“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
“He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.” Psalm 107:29
I recently heard a beautiful gospel song entitled “The God of the Storm.” I can’t remember all the words but some of them were, “troubled waters of danger set a stage for His feet, I’m peaceful in the midst of danger and harm, beneath the safe cover of the God of the storms.”
I was reading the story in Mark about Jesus telling His disciples that they were going to the other side of the lake. When the storm arose, He was asleep in the back of the ship, but the disciples were afraid and woke Him, asking Him if He did not care. He asked them why they did not have faith, and He stilled the storm. They should have realized that with Him in the boat they had nothing to fear.
Another line from that song says, “when the winds of confusion have gone on all night long, take shelter and rest with the God of the storm.
I am so thankful I know the God of the storm, and that He is always there.
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, that you are the God of the storm, you are always in control, and when we call out to you, you bring peace.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
“For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;” Song of Solomon 2:11-12
After two weeks of being housebound because of bad weather, and a bout with the Flu, it was great to get out for a walk. The sun was warm, snow was melting, and there was a feel of spring in the air.
When I returned from my walk, I was greeted by a whole flock of robins on the front lawn. The writer of the above scripture, spoke of the time of singing of birds, signifying winter was over. Here in this part of the country, the robins are our messengers from the Lord letting us know that winter is nearing its end and spring is on its way.
Prayer: Thank you Lord, for sending the robins, letting us know that the seasons will change just as they always do.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
“The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.” Psalms 37:23-24 KJV
Delighting in the law of the Lord, and walking in His way is no guarantee that everything in life will always be perfect. God allows the sun to shine on the just and the unjust, and He only promised that all things would work together for our good, not that everything would be good.
There will be times when we may stumble and fall, but the scripture tells us that we will not be utterly cast down. The Lord upholds us with His hand. Sometimes He allows us to be tested and tried, but one thing for sure, He never leaves us, He is always there to pick us up.
Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, for that assurance that you are always there, ready to pick us up and set us on our way rejoicing.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 KJV
In reading the Bible through each year, I find the Book of Leviticus one of the hardest to read. Here God sets forth all the different sacrifices that are to be offered. It must have been hard to keep track of what was to be brought for each specific purpose.
It surely makes me thankful that Jesus paid the supreme sacrifice on Calvary for all the sins of the world. All we have to do is accept what He has done for us, and His blood cleanses us from all sins, and forgives us completely, not just for another year, but for eternity. The perfect Lamb of God shed His blood once and for all.
Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, for your sacrifice on Calvary, that paid the sin debt, and I am forgiven.
Devotion by Anne Johnston
“I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.” Psalm 116:1-2
We sometimes sing a chorus in church, “If it had not been the Lord who was on my side, tell me where would I be?”
Sometimes as we look back over our lives, we realize that life would have been a lot different if we had not come to know the Lord when we were younger. We see others that walked a different path and where their lives are today. It makes me thankful that I heard about Jesus when I was just a child, and that He has kept me though the years.
Though I may not have always walked as close to Him as I should, yet He kept me from a lot of things that could have destroyed my life. His mercy and His love have been extended to me over the years, He has always been there when I called on Him and He has never failed me. Now I can look back at all those times, and realize that He is able to keep me until He calls me home.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I love you, and thank you for always being there for me every step of the way. My hope and trust is in you alone.
Devotion by Anne Johnston