Morning Devotional 061625 Seek God's Goodness

Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room

June 16, 2025

Philippians 4:4-9

4 Be glad in the Lord always! Again I say, be glad! 5 Let your gentleness show in your treatment of all people. The Lord is near. 6 Don’t be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all of your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks. 7 Then the peace of God that exceeds all understanding will keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus. 8 From now on, brothers and sisters, if anything is excellent and if anything is admirable, focus your thoughts on these things: all that is true, all that is holy, all that is just, all that is pure, all that is lovely, and all that is worthy of praise. 9 Practice these things: whatever you learned, received, heard, or saw in us. The God of peace will be with you.

Good Morning! Rejoice! The Lord is Near!

Growing up in the sixties, we had four TV channels from which to choose. We had the three networks (ABC, NBC, CBS) and a public broadcast station. Since we knew no more than that, we didn’t feel deprived or upset. Honestly, I remember having enough shows to choose from to meet any entertainment desires I had. The only real issue arose when major breaking news occurred, and all three network channels were broadcasting the same event. 

As I think back, a funny thought occurs to me. Now that we have hundreds of channels from which to choose, I often find myself at times when I can't find anything to watch. I realize that for many people, the TV needs to be on for most of their waking moments. 

Another change is the number of TVs available in a single household. My family had one TV prominently displayed in the family room. The choice of what to watch became a family choice if more than one person wanted to watch TV. Now, most households have multiple TVs, so if you don’t like what is on in one room, you simply go to another room and make your selection. 

Paul reminds us to focus on what is true, holy, pure, lovely, and worthy of praise. These are wise words for all times, but especially in our own time, when anyone with a device can spew divisive and angry words. It is easy to be drawn into the madness known as social media, but we must be intentional about where we direct our hearts, minds, eyes, and ears. 

When we catch ourselves anxiously struggling with what is being cast into our nets, we must turn off our devices, walk away, and redirect our focus on God. We do this by finding those things that are true, holy, pure, lovely, and worthy of praise. God’s way is available to all who are seeking love, mercy, and grace. 

Giving Lord, you bless us abundantly! Our world is messy, noisy, and full of distractions. Thank you for providing a place of peace to which we can retreat when we need renewal. Thank you. We love you, Lord! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen

Thought for the day: God is our solace

Look for God’s divine essence among the chaos! Pastor Liz