“I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD.” Psalm 104:33-34
When the Lord created man in the beginning, He could have made us in such a way that we would be forced to do whatever He wanted. But instead He gave us a free will. He only gave Adam and Eve one rule to follow, and they broke that. How much different it would have been if they had made a choice to obey God rather than disobey Him.
Serving the Lord today is a choice we make. We decide to lay aside our own will and listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit in everything we do.
Worshipping and praising God is also a choice. In the different circumstances of our life, we decide—to grumble and complain about our lot, or to praise the Lord for His blessings and His guidance, knowing that He knows what is best for us. He will never allow anything to come our way, that He does not give us the strength to bear.
I choose to worship God, how about you?
Prayer: Jesus, you have met us so many times in the past, and we will praise and worship you, knowing that you will see us through every situation.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
“For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?” I Thessalonians 2:19
Winning souls for the Lord is a joint effort. When someone prays for a person, the Lord may direct someone else to invite that person to church. A Sunday school teacher or a minister brings forth the Word of God in a way that convicts them of their need of a Saviour.
Someone from the congregation may speak a word of welcome and encouragement to let them know that Jesus loves them. Others say a special prayer for them. These things working together with the tug of the Spirit of God cause the person to commit their life to the Lord.
There is no greater reward than to see someone whom we have had even a small influence on, commit their life to the Lord. How thrilling it is when we come in contact with them years later and see they are still living and working for the Lord.
Prayer: Lord Jesus may I always be seeking a way that I may help some soul find You, and serve you fully.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.” Psalm 108:1
Singing is very much a part of worshipping the Lord. I hate it when I have a cold or sore throat and cannot sing in church without coughing, it just seems like the service is not the same. Sure, we can worship the Lord from our hearts, even though we cannot use our voice, but there is a special feeling when we join our voices with the rest of the children of God.
But, like the Psalmist, we can sing from our heart, even though no sound comes from our mouths, because our heart is fixed on the Lord. He knows our every thought and hears praise coming from our hearts, even though others around us cannot.
Prayer: Thank you Lord for the song you have put in our hearts, a song of praise for all that you are and all that you have done for us.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
“And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.” Genesis 1:12
As I read this verse, I think about all the trees, grass, and flowers that God created, and I realize that God loves colour. Just think of the variety of flowers He created, from pale white to deep purple violets, the deep yellow of the daffodils, the many shades of orchids, and we could go on and on.
I am writing this on the first day of spring. We have had a lot of snow, but it is gradually melting away. Right now everything looks drab, but soon the green grass will appear and then flowers will begin to poke their way through bringing colour to our world.
Today, my sister and I went shopping to find some bright touches for my apartment, just to make it more cheerful. Soon we will put away the darker coloured clothes of winter, and bring out the summer wear.
We need to keep some colour in our lives. Spring is a good time to take inventory, do some spring cleaning, get rid of thoughts and feelings that may be a bit drab, and let the Holy Spirit infuse our souls with a fresh anointing.
Prayer: Lord, search our hearts today, let the warmth of Your Holy Spirit make us over anew.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
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