Stop grumbling, be grateful, enjoy the moment

Good morning, everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Savr the moment”

Our Bible verse for today: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.” Philippians 4:4-5 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Stop grumbling, be grateful, enjoy the moment”

Once, after the worship service ended and as people were leaving, one of our members stopped to comment on something I said in the sermon. The topic was “Loving God and Loving People” and it was based on Matthew 22:34-40. There we read about the two great commandments given to us by Jesus. My point was that rather than Christianity being a complicated religious system of dos and don’ts (like Old Testament Judaism), Jesus simplified it and reduced it down to a matter of the heart, “Love God and love people”. Once you have those two things right, everything else will take care of itself.

The comment my friend made was that he agreed with my point about the practice of the Christian faith being a simple matter of the heart, and he added that in his own life he has also found it helpful to focus on being grateful as well. He constantly reminds himself of all that he has to be grateful for, and that helps him to be positive rather than negative, and to appreciate the moment he is experiencing rather than looking backward or forward. That then has a positive impact on every other area of his life as well, including his interactions with other people.

That’s what the Apostle Paul was teaching in Philippians 4:4-5 when he instructed us to “Rejoice in the Lord always.” Interestingly, when Paul wrote that he was old and sick, sitting in a Roman dungeon facing probable execution. Yet despite such terrible circumstances, he wrote what is certainly the most joyful and upbeat book in the entire Bible (Philippians), and he encouraged us that we too can and should find our joy in the Lord, even the middle of difficult circumstances.

Then in verse 5 Paul touched on the point my friend referred to, “Let your graciousness be known to everyone.” You see, when your heart is right it will be evident in your demeanor and that then will impact every other part of your life, including your interactions with other people. Gratitude makes you gracious.

What does all of that have to do with our theme of savoring your time? Everything! You cannot savor, enjoy, and make the most of your time if you’re grousing and grumbling and being miserable. The condition of your heart will be evident in your demeanor, and it will color and impact every other part of your life.

So, stop grumbling and be grateful. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, Rejoice in the Lord!” and “Let your graciousness be evident to everyone”.

An attitude of gratitude makes you a happy and gracious person

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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