Friday, April 28, 2023

April 28, 2023 … God’s Gift of Laughter

Berry Patch Devotions in 2023 - Day 118 


Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ...  Please take the time to take in song and lyrics  from Jason Gray singing … Laugh Out Loud … poignantly and powerfully singing of how we Christians should sing of our joy and laugh out loud at God’s saving grace offered up from His shed blood on the Cross.     


God's gift of laughter ... 


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Highlight Passage: … Genesis 21:6 [NLT] … 

And Sarah declared,“God has brought me laughter. All who hear about this will laugh with me

… At the age of 90, God moved Sarah who openly laughs with joy in seeing God giving Abraham a son in their old age.              


Highlight Passage (Context): … Genesis 21:1-7 [NLT] …  USE THIS LINK  

… Sarah was moved to laughter at the realization of God bringing her a son in her old age.        

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Reference Passage: … Proverbs 15:13, 17:22 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK

… God, thru Solomon, shows how joy and laughter are good for our health.


Reference Passage: … Job 8:21 [NLT] … 

21  He will once again fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy. 

… In the face of horrible loss, God promises Job to return Job’s heart to laughter and joy.       


Reference Passage: … Ecclesiastes 3:8 [NLT] … 

4  A time to cry and a time to laugh.   

… God promises His chosen a time to laugh to balance our times of crying.     


Reference Passage: … Luke 6:21b [NLT] … 

21 … God blesses you who weep now, for in due time you will laugh. 

… Jesus promises His disciples a time to laugh, even after we experience times of trial in our lives. . 


Reference Passage: … Philippians 4:4 [NLT] … 

4  ALWAYS be full of joy in the LORD, I say it again - REJOICE! 

… Paul calls on his fellow Christians to rejoice ALWAYS. 

                                                                                                                         

My Devotional JournalToday's Our Daily Bread author, Alyson Kieda … AT THIS LINKquotes comedian John Branyan, who said, …  “We didn’t think up laughter; that wasn’t our idea. That was given to us by [God who] knew we were going to need it to get through life. [Because] He knew we were going to have hardship, He knew we were going to have struggles, He knew . . . stuff was going to happen. . . . Laughter is a gift.” 


And if my readers have joined me to take in the linked song and believe in the truth of the Scriptures shared above, … as I do, … we have to realize just how much we need God’s gift of laughter to balance our lives with joy, given the difficulties we are going to face in life.  


Sarah laughed (see the highlight passage) when she realized how bizarre it was she gave birth from God’s promise.   Solomon proclaimed God’s laughter to balance our times of despair (see Ecclesiastes 3:4).  Even Jesus and Paul promised (see Luke 6:21 and Philippians 4:4) God’s gift of laughter to allow us to rejoice, even when we face times of trial like those experienced by Job (see Job 8:21).  


So, why don’t you join me and share our choice to laugh - at least a little bit - knowing what lies ahead  for those of us who know Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  Actually, <b>LOL!!</b>


My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh, Abba Father, thank You, King Jesus, … for joining to share in the joy that God has given us in following Jesus all the way to glory.

My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... . I pray that all reading here will join me, … to share in the joy of our salvation.    Amen               . 


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Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

1 comment:

Kjetil said...

Amen!!!
Kjetil!