Devotional

THE MAGNET

Oliver Wendell Holmes wisely said, "If you give me a dish of sand and tell me there are particles of iron in it, I might look for them with my eyes and search for them with my clumsy fingers and be unable to detect them; but let me take a magnet and sweep through it, and how it will draw the almost invisible particles by mere power of attraction. The unthankful heart discovers no mercies but the thankful heart sweeps through the day, and as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find in every precious hour some heavenly blessing."

May we pray "Oh, Father, Who has given us so much, give us one more thing--a thankful heart." The psalmist concludes the great "Hymnbook of Humanity" with the clear commandment to praise God. He says: Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Then, to add emphasis, he demands: Praise the LORD! (Psalm 150).

Today, let us allow the magnet of our thankful hearts to sweep over our memory and recall all the things God has done for us. Then, let us take a moment to praise Him each time a memory comes. We must learn to thank Him also for the tragedies of our lives, for in them we have begun to know Him better. Praise the LORD!

Psalm 150:6 NIV

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord . Praise the Lord .

Motivation and self discipline

WINGLESS BIRDS

An ancient legend tells of the time God created the birds. According to the story, they first were made without wings. The birds complained that they couldn't go very fast or far by hopping. So God put wings on their backs. Still the birds complained. Together they went to the Maker and demanded He take away the heavy appendages. They believed the wings had no use except to burden them. The Creator told them to wait one week. He said if they still felt that way after a week, He would remove the wings. During that week, the birds began to experiment with their wings. They soon learned they could speed through the sky and soar heavenward with them. Needless to say, they did not return to ask God to take away their wings.

When it comes to praising, believers are like the birds in this mythical story. Asked to praise God, we feel it is another heavy burden added to our many problems. We complain that we cannot do it, that God expects too much of us. But, when we try praising God, our souls soar like never before. And, once we have tried it, we no longer want to be as we once were (Psalm 149).

Today, may we ask God to teach us to praise. This at first sounds strange, but such a prayer will be answered; and we will learn to give God the glory in all of our lives. In doing so, we will reach a level of joy we never knew possible.

Psalm 149:1 NIV

Praise the Lord . Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of his faithful people.

Waking up to Joy

This mornings devotional:

CONDITIONS

Richard Wurmbrand tells of the joy believers knew while confined in Nazi prison camps. Although many were cursing their lot, hating their captors, and plotting revenge, believers were serving their Christ faithfully, sincerely, and with great joy. Both the believer and unbeliever were subjected to the same conditions. However, one reacted as a saint while the other reacted as a sinner.

Viktor Frankl reminds us that true happiness in life depends not on conditions but on decisions. If our hearts are firmly turned toward Christ then we can and will joyfully worship Him--in good times and bad. This seems to be the essence of Psalm 148. Wherever we are, with whatever we have, we should still praise the Lord.

When our praise is based on God's goodness, rather than the conditions of our lives, then we have reached the state of true faith. No matter what the conditions, we will remain true. Like Paul, we learn both to be abased and to abound. Circumstances do not dictate our happiness--that is a result of a living relationship with Christ. And when He is in our hearts, we cannot help but sing--whether it be from the mountaintop or from the cellar.

Psalm 148:1 NIV

Praise the Lord . Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights above.