Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images from Sara Groves singing her song … It’s Going To Be Alright … a poignant song reminding us, as Christians, that there is hope in Christ … no matter what our circumstances.
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Highlight Verse[s]: John 16:20, 33 [NLT] …
20 I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy. …
33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
… Jesus’ promise to His disciples that their grief would turn to joy … and it did!
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Highlight Passage [context]: John 16:16-22 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus tries to calm His disciples in His prediction of His impending death.
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Reference Passage #1 [NLT] : … Acts 1:3 [NLT] …
3 During the forty days after He suffered and died, He appeared to the apostles from time to time, and He proved to them in many ways that He was actually alive. And He talked to them about the Kingdom of God.
… Just as Jesus had promised He returned to His grieving Disciples to give them joy for 40 days following His death.
Reference Passage #2 [NLT] : … Philippians 4:6-7 [NLT] … USE THIS LINK …
… Paul exhorts fellow Christians to use God’s anecdote for our anguish.
Reference Passage #3 [NLT] : … 1st Peter 5:7 [NLT] …
7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
… God invites us to give all our cares to Him … but DO WE?
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Alyson Kieda, used an apt word picture to describe how God can replace our angst with His joy. The ODB author wrote: Kelly’s pregnancy brought complications, and doctors were concerned. During her long labor, they decided to whisk her away for a Cesarean section. But despite the ordeal, Kelly quickly forgot her pain when she held her newborn son. Joy had replaced anguish.
And this comparison … of a mother’s pain turning from anguish to absolute joy at the birth of her new baby (see photo) … was the word picture Jesus used (see highlight passage) to describe how He CAN AND WILL replace our anguish with His joy … IF we let Him. That was Jesus’ promise to His disciples just before He died; and He fulfilled that promise by returning to them after the resurrection [see Acts 1:3], … giving them 40 days of joyful sharing before He ascended to heaven.
And as Sara Groves sings, and Paul promises (Phil. 4:7), our God will give us His peace to replace our anguish, if we are but willing to cast our cares on Him (see also 1Pet. 5:7). But we’ve got to be willing to do just that, trusting that our Lord can replace our angst with His caring love. How about it, fellow believer?
Sounds like a plan to me … a good one!!!
My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Be my care-taker today, Lord! … 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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