Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Mike Winger singing his song … You Are My Joy … poignantly expressing the reality that our Lord is our joy … ALWAYS … His fruit onto which we can hold FOREVER.
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Highlight Verse[s]: Ecclesiastes 3:11-12 [NLT] …
11 Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. 12 So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can.
… God helped Solomon remember that we must choose to enjoy God’s providence and to be happy with what we have now.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Ecclesiastes 3:9-17 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Solomon reminds believers to faithfully hold onto our joy … even when life is hard.
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Reference Passage #1 [NKJV] : … Isaiah 26:3 [NLT] …
3 You (Lord) will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, … all those whose thoughts are fixed on You.
… Don’t we all seek God’s peace; … well, herein He gives us His prescription for His peace, to which we can hold always.
Reference Passage #2 [NKJV] : … Lamentations 3:22-23 [NLT] …
23 The faithful of of the Lord never ends. His mercies never cease. 23 Great is His faithfulness; … His mercies begin afresh each morning.
… Truth unto which we can ALWAYS find joy.
Reference Passage #3 [NKJV] : … Habakkuk 3:17-18 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… The Prophet learned that he could hold onto joy no matter what he must endure.
Reference Passage #4 [NKJV] : … Romans 8: 28 [NLT] …
28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
… Yes … EVERYTHING!!
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Tim Gustafson, took his readers (me) to the wisdom book of Ecclesiastes and helped me to remember a truth to which I need to hold onto right now in my life.
My friends and fellow believers, … Recently I was diagnosed with a mild form of clinical depression which seems to bring on almost constant fatigue, … where I often feel so tired and down that I’d rather just choose not to do what I feel I should be doing. But today’s attached photo, the linked song, and God’s truth helped me remember [at least today!], that in my relationship with Christ, I can CHOOSE joy; … yes … even when I feel down in spirit.
That’s what the Prophet Habakkuk discovered when he wrote in his journal (see Hab. 3:17-18) that he could choose to rejoice even when things were oppressing his soul. … It’s what helped Paul to write that ALL THINGS work together for the GOOD for true Christians. … It’s what helped Solomon remember (in Eccl. 3) that we must CHOOSE to celebrate God’s provision and revel in what He lays out before us in order to live for His glory.
Today … I’m going to thank God for His fruit of JOY (see Galatians 5:22); and I’m praying that I can choose to hold onto His daily mercies [Lam. 3:22-23] and His peace [Is. 26:3] … ALWAYS!!! … And so, I’ll come back here tomorrow as a parched soul, … to drink from His pool of living waters, … filled to overflowing with His love, joy, and peace.
My Prayer Today: Heavenly Father, … Thank You, Lord, for giving me Your joy to which I can at least hold onto today - no matter what!! … 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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