Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a You Tube video of Nat King Cole singing his classic hit … Smile, poignantly declaring that a smile can break through the challenges of life and bring joy to others.
Highlight Passage: Ephesians 4:31-32 [NKJV] …
31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
… Setting aside all negative and sharing Christ’s joy/love with others.
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Highlight Context: Ephesians 4:25-32 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, thru Paul, on living with Christlike joy.
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Reference Passage #1 … Proverbs 17:22 [NKJV] …
22 A merry heart does good, like medicine, … but a broken spirit dries the bones.
… What do we want to share with others, … a smile or our misery.
Reference Passage #2 … Luke 5:1-11 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus must’ve been smiling - showing His joy - as he called the fishermen to come follow Him.
Reference Passage #3 … James 1:2, 12 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus’ brother, James, taught on sharing the joy of Christ and enduring our trials.
My Journal for Today: … Our Daily Bread author, Lawrence Darnani, shared a personal illustration of the value of a smile to break through in our troubled times. He wrote: Careless driving, rising tempers, and use of foul language among some taxi and minibus drivers are a constant source of traffic fights in our city of Accra, Ghana. But one traffic incident I witnessed took a different turn. A bus was almost hit by a careless taxi driver. I expected the bus driver to get angry and yell at the other driver, but he didn’t. Instead, the bus driver relaxed his stern face and smiled broadly at the guilty-looking taxi driver. And the smile worked wonders. With a raised hand, the taxi driver apologized, smiled back, and moved away—the tension diffused.
A smile has a fascinating effect on our brain chemistry. Researchers have found that “when we smile it releases brain chemicals called endorphins which have an actual physiological relaxing effect.” Not only can a smile diffuse a tense situation, but it can also diffuse tension within us.
You know, I’ve always been drawn to artist renderings of Jesus smiling. They just make me FEEL GOOD. And in the attached photo, I can just imagine Jesus calling His first disciples [see the Luke 5 passage link above]. And I see our Lord calling those fishermen on that beach near Capernaum and smiling big time. Certainly Jesus knew these humble fishermen would become world changers as fishers of men; and I’m sure, as in the photo, that would cause Him to smile.
Sure, we all have trials and troubles; and it’s never wrong to reach out for prayer or help when we need God’s help through His body, the Church. But just spewing out our dire attitude to others with a sad or angry countenance certainly doesn’t help others, does it? …
So, how about we do what Nat King Cole shares in song today and just share a smile with someone.
My Prayer Today: Lord, help me to share the joy of Your salvation and share a smile with someone today. Amen
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.
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