WATCHWORD:
16 Rejoice always,17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 NIV
Meditation:
Worry, Worry, Worry
How often in the morning have you recited Psalm 118:24? You know, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” You don’t need to look it up, it is right there on the tip of your tongue. Praising the Lord is a good way to start your day.
You have praised the Lord for the day, now, what has happened to your worries and concerns? Do they come flooding back on the heels of you reviewing your “to do list” for the day? Did you relive that grudge that flared up with a loved one and, once again, got angry? Have you paused to listen to the voice of the Lord? You know, that still, small whisper that is telling you to release all those worries to Him, and move on to the best part of the day.
Let me ask, how do you humble yourself before the Lord, burdened down by all those worries? How can you manage everything that weighs heavily on you in order to seek the Lord? What is the impact of you living on over-load? You know, your is schedule is full and you keep adding to it. It seemed that you never learned the value of “No”.
I recently heard Pastor Robert Morris preaching on the theme of spiritual blindness. When we are weighed down by the cares of the world we cannot help but be spiritually blind. We often cannot see the blessings right before our very eyes because our eyes are clouded over with negative emotions. When that happens it is most difficult to follow Paul’s advice to Rejoice always,7 pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances.
When we welcome the day with the Lord, concentrating on accepting the day just as it comes, remember that God is in charge of your life, not you, and that is grounds to rejoice. You don’t need a sunny day and everything going your way to have grounds to rejoice. You need only to know who you are and who he is to realize that he is sovereign, most high, and you are His. Amen.
Bulletin Board:
Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah zip a, my oh my what a wonderful day, plenty of sunshine coming my way way, zipo-a-dee-doo-dah zip-a-a. Mr. bluebird on my shoulder, it’s a fact, it’s factual, everything is satisfactual, Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah zip a, wonderful feeling, wonderful do!
Don’t just read that, sing it! This is the day the Lord had made.
Closing Prayer:
Good morning, Lord, Thank you for this perfect day that you have given us. Give us grateful hearts for all the graces that You shower upon us, each minute of every day. Inspire us to sing your praises and to rejoice in all that touches us throughout this week. Teach us to reach out to others as you would have us do and grant us Your peace. We offer these prayers in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
