Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ... ... Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of the group Merck Me singing their song ... Even If ... poignantly singing of the attitude we need when we’re confronted with trials/troubles in life.
Highlight Verse[s]: James 1:2 [NLT] ... 2 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.
... Peter teaching Christians that joy is a choice and not a feeling; and we can choose joy in the midst of troubles and trials.
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Highlight Passage [context]: James 1:1-12 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
... God, thru James, shows believers how an attitude of gratitude can overcome our doubts and fears and give us joy.
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Reference Passage : ... Matthew 11:28-30 [NLT] ... USE THIS LINK ...
... When we have burdens or worries, He wants to help us carry them ... BUT ... we’ve got to be willing to let Him.
Reference Passage : ... Romans 8:28 [NLT] ... 28 And we know that God causes everything to work together[a] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
... God’s word will always accomplish what He desires to communicate to us, including imparting His promises to us.
Reference Passage : ... 1 Peter 5:7 [NLT] ... 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
... Peter shows us where God wants to place our worries in the face of trials we encounter.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Anne Cetas, related a story to illustrate how our attitude can make all the difference when we deal with the trials/worries of life. The ODB author wrote: Regina drove home from work discouraged and tired. The day had started with tragic news in a text message from a friend, then spiraled downward in meetings with co-workers who refused to work with any of her ideas. As Regina was talking to the Lord, she thought it best to put the stress of the day aside and made a surprise visit with flowers to an elderly friend at a care center. Her spirits lifted as Maria shared how good the Lord was to her. She said, “I have my own bed and a chair, three meals a day, and help from the nurses here. And occasionally God sends a cardinal to my window just because He knows I love them and He loves me.” Attitude. Perspective.
As the saying goes, “Life is 10 percent what happens to us and 90 percent how we react to it.”
Many of the readers here with me today may be facing some trials or challenges and it may be producing stresses, anxiety, or worry. Well, today’s ODB, the linked song, and the Scriptures on which God led me to meditate and share above certainly show us that God wants us to bring our cares to Him, doesn’t He?
The attitude of gratitude exhibited by Maria in the ODB story above is the key to choosing joy over worry; and God has given us His Spirit to help us deal with the anxieties of life. But we’ve got to choose to yoke our attitudes to His grace and let Him give us the power to be overcomers ... just as the Lord has overcome Satan, the world, and our flesh (see John 16:33, which is not above; so you go meditate on it if you don’t know it).
Prayerfully, ... we will choose an ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE today and let God’s Spirit carry some of our woes instead of trying to carry them all ourselves.
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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Lord, Jesus, thank You for implanting Your Spirit in my heart so that I can be an overcomer as my Lord was.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... Precious Spirit ... Today I bring my burdens to You, Lord. Help me carry them with Your strength because Your grace is sufficient to help me choose joy instead of worry. ... 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.</ span>
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