Lent - Day Seven - Humility and Joy

Lent Devotions from Concordia University 2024

He must increase, but I must decrease.
John 3:30

John the Baptist is an example of proper humility for all who follow Christ. John’s disciples seem to be envious over the fact that Jesus is now baptizing and everyone is going to Him (John 4:2 informs us that Jesus’ disciples were the ones doing the actual baptizing.). However, John has the proper perspective. He knows, and always knew, that it is not about him, but about Christ. This is exactly what he desired. Knowing that Jesus is the One sent by God, John rejoices that now people are going to Christ for baptism.

We live in a time that celebrates moving to the beat of our own drum, making sure that we are our own person, and that our voices are heard. Because of that, even though God has invited us to be a part of His ongoing mission in the world, we often get in the way of others being drawn to the voice of Christ. But John the Baptist sets a good example. He was sent to be “the voice calling in the wilderness” but is ready to set aside his own voice so that people would hear the One who has the words of eternal life. It seems simple to say, but we easily forget: It’s not about me, it’s about Jesus. When our words or actions cause people to look right past us because they see Christ and hear His words of reconciliation and redemption, we (like John the Baptist) can rejoice greatly and say, “My joy is complete.”

Prayer: 

Holy Spirit, 

                 Grant me true humility, that I may be a faithful witness to Christ. Amen.

Reading Further: John 3:22-36

22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized 24 (for John had not yet been put in prison).

25 Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” 27 John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”

31 He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. 33 Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. 34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

Advent - Day Ten

From 21 Gifts of Advent by Janelle Keith 

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13 NIV

The Gift of Joy

Five years ago, my parents' health was declining. My siblings and I had to make some tough decisions regarding their care in December of that year. Those days were filled with lots of tears and talks as we all armed ourselves with wisdom in each decision. It was enough to suck the joy right out of this girl.

But the time had come for me to pack for a long-awaited mission trip to Africa. I questioned, “How can I go and spread Christmas joy to children, when I am in the middle of a joyless situation with my family?”

Once on the plane, there was some joy in leaving the stress behind, at least for a while. It was a relief to think about something other than difficult decisions or concerns for another medical issue. By the time our team landed on the ground, I left all my worries behind.

The children in the small village saw our team coming and immediately ran to us. Their joy was indescribable! The team divided up into different stations for the day-long party. When I was assigned to the “dance and cake” station, I jumped for joy with excitement. Cake is a luxury for most African families who struggle to just put one meal on the table. And it just so happened that the Lord placed me in the station that offered great joy. Who doesn’t love cake and dancing?!

I watched the children’s faces as their joy increased. I watched the moms smile and laugh as they watched. I experienced a greater joy later in the day from a successful party. I saw kindness-fueled joy in the community. It was remarkable because joy is a lost emotion that hides behind poverty. I saw the Lord’s strength as His joy sustained our team through several long exhausting days. Upon returning home, I latched onto a new, energized joy for my parents' situation too.

Advent reflection: Joy increased in my heart because Jesus made me see a different perspective of life. The Christmas party God threw in Africa taught me that joy is an inside job. You can experience Christmas joy any time of the year because joy isn’t found in your circumstances; it is found in Jesus!

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Prayer:

Father,

          Thank You that with You our joy is full. In the midst of all that's going on in the world, remind us in big and small ways to keep our eyes on You and not on the challenges we face. Father, we choose to trust You. Fill us with Your peace, joy, and hope. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Adulting

Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.

Ephesians 4:1-3 NLT

Have you seen any of the memes on Facebook that read they're "done adulting" for whatever reason and want to go back to whatever they don't want to take responsibility for? I hate to break it to them, as Christians, we're called to grow up, to be mature (vs 13), and to live up to the standard set by Christ. 

How do we do that?

Always be humble and gentle 

Be patient with each other

Making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love 

Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit

Binding yourselves together with peace

God knows it takes an adult attitude to accomplish these, but more than that, it takes the grace that was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift (vs.7). The Lord knows what is needed for us to grow up into the fullness of Christ. 

Do we?

Prayer:

Father,

           Sometimes we go for the laugh and that's okay as long as we don't compromise Truth. Forgive us, please, when we're not maturing in our relationship with You for that is no laughing matter. Help us to see and also know that only in You is there fullness of true JOY. Help us to know the delight of life that comes with being in right relationship with You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Pleasing God

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
Romans 12:12 ESV

This verse is from one of my favorite passages of Scripture, Romans 12:9-16. In my opinion, those verses are the Cliffs Notes study guide for how to live a Christian life. But this particular verse has struck a chord with me. 

To be patient in tribulation. It's not fun, but it is SO necessary. To be steadfast no matter what the world throws at us. It strengthens our faith. It builds our endurance. James tells us to "Count it all joy..." 

We must ask ourselves which we want more - fun or faith? Which pleases God? (Hint: Hebrews 11:6) Choose this day whom you will serve... (Joshua 24:15)

Prayer:

Father,

          We want to please You above all else. Give us Your Strength to be able to Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Advent - Day 28 - Changed

Thank you for walking through the Advent season with me. My wish is that we will allow the gifts we have been given - hope, peace, joy, and love - to be fully manifested in our lives. Merry Christmas! 

Love in Christ, Andréa

Day 28 is written fully by Compassion Canada
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As we have journeyed through Advent together, we have unwrapped the good gifts that God has given us. Gifts of hope, peace, joy and love. They are the gifts that came swaddled in a manger that first Christmas Day. The baby in a manger who would make a way for the good life of hope, who would proclaim the good news of peace, who would walk in the good deeds that spark joy, and who would give the good gift of love, Himself.

It was to the shepherds that this wonderful news was first proclaimed, to the humble, the poor, the vulnerable. The glory of the Lord shone brilliantly in that field of sheep and the “good news of great joy” was shared: God’s good and perfect gift had been given.

As we reflect this Christmas on every good and perfect gift that God has given us, let’s respond like the shepherds.

Let’s rush to the presence of Jesus. (Luke 2:15-16)

Let’s gather around the good and perfect gift of God with worship and adoration.

And then, let’s return to our jobs, our tasks, our daily lives, changed. (Luke 2:20)

Let’s live to glorify God and shine His light brilliantly by sharing His hope, peace, joy, and love with the world around us.

Prayer:

God,
         I know that every good gift comes from You. Today, I rush to the presence of Jesus, the greatest gift of all and I ponder Your hope, peace, joy and love anew. But I know that I cannot remain beside the manger because You did not remain there. You lived Your life continuing to give hope, peace, joy and love to others. Help me to carry every good gift You have given me into the world. Amen.

Advent - Day 27 - Needs

I have chosen a different devotional for the remainder of Advent. It is rich.

It is titled "Every Good Gift" and is written fully by Compassion Canada
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The year behind us has certainly been full of challenges. It has been dark. It has been broken. It has felt heavy. If ever we have needed the good gifts of hope, peace, joy, and love, it is now. A good gift can be a comfort, a joy, a reason to hope.

Our verse for this week is nestled in a letter that James is writing to his church who is facing a turbulent, threatening and challenging time. James leads off his letter with these words:
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds…” (James 1:2)

Trials, James goes on to share, which test your faith (1:3), demand wisdom you may not have (1:5), humble you (1:9-10), ask you to persevere (1:12) and confront your sinful desires (1:14). It is within this context—the wide and varied challenges of life in its most difficult seasons—that James shares our verse for this week: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17)

The good and perfect gifts that James is talking about are those that meet our needs when we need them most. When we face the trials and challenges of life, they are the things that lead us closer to Christ and refine us to look like Him.

Romans 8 reminds us that we can stand firm amidst the challenges of life when God gives His love. 

“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ... Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:31-32, 35, 37-39, emphasis added)

The world has been dark, broken and heavy. It is facing challenges and trials and there are many people with significant needs. We can represent Christ through the good gifts we give. The gifts that meet real needs when it is needed most. Good gifts show the love of God because God loved us so much that He gave.

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” (John 15:12)

Prayer:

God, 

        You gave Your Son because You loved me. And that love is what gives me everything I need for this life. Your gifts are good and perfect because they are what I need the most—the strength to walk through the trials and all that I need for life and godliness. Guide me to give good gifts so that I can show the love of God to those around me. Amen.

Advent - Day 21 - Joy of Our Salvation

I have chosen a different devotional for the remainder of Advent. It is rich.
It is titled "Every Good Gift" and is written fully by Compassion Canada
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This week we have reflected on how God’s commandments are the revelation of His perfect will. And when Jesus came, it was with the mission to fulfill the perfect will of the Father. He left us with the same commandment: follow my commandments that your joy may be full.

As we joyfully prepare our hearts for Christmas, let us also reflect on the joy that is produced in our lives through our good deeds. As we have studied and prayed this week, we have seen that there is a joy that is already present in our lives, the one we received when we accepted the life of Jesus. The joy of our salvation. Even in the storms of life, we are called to guard this joy at all costs.

We’ve also reflected daily on the fullness of joy that is found in the presence of God. We see that as we consistently worship God in the place of prayer, just as Jesus did constantly, we have access to this full joy. We draw from the abundance available in God.

Finally, this week, we walked with Jesus as He showed us what it means to walk in God’s perfect will for our lives. What it looks like to walk in alignment with the words, “it is written.” (Matthew 4) He teaches us that to love God is to follow His Word and obey it. David puts it this way: “Your word have I hidden in my heart, so that I will not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11)

Jesus makes us this beautiful promise: “If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:10)

Obey God, that your joy may be complete.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31)

Jesus captures all the commandments in these two. And He showed us how to live them.

It’s true: there is a different kind of joy that comes with knowing you are walking in the will of God. There is an abundant joy that overflows within you when you know that you are helping and transforming lives. That you are making an impact by helping people see and know Jesus.

May this be our testimony. That we begin to love God with everything we are and have. That we pursue His Word with a deep hunger and thirst and when we find it, may we walk in obedience to it. That we find our purpose in His Word and fulfill His Will.

Prayer:

Father, 

           I love You, but I want to love You more. I want to know You more. I desire a fresh encounter with You and a thirst for Your word. Holy Spirit, pour upon me the spirit of prayer, so that I can keep coming to You and learning. Help me to live as Jesus did, to desire Your will above all things. Father, help me to find my purpose in Your Kingdom agenda, so that I can fulfill Your will for my life through good deeds done in love, that my joy may be full. Amen.

Advent - Day 16 - Joy in Obedience

I have chosen a different devotional for the remainder of Advent. It is rich.
It is titled "Every Good Gift" and is written fully by Compassion Canada
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Do you know what a love language is? A love language is the unique way that each of us most readily receive and recognize love. Knowing if your spouse needs a word of affirmation, if your child needs a hug or if your friend needs some time to connect is a way to bring them joy because you are speaking to them in their unique love language.

This Advent season, as we look closer into the theme of joy, it is worth observing what brings joy to God. One thing that is unmissable throughout Scripture is that God’s love language is obedience and our obedience brings Him great joy. He delights in our obedience and rewards it with joy and increase.

Repeated in His covenant with kings, nations and generations are promises such as “If you follow My statutes and carefully keep My commandments, I will give you rains in their season, and the land will yield its produce, and the trees of the field will bear their fruit.” (Leviticus 26:3)

David knew how to reach the heart of God. He delighted greatly in God’s commandments. He loved God so deeply and passionately that He wanted nothing more than to obey and acknowledge God in all his ways. “I love your commands more than gold, more than pure gold.” (Psalm 119:127)

To truly love God, is to truly love His decrees.

When we believe that His plans for us are always for our good then we will begin to love His commands. We will begin to live our lives solely by the doctrines in His Word and our words and actions will begin to echo the heart of God. The world around us will never have to ask if we are followers of Jesus because it’ll be clear and unmistakable.

David understood this and was committed to living according to God’s laws. God found such great joy in David’s obedient heart that He lovingly referred to Him as a “man after His heart,” but also went further to establish an everlasting covenant with Him.

“Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.'' (2 Samuel 7:16)

The fulfillment of God’s promises is hinged on our obedience and surrender.

When Mary was visited by the angel who foretold the birth of Jesus, he said, “You will conceive a son, and you are to call Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of The Most High. The Lord will give Him the throne of His Father David.” (Luke 1: 31-32, emphasis added)

While Mary didn’t know much of what was to come, she yielded to God. “I am the Lord’s servant, may your word to me be fulfilled.” (Luke 1:38)

Our world won’t always understand when we choose to follow Jesus and obey Him. Many times, even we won’t fully understand, but we can simply choose to trust and obey His Word. When we speak God’s love language of obedience, we bring Him joy. He promises and has proven through Scripture that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. Our obedience is always rewarded with His joy, increase and even much more than we can ever think or imagine.

Prayer:

Father, 

           Help me to desire and hunger for Your Word above all things. Holy Spirit, help me to follow the commands of Jesus. Set my life apart as I follow You. Give me the kind of heart that thirsts after You and pursues Your presence no matter the cost. Amen.

Advent - Day 15 - Every Good Gift - Joy

I have chosen a different devotional for the next two weeks of Advent. It is rich.
It is titled "Every Good Gift" and is written fully by Compassion Canada
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“You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11)

The third week of Advent invites us to dive right into joy. Even in this festive season when hardships remain, the Holy Spirit is inviting us into the Presence of the Father where there is joy available in its fullness. Together, we will see how following Jesus and yielding to the Holy Spirit is the pathway to a joy that is complete and perfect.

These past couple of years have been particularly hard for everyone. We thought we had seen the worst of life’s storms when the pandemic turned our world upside down. We lost people, things and connection. And while all these uncertainties have surrounded us and continue their attempt to disrupt our lives and break our faith, Jesus shows us a better way: even amid the worst of storms, we can still have joy.

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (Romans 12:12)

Being joyful in the face of difficulties is hard. It’ll cost us to remain hopeful when nothing seems to be changing. But could it be that our joy births the strength we need in every season? The joy of the Lord is our strength. (Nehemiah 8:10) Could it be that joy is the strength through which we remain steadfast? Joy, our staying power. The strength through which we can be patient in affliction and faithful in prayer. Joy is the strength we stand upon in the face of adversity.

Joy like a river.

How do we make joy our daily posture and not just a seasonal one? We don’t want the kind of joy that comes only during the season of Christmas and other celebrations, we want the joy that remains. The joy that reveals that Jesus is Lord in every season. When we received Jesus into our hearts, we received His joy...the joy of salvation (Psalm 51:12). And as we intentionally pursue the presence of God through consistent prayer, we begin to draw more joy from His abundant flow, and this becomes our place of habitation. The more we keep coming to draw, the more the Lord begins to write His commandments upon our hearts. He begins to create in us a clean heart and renew in us the right spirit that desires to do His perfect will.

“If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. I have told you these things so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:10)

Good deeds bring fullness of joy. Jesus teaches us that there is a different kind of joy called: complete and perfect joy, which comes as a result of loving God and keeping His commandments. He teaches us that pursuing and doing the perfect will of the Father is how our joy is made perfect. The Bible tells us that Jesus went about doing good everywhere He went. Our good deeds are birthed out of our love for God. Our good deeds please God. Our good deeds bring us joy...

...There is a kind of joy that overflows in our hearts when we make an impact in the lives of others. This is the kind of joy Jesus is offering us as He calls us to a life of service and sacrifice. May we reflect on how our lives can make a difference in our broken world. May we begin to rise as the light of the world that we are.

Prayer:

Precious Holy Spirit, 

                                Keep me dwelling in the glorious presence of the Father so that my joy may be full. Help me to always rejoice in the joy of my salvation. Open my eyes to ways and places I can let my joy overflow and put my faith into action. Write your laws upon my heart O Lord, give me the grace to follow them, so that my deeds can be pleasing to You, glorify You and that my joy may be complete. Amen.

What Joy!

With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God.
Psalm 84:2b NLT

Ephesians 5:18-20 tells us, Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So let me share some excerpts from Psalm 84 with you. It is what's on my heart!

4 What joy for those who can live in Your house,
always singing Your praises. Interlude

5 What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord,
who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

6 When they walk through the Valley of Weeping,
it will become a place of refreshing springs.
The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings.

7 They will continue to grow stronger,
and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem.

10 A single day in Your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else!
I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God
than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.

11 For the Lord God is our sun and our shield.
He gives us grace and glory.
The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.

12 O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, what joy for those who trust in You.

Prayer:

Father,
          Thank You for Your Word! It is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path, rescuing us from a dark world. Set Your fire in our souls, Father, in Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

Let It Grow! Let It Grow!

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
James 1:2-4 NLT

You know it's easy to serve the Lord when everything is going well. It's easy to be kind. It's easy to be loving. It's easy to be patient - in the good times. It's really easy to have great joy when everything's good. Would you agree?  

We've talked about it before - there are times I still struggle with considering troubles as opportunities for great joy. I can lose sight of the joy when the mountains of obstacles overwhelm me on every side. That is the test of our faith - the opportunity for our endurance to grow. (Some translations read patience for endurance.) So, how important is that, anyway, to let our endurance grow?

In Matthew 24:13, Jesus tells us just how important, But the one who endures to the end will be saved. I don't want to have made it this far only to give up when we're so close to the end, do you? As the writer of Hebrews exhorts us in 12:1, Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

So let's join with James, and Jesus, and the great cloud of witnesses, and do as Peter says, So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. (1st Peter 1:6 NLT)

Prayer:

Father,
          Thank You for the opportunities for great joy! Thank You for the faith-building endurance training. Thank You for strengthening us to to be able to endure to the end, just as You have said, so that we will be saved. Let us be found faithful to the end. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

The Way In

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness;

Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100 NKJV

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to slip into discontent? It takes little to no effort to be grumpy. Sometimes, all it takes is the alarm going off in the morning...  even though it's set because we are gainfully employed and not unemployed, existing from hand to mouth. It's a ploy of the enemy of our souls to get our focus on what we don't have rather than to give thanks for all that we do have. 

So, how do we combat that? 1st Thessalonians 5:18 tells us to Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. I've made the distinction before (I may be splitting hairs), I'm not thankful FOR all things, but I can be thankful IN them, knowing that God has a purpose and a plan for everything that touches my life. Often, it is in the worst of times that we come to know God more intimately.     

In Psalm 16:11b, David tells us [speaking to the Lord], In Your presence is fullness of joy... We must come into His presence. The instruction in Psalm 100 is very clear. 

     Come before His presence with singing... 

     Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. 

     Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.    

A grateful heart is the way in to His presence. Choose to be thankful. Make the effort. It is worth it.

Prayer:

Father,

          In this sometimes dark and weary world, You light shines even brighter. Thank You because it helps us to keep our eyes on You. Help us to stay focused on whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, that's what we want to dwell on so we can enter into Your presence where there is Your promised fullness of joy. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Always an Opportunity *

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
James 1:2-4 NLT

"Consider it an opportunity for great joy" was NOT the first thought in my head when earlier today, I spilled an entire bowl of steaming potato soup down the front of myself and down the right side of my desk (drawer side) and ultimately, all over the floor. As if that mess was not enough, it was compounded by the fact that I'm recovering from a full hip replacement and cannot kneel down, nor bend more than a 90° angle. I was both angry and frustrated. Yes, I could have called one of several people, but in the heat of the moment... no pun intended. It was the third challenge of the day and only midday.

It was about 10 minutes of trying to figure out how I was going to clean it up before this Scripture in James made its way into a conscious thought. My first response was, "Seriously?!? I'm having a hard time seeing this as an opportunity for great joy." But within seconds, I began to see and acknowledge that there were MANY opportunities for joy.

• This morning, it was a little chilly here (and being a Texas girl, I was not thankful for that initially), but because it was chilly, I was wearing sweatpants, so I was not burned by the soup. 
• All the desk drawers were closed and no soup got in my papers.
• It was thick potato soup and not Tex-Mex Potato Soup, so it didn't flow too far.
• Because it was thick, I was able to sweep a lot of it into a dust pan, discovering that I have developed some real skill in using the "Grip & Grab" tool to finagle the dust pan into the dry bucket, and being able to grip the paper towels, etc.
• I'm thankful for Swiffer© products that I had in stock to clean it well.
• I'm even thankful for the generic brand refills that didn't work before, but worked well today to actually dry the floor so I wouldn't slip and fall - even down to being thin enough to slide under the desk to remove any minute traces of spillage.
• And last, but certainly not least - There was more potato soup. (smiling!)

At first, all I could see was what was wrong and what I couldn't do, but in my mind's eye, I flashed back to my son asking me, "Does your eyebrow hurt?"

I know - in the big scheme of life and all that is going on in the world today, what's a spilled bowl of soup? For me, it was an opportunity to acknowledge God's hand of provision and protection in everything. An opportunity to give thanks in every situation. An opportunity for great joy - For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. And an opportunity for me to encourage you that there is ALWAYS an opportunity to give thanks in all things. 
(1st Thessalonians 5:18)

Prayer:

Father, 
         As You well know, oftentimes, it can be the little things in life that derail us. Thank You for sending Your Holy Spirit to comfort and guide us into all truth. Thank You for loving us so much. Help us to see only what YOU want us to see. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Still Standing

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.   

Ephesians 6:12-13 KJV

Take a moment to think back... to remember all the times in your life you didn't think it would ever get better, didn't think you would make it through. It was difficult; and at times, it seemed absolutely overwhelming. Do you remember? 

Maybe you don't have to 'think back'. Maybe you're there now. I know of many who are in the battle of their lives, spiritually and/or physically. Now stop and think of this moment. Right here, right now, while you're reading this. You're alive. You're still breathing. Can you say, "Thank You, God" and mean it?

I'm not a Pollyanna. I know life can be hard. However, it's true what they say - Whatever we feed or focus on is what becomes bigger. So do we complain and commiserate about the trials and tribulations or do we count it all joy?  Please don't misunderstand. I'm not even remotely suggesting that you must be happy in all things. I don't think that's possible. What I am suggesting is that, according to Scripture, you Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. (Philippians 4:8 NLT)

What I am offering is the advice from the writer of Hebrews.

Hebrews 3:13-14 NLT You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.

And don't forget. Your foundation is sure. Christ IS the solid Rock on which we stand... and you're still standing. 

Prayer:

Father,

            Thank You for all You have brought us through.  We know You are a faithful Father. Help us always to see Your loving touch in all things. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen