Celebrate the Gift of Life

This is the day the Lord has made; REJOICE and BE GLAD in it. Psalm 118:24

"Today is a non-renewable resource - once it's gone, it's gone forever. Our responsibility, as thoughtful believers, is to use this day in the service of God's will and in the service of His people. When we do so, we enrich our own lives and the lives of those whom we love.

God has richly blessed us, and He wants you to rejoice in His gifts. That's why this day - and each day that follows - should be a time of prayer and celebration as we consider the Good News of God's free gift: salvation through Jesus Christ.

Oswald Chambers correctly observed, "Joy is the great note all throughout the Bible." E Stanley Jones echoed that thought when he wrote, "Christ and Joy go together." But, even the most dedicated Christians can, on occasion, forget to celebrate each day for what is is: a priceless gift from God.

What do you expect from the day ahead? Are you expecting God to do wonderful things, or are you living beneath a cloud of apprehension and doubt? The familiar words of Psalm 118:24 remind us that every day is a cause for celebration. Our duty, as believers, is to rejoice in God's marvelous creation.

Today, let's celebrate the life that God has given you. Today, put a smile on your face, kind words on your lips, and a song in your heart. Be generous with your praise and free with your encouragement. And then, when you have celebrated life to the full, invite your friends to do likewise. After all, this is God's day, and He has given us clear instructions for its use. We are commanded to REJOICE and be GLAD."

Let the celebration begin!!!!!

New Every Morning

"You messed up yesterday. You said the wrong words, took the wrong turn, loved the wrong person, reacted the wrong way. You spoke when you should have listened, walked when you should have waited, judged when you should have trusted, indulged when you should have resisted.

You messed up yesterday. But you'll mess up more if you let yesterday's mistakes sabotage today's attitude. God's mercies are NEW EVERY MORNING. Receive them.

Learn a lesson from the Cascade forests of Washington State. Some of its trees are hundreds of years old, far surpassing the typical life span of fifty to sixty years. One leaf-laden patriarch dates back seven centuries! What makes the difference? Daily drenching rains. Deluges keep the ground moist, the trees wet, and the lightening impotent.

Lighting strikes you as well. Thunderbolts of regret can ignite and consume you. Counteract them with downpours of God's grace, daily washings of forgiveness. Once a year won't do. Once a month is insufficient. Weekly showers leave you dry. Sporadic misting leave you combustible. You need a solid soaking every day."

- Max Lucado

"The Lord's love never ends; his mercies never stop. They are new every morning" (Lamentations 3:22-23)

A Strong Hand to Hold

A message from my daily devotional I wanted to share with you all....

With life comes change.

With change comes fear, insecurity, sorrow, stress. So what do you do? Hibernate? Take no risk for fear of failing? Give no love for fearing of losing? Some opt to. They hold back.

A better idea is to look up. Set your bearings on the and only North Star in the universe - God. For though life changes, he never does. Scripture makes pupil-popping claims about his permanence. 

Consider his strength. Unending. According to Paul, God's power lasts forever (Romans 1:20). His strength never diminishes. Yours and mine will and has. Our energy ebbs and flows more than the Thames River. You aren't as alert in the evening as in the morning. You can't run as fast when you are eighty as when you are twenty. You are strong now, but you won't be strong forever. God will.

The words "I'm feeling strong today" he has NEVER said. He feels equally strong EVERY DAY. Daniel calls him "the living God, enduring forever" (Daniel 6:26 ESV) The psalmist tells him, "I will sing of your strength....for you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. O my strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love" (Psalm 59:16-17 ESV)

Think about it. God never pauses to eat or asks the angels to cover him while he naps. He never signals a time-out or puts the prayer requests from Russia on hold while he handles South Africa. He "never slumbers or never sleeps" (Psalm 121:4 NLT). 

Need a strong hand to hold? You'll always find one in his. His strength never changes.

- Max Lucado