trails to you…
Filed in General |Journal,
Before I begin my musings please take time to listen to Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, and Roy Rogers, Jr., as they sing, ‘Happy Trails to You.’ It will set the stage for what I wish to share.
For people of my generation Roy and Dale were favorites. Most everyone knows that Roy Rogers and Dale Evans were Christians. In addition to their own children, they adopted several more. They always had generous and loving hearts. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed their singing. Sure brings back memories for me, not to mention a few tears.
By the way, did you know that one of Roy’s favorite sayings was, “Until we meet again, may the good Lord take a liking to you.’
If interested here is a site with plenty of information you can peruse:
http://www.answers.com/topic/roy-rogers?cat=entertainment
Now to my musings - Since Roy Rogers and Dale Evans always seemed to have twinkles in their eyes, or what I liked to call ’smiling eyes,’ wouldn’t you like to know where those twinkles came from.
Sure you would. Let me share a bit on…
Where true Christian happiness comes from…
Daniel Boone said, “All you need for happiness is a good gun, a good horse, and a good wife.”
Well, I’m not so much concerned about a good gun and a good horse, but I am well blessed with a good wife. Proverbs 18:22 says, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.”
But to put this on another page,
Where can true and lasting happiness be found…
I’m speaking of a happiness that reaches so deep into the human spirit and psyche that it remains unchanged throughout a person’s entire life. It is the kind of happiness that has no connection with earthly wealth or position. Actually it really has nothing to do with earthly things.
This kind of happiness is only found one place. It is an eternal happiness that is in God alone. And this is the happiness that is placed in the heart of every person who truly receives Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior.
God spoke of this through Isaiah the prophet;
“How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” - Isa 52:7 NASB
Our birth from above…
When a person is born from above, God takes a dowery from heaven and places it in the heart of the believing one. [Dowery here refers to a small portion, a surety, or the heavenly essence.]
Paul calls the dowery the seal of the Spirit. The seal says, ‘This person belongs to God.’
Since it is God’s seal, it can only be broken by God, and He says that nothing will ever be able to separate a single believer from His love. It is a royal seal based on an eternal lover and filled with an eternal love.
All the angels of God recognize it. The seal has in it the sprinkled blood of the Lamb.
The apostles taught that the Holy Spirit sprinkles the blood of Jesus on the heart of a believing one, and places God’s seal on the heart.
Peter explains it this way:
“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.” - 1Pe 1:1-2 NASB
And Paul explains it this way:
“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation–having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.” - Eph 1:13-14 NASB
The seal speaks of a divine destiny…
In the heart of every believer is this knowing that our sojourn on earth is as a passing through. We are acutely aware of another dimension of a heavenly reality. The ’seal’ keeps that awareness in us always. On the short side this means that we are ‘aliens‘ on planet earth.
Gotcha! :)
Think about it. The common thinking for an alien is that he is a being from another world. A similar sense carries over into all who have been born of God’s Spirit. Jesus said,
“[Father] I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” - Jn17:14 nasb
The apostle Paul adds to this:
“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” - Php 3:20-21 NASB
We are heavenly citizens in earthly bodies…
Don’t misunderstand what I am saying about happiness. All believers have times of heartache and sorrow, battles with temptations, and struggle through varying trials of life. Yet in each believer’s heart is this realization that we are only passing through this time of tears, that our home 
is in heaven.
Knowing that we are destined for heaven has been a hallmark of God’s people from ancient time. When the apostolic writer describes the ancient people of God, he writes,
“But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.” - Heb11:16 nasb
This realization that we have a divine destiny is so deep within us that we can see heaven in all of God’s creation. We see it in the sunsets. We see it in the swaying trees. We see it in the stars of the night sky. It puts a twinkle in our eyes.
Notice the picture of wild flowers in a valley in California. If you are a believer, does this not remind you a bit of heaven?
Even the animals get happy around God’s children…
Remember what Paul said about all of God’s creation? He said,
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.” - Romans 8:18,19 nasb
Well, I could write so much more about true happiness and how it affects even the animals around us, but let’s let this film clip of Roy Roger’s dancing horse tell the tale.
Boy, do I ever look forward to meeting Roy and Dale in heaven.
Just think about it.
Much love coming your way,
Buddy
Boy did that bring back memories. It does tell our age to say I remember setting and enjoying the movies they made.
Thanks Tiny,
Good to know that others share my memories. I always loved Roy Rogers. Seemed no one could yodel like him. And Gabby Hayes was the best sidekick he ever had.
Buddy
Actually I’m still mad at Dale. I was going to grow up and marry Roy. Yes, it did bring back memories.
Guess you were too young to toss your hat into the ring. : )
Thanks Kitty. Looks like we belong to the same generation.
Buddy
Well…on the contrary, I had never heard of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans before now. :) I’m still a youngen. The dancing horse was quite amazing, though! I did enjoy reading your post. It’s so true that in the life of a believer, there is this spark, this “something” that keeps them pressing forward, an everlasting hope…and it truly makes life “come alive” if you will. It’s that something that brings true joy into one’s life.
KaLinda
Why KaLinda,
You never heard of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, the ‘king of the cowboys’, and the lady of his dreams!? Lets Let’s see now - Roy was born in 1911 and passed on to cowboy heaven in 1998. You must be mighty young not to know about one of the greatest Christian movie stars that ever lived.
Fer shame. Fer shame. : )
Buddy