Sessions Include:

A Good Day / Lesson #1
It Starts with Your Bible on Your Lap

A Good Day / Lesson #2
Do the Work God Called You to Do

A Good Day / Lesson #3
Rest from the Craziness

A Good Day / Lesson #4
Relationships that Refresh

A Good Day / Lesson #5
Exercise

A Good Day / Lesson #6
Food That Nourishes 

A Good Day / Lesson #7
A Little Fun

Another time we traveled to Malawi to minister in a village called Nsanje. We planned to get there around midmorning but were unable to fly into the area, and because the roads were so bad, we did not arrive until midafternoon. Once again we discovered that about five hundred people had been waiting for us all day, gathered under a group of trees near the community school to hear what we had to say. As was almost always the case in these relatively isolated, rural areas of Malawi, people were desperately poor. They were ragged and thin and had almost nothing in the way of worldly possessions. They had been poor to begin with, and the drought that had Malawi in its grasp had pushed them to the edge of starvation.

All morning I had expected Rolland to preach, but as the service was about to begin, he turned to me and asked if I would give the sermon that day. I had no subject in mind, but when I asked God what He wanted me to share with His people, I felt very strongly that He wanted me to encourage them. As I looked out at those weary, sad faces waiting for something they could grab hold of, God gave me the topic I was to speak on: How to have a good day.

I asked them what they considered to be a good day. “Some people,” I said, “live in cities and work a whole year to earn enough money to take a trip to the bush. To them, a good day is time spent in a village like this one. Other people who live in the bush work all year to make enough money to go into town to shop. They think visiting a town is a good day.”

I told them they did not have to wait all year to have a good day, nor did they have to have nice clothes and big homes to have a good day. “The Bible talks about people who had everything a person can own, and they still didn’t have a good day. A good day is one when you are at peace. If you have peace inside you, you will have a good day. If you find Jesus, you will have peace.” As I shared the Gospel, waves of energy seemed to ripple through the crowd. People were nodding in agreement, smiling, laughing and joyfully slapping each other on the back, becoming refreshed and restored as I spoke.

“We have come here to encourage you in this time of famine,” I said. “I want you to know, you need Jesus to have a good day. There are people in the city of Blantyre who have good homes and plenty of food and clothes, and they still don’t have a good day. If you have Jesus in your life, you’ll find yourself laughing in the middle of the night even if mice come into your home and start nibbling on your toes.” People began to laugh at the idea of lying there giggling while mice chewed on their toes. “You’ll have a big smile on your face, even if cockroaches are crawling over you and biting the palms of your hands.”

A woman near the front of the crowd began to shake as she tried to stifle the laughter that was building up inside of her. She put her hand over her mouth, but it did not help; soon she was doubled over. Immediately two men on either side of her began to laugh uncontrollably. Laughter quickly spread through the crowd like a fire being passed from one candle to another. Within minutes all the people were laughing with the joy of the Lord. It was wonderful to witness this joy spreading through the crowd and refreshing His people.

Sithole, Surprise, David Wimbish, and Bill Johnson. 2012. Voice in the Night: The True Story of a Man and the Miracles That Are Changing Africa. Grand Rapids, MI: Chosen.

Check out the new Bible Study, A Good Day. It is available on Amazon, as well as part of the Good Questions Have Groups Talking subscription service. (Like Netflix for Bible lessons.)