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“Don’t for a minute envy careless rebels; soak yourself in the Fear-of-God – That’s where your future lies. Then you won’t be left with an armload of nothing.” (Proverbs 23:17-18 in The Message). My dreams may not be coming true at this point in my life, but I must learn…
“You make known to me the path of life: in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11 KJV). I have an app on my cell phone that tells me the number of steps I have taken daily. Sometimes I fall short…
“A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.” (Proverbs 15:13 from the King James Version of the Holy Bible) Have you ever been in an incurable bad mood? Next time this happens, even if you are alone, put on the biggest…
“Worship the LORD with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy” (Psalm 100:2, Holy Bible, New Living Translation). How many times have you entered a sanctuary or place of worship saddened by life’s wrong turns? Personal obstacles became roadblocks between you and God. You responded to the music, habitual praise from…
“Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you” (II Corinthians 13:11 in the New Living Translation of the Holy Bible). There is no feeling quite like giving or receiving encouragement. One of the positive aspects of social networking is…
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4 Holman Christian Standard Bible) Are you living a life of worry and frustration or are you celebrating God’s blessings in spite of your circumstances? Christians have every reason to rejoice. Our eyes are focused on Jesus -…
Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. (Psalm 100:2, Holy Bible, New Living Translation).
How many times have you entered a sanctuary or a place of worship saddened by life’s situations? You may have been there from an obligatory sense of duty or attended from habit. Perhaps your intentions were good, but your prayers shifted to complaints, hoping that God would see how unfair life has been to you. Your problems made it difficult to immerse yourself in worship. Joy was absent.
When life is a downer, don’t wait for joy to find you. Try the opposite. Worship with gusto. Sing with joy even if you don’t feel it. Your positive attitude can make a difference in your life and be an example to others.
Prayer: Lord, I will lay aside my problems and complaints when I enter the sanctuary. I will remember the words of the Psalmist and worship You with gladness with songs of joy. Amen.
Devotion by Violet Carr Moore
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