Liz’s Morning Devotional based upon Upper Room
September 25, 2021
Read Phillipians 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 in the Lord always! Again I say REJOICE!
As I begin my morning time with God, I am feeling a bit tired from a busy week. When I saw what today’s passage was, I immediately was filled with joy. Many of you know that this is one of my favorites. Rejoice and focus on what is good and what is holy.
It is so easy to become drawn to the evil in our society. Think of the viral videos that sometimes show terrible things. We can become so involved with social media that we lose sight of what is precious: the smiles of children (that are so bright that you can see them through their masks), the beauty of a flower even if it is a weed, and the goodness that is always there if you are looking.
Just as with anything worth doing, we must practice focusing on Godly things. How many times have you turned an anxiety over to God and it seems to return on another day? For me, this has happened so many times that it is impossible to count. However, I continue to practice and I believe that God is with me and helping me let go of the things that are troubling me. God is so good and God cares so much about each of us.
When we practice diligently focusing on God’s glory and look for ways to share love and mercy, we will be filled with the peace that passes all understanding. We will be safely held by our Lord and Savior. Look for the signs of God each and every moment. In your worst moments, pray to God and rejoice in the gifts that you have been given.
Loving God, Thank You for loving us. We are impatient when we can’t do things right away. Trusting you and turning over our worries to you causes us difficulty because we think we can handle it. Help us to turn our focus to You first. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: Today I will practice focusing on what pleases God.
Rejoice! Again I say Rejoice! Pastor Liz
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