Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
May 5, 2024
Joel 2:18-27
18 Then the LORD became passionate about this land, and had pity on his people. 19 The LORD responded to the people: See, I am sending you the corn, new wine, and fresh oil, and you will be fully satisfied by it; and I will no longer make you a disgrace among the nations. 20 I will remove the northern army far from you and drive it into a dried-up and desolate land, its front into the eastern sea, and its rear into the western sea. Its stench will rise up; its stink will come to the surface. The LORD is about to do great things! 21 Don’t fear, fertile land; rejoice and be glad, for the LORD is about to do great things! 22 Don’t be afraid, animals of the field, for the meadows of the wilderness will turn green; the tree will bear its fruit; the fig tree and grapevine will give their full yield. 23 Children of Zion, rejoice and be glad in the LORD your God, because he will give you the early rain as a sign of righteousness; he will pour down abundant rain for you, the early and the late rain, as before. 24 The threshing floors will be full of grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and fresh oil. 25 I will repay you for the years that the cutting locust, the swarming locust, the hopping locust, and the devouring locust have eaten my great army, which I sent against you. 26 You will eat abundantly and be satisfied, and you will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has done wonders for you; and my people will never again be put to shame. 27 You will know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God—no other exists; never again will my people be put to shame.
Good Morning! Rejoice and Celebrate, God is with us!
God gives us free will to make decisions and choices about our lives. Of course, each action we take creates reactions. As children, adults continuously remind us that there are consequences for our poor choices. Remember those rewards and consequences boards that teachers used to help us make better choices.
Typically, we tend to focus on the negative consequences. For example, if we drive faster than the speed limit, we are likely to get a ticket, maybe not today, but if this is a habit it is inevitable that you will get pulled over.
What if we examine the positive consequences of our actions? For example, if I treat everyone I see with a smile and kindness, what might happen? If today, I share kindness with two people, and they, in turn, share kindness with two others, the consequence of our kindness starts this ripple of events where kindness begins to touch everyone.
Christ came to teach us to share love, mercy, grace, kindness, peace, and joy with all we meet. We are to generate the positive consequences of following Christ by sharing his teachings with the world.
Gracious God, Thank you for this beautiful gift of life. Life is hard and full of challenges. Help us focus on the positive consequences that are found within our daily walk. We thank you! In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: Share Christ and receive blessings.
Start the ripple of God’s love! Pastor Liz