| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Laugh Again” Our Bible verse for today: “Our mouths were filled with laughter and our tongues with shouts of joy. Then they said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.” Psalm 126:2 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Be joyful, and let it show” I once heard it said that “The Christian should be one big “hallelujah!” from head to toe!” It’s true. Nobody has more to be grateful for than Christians. Your sins have been forgiven; you have the Holy Spirit of God living in your heart; you have a loving Father in heaven who is always looking out for you and who is committed to meeting your needs; you get to experience the Fruit of the Spirit in your life in increasing measure. And, when this life is over, you have a wonderful eternal home waiting for you. Yes, the Christian should be one big “hallelujah!” from head to toe! I love the scene depicted for us in Psalm 126. It’s known as “A song of ascents”. It was sung by the Israelites as they marched up to Jerusalem to worship. Jerusalem sat on a hill, which is why it is commonly referred to in song as “a city on a hill”. As that large throng of Israelites ascended the hill, with the city of Jerusalem in sight above them, they were laughing, singing, rejoicing, and calling out praises to God. It was a great scene of joy. Our theme this month is “Laugh Again” – with an emphasis on “again”. The implication is that long ago we stopped laughing enough. The joy of life drained away and many of us simply resorted to getting through our days. May I politely suggest that you knock it off? To borrow a phrase from Sergeant Hulka in the movie Meatballs, “Lighten up, Francis!” Life is not as hard as you make it out to be. Go back and read the previous devotional about the 80/20 rule. You have been blessed beyond measure and there is much more good in your life than bad. Life is meant to be enjoyed not just endured. There’s plenty to be thankful for and happy about. And there are lots of reasons to laugh. Did you hear about the little boy who was invited to say the blessing at his family’s Thanksgiving dinner? He thanked God for his mother, father, brothers and sisters. He thanked God for their guests, and for the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and even for the Cool Whip. Then there was an extended silence until finally the mother looked up and saw the boy with his eyes open, looking at her, and in obvious distress. He whispered to her, “Mom, if I thank God for the broccoli won’t He know I’m lying?” Everyone at the table burst out laughing and they all agreed it was the best Thanksgiving prayer any of them had ever heard. Make it a point today to look for things to be grateful for and to be happy about. And laugh. Laugh at lot. Go ahead and be one big “hallelujah” from head to toe! God bless, Pastor Jim |
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