Morning Devotional 031425 Release Control and Listen

Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room

  March 14, 2025

1 Peter 1:1-9

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s chosen strangers in the world of the diaspora, who live in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. 2 God the Father chose you because of what he knew beforehand. He chose you through the Holy Spirit’s work of making you holy and because of the faithful obedience and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. May God’s grace and peace be multiplied to you. 3 May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be blessed! On account of his vast mercy, he has given us new birth. You have been born anew into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 4 You have a pure and enduring inheritance that cannot perish—an inheritance that is presently kept safe in heaven for you.5 Through his faithfulness, you are guarded by God’s power so that you can receive the salvation he is ready to reveal in the last time. 6 You now rejoice in this hope, even if it’s necessary for you to be distressed for a short time by various trials. 7 This is necessary so that your faith may be found genuine. (Your faith is more valuable than gold, which will be destroyed even though it is itself tested by fire.) Your genuine faith will result in praise, glory, and honor for you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Although you’ve never seen him, you love him. Even though you don’t see him now, you trust him and so rejoice with a glorious joy that is too much for words. 9 You are receiving the goal of your faith: your salvation.

Good Morning. Great is the faithfulness of God

Rejoice with a glorious joy that is too much for words! 

Willy Wonka: You know what happened to the boy, who suddenly got everything he ever wanted. Charlie Bucket: What? Willy Wonka: He lived happily ever after.

What more could we ever want as Christians than to be united with our Lord and Savior? When we ask for forgiveness of our sins and proclaim Jesus as Lord, we are given the gift of salvation, a.k.a; eternal life! 

Despite challenges and trials, we can live happily ever after because our present-day sufferings are nothing compared to the glory that will be revealed in us.  

4 You have a pure and enduring inheritance that cannot perish—an inheritance that is presently kept safe in heaven for you.

Words can devalue the appreciation of what is before you in moments of great revelations. Think of anything that brings you joy: the beauty of a sunrise, an exquisite work of art, a melody that touches your soul. These things are perfect as presented and do not need our meager attempts to put into words what we are experiencing. 

"Where words fail, music speaks" 

"when words will not come, the Holy Spirit speaks"

Both of these ideas support the idea of verse 8: Rejoice with a glorious joy that is too much for words! This is another way that we surrender ourselves to God. Words give us ownership, whereas allowing God to speak on our behalf requires humility. 

Loving Lord, Maker of all things! Help us listen before we speak and let the words fall away when they are unnecessary. Thank you. We love you, Lord! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen

Thought for the day: Release control and listen to God’s symphony of life.

It is time to Listen! Pastor Liz