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God's Words For US
by Cecelia Lester
Thoughts about Praise and Rejoicing
Rejoice, Praise, and Be Glad
This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. (Psalm 118:24)
On most days, I repeat this verse while I am still in bed. Doing this helps me have a good outlook on my day. However, this does not guarantee me a perfect day or a day without trials.
The Message That Changed Me
I heard a friend of mine preach a sermon on living in the moment. In it she told us about taking each day as it came and not to look ahead to the next one, especially if we may have fears about what lay ahead for us. I have found that I am a happier person because I have practiced living in the moment.
Living in the moment also means I can’t dwell on the past. Yes, there are memories I have that, if I often rehashed them, would wreck my emotional balance. I only speak of those past events when I believe someone’s knowledge of those times will make a difference for him or her.
God gives us each day as a gift. When we learn to use that day wisely, we honor God. Sometimes, how we spend out days as a change from what we call normal. Some days and even some weeks are busier than others.
We can learn to find joy in whatever God sets before us. (James 1:2) There are times we have to search for the glimmers of joy as we go through a trial. Some of the lessons we learn because of those trials have great value to us. We have two times we can praise God, when we feel like it and when we don’t.
The psalmist, then tells us to be glad. Gladness sometimes comes easier than we think it would. Someone receives a promotion or a raise at work. Someone gets a new car. Are we happy for them? Suppose you had been interviewed for that promotion and that someone was your friend? Yes, we are to be glad for them.
How Do We Give Praise?
In doing research for graphics for my blog posts this month, I came across words with a spectacular message.
As forms of giving praise we can:
P Pray continually.
R Read the Word every day.
A Acknowledge Jesus as Lord.
I invest yourself in mentoring.
S Serve and share your faith.
E Encourage one another daily.
As I look at these, I find I have some work to do. Being one who is retired and spends a lot of time at home, I don’t see a lot of people through the week. Even when I was a young mother, I did not see many people. I have learned to speak words of blessings to those who attend me in the marketplace. Some of them even thank me after they hear, “Have a blessed day” or “Be Blessed” After a recent Sunday school class, I overheard our teacher say, “Since I retired, I don’t see people like I did when I worked.”
As our population becomes more insular, we have to present Christ to others whenever we can. I realize we have to always be kind, gentle, joyous and loving in order to present Him to those in the world. I also know it can be difficult to do. But Jesus commands us to go in to the world, be a witness to others and make disciples of those we meet.
I intend to search the Word and find scripture that I can use to help those who search for God. I intend to spend time listening more when I am out and including those I meet and interact with in my prayers. Would you care to join me in this journey?
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Cecelia Lester has been serious about her writing for over two decades..
She composes Christian essays and posts them to her blog quietspirit-followingmyking.blogspot.com/
She has served in a faith-based organization, Grace In Action by writing two newsletters and searching for possible grants.
In July 2017, she published her first book, 'Times of Trouble Bring Rays of Joy.'
She and her husband of 54 years live in central Indiana. They have one grown son.
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