GLORY TO GOD

Hebrews 13:20-21 NIV 

Now may the God of peace, 

who through the blood of the eternal covenant 

brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, 

that great Shepherd of the sheep, 

equip you with everything good 

for doing his will, 

and may he work in us 

what is pleasing to him, 

through Jesus Christ,

 to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

What a prayer! He focuses on, and starts off, with God being the Author, the source of our peace. If we just stop there we will have something to chew on! When we’ve lost our peace let’s go back to its source and receive His gift of peace that passes understanding, it’s so powerful.

He calls us to remember His enormous power that it took to raise the Lord Jesus from the dead and to know it’s available for us to tap into inside ourselves through the power of the Holy Spirit. What a thought!

Then he says to know we have the Great Shepherd, the only One who was willing to sacrifice His own life in place of ours, as our own Shepherd. We’re not lost, we’re found, and we belong to the Good Shepherd who leads us beside still waters, and along paths of righteousness. How wonderful that is.😊

Notice we’re not being equipped with a few, inferior or used tools, but with everything good! God has a plan and purpose for each of our lives to do His will so He can work in us, through Jesus, whatever He has planned. He’s reminding us our goal is to please Him, just in case we’ve forgotten or been side tracked!😊

And who gets all the glory forever and ever? Jesus Christ, our Great Shepherd because He shed His blood to cut a new covenant for us with His Father so we could live and reign with Him forever.

The Holy Spirit has given us this amazing prayer to pray over ourselves, so let’s praise and thank our God today for it all. In Jesus name. Amen.

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

SILLY MOMENTS

1 Timothy 6:17 NIV …but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

Do you ever have ‘silly’ moments? I did the other day when I sat and bounced up and down on the bed like a kid because it just felt bouncy!🤣 There is no age limit on it! Or maybe find a pot of bubbles and blow them for the fun of it? 

Sometimes it does us good to just be a bit silly because life can be so serious and intense and God gave us a sense of humour to lighten our moment!

God has given us permission to enjoy life, and for you, that will look different to me, but nevertheless God has given us all things to enjoy - so let’s not forget to enjoy it or feel guilty when we do!😊

When life is hard we have to remember the joy of the Lord is our strength. So let’s stir the joy up and sing in the shower at the tops of our voices, or just laugh at nothing at all because we’re still alive and Jesus loves us.

Today let’s look for the funny side of life, and have a sense of the ridiculous. Watch raindrops chasing each other down the window pane or enjoy the birds bathing in a puddle of water. We have several dishes in the garden which we fill with water and it’s funny watching the birds choose which one they will bathe in today. Some like it deep, some like it shallow and others fuss with each other waiting to have a go!😊

They are little joys which God gives us which make us smile if we recognise them. It’s even good to laugh at ourselves when we do something daft! So, how about you? Can you put a dish out for a bird bath or blow some bubbles, or maybe make and toss some pancakes in the air, or say ‘Boo’ to someone, or tell a joke and make them smile? 

Whatever you do, tap into the joy of the Lord today and find His joy in your everyday. If nothing else, you can laugh at me bouncing on the bed!😊

Have a blessed weekend.x😊

Photo by Sash Sriganesh on Unsplash