Good Morning Worshipers! May we always live a life of worship and praise filled with for all God is and does. Amen! May we worship in Spirit and Truth . Amen!
We have an issue, sometimes as we offer anything but worship to God. Have you ever grumbled or complained about circumstances, your life, this country, God's good plans and ways? I used to kid that I had the spiritual gift of grumbling and complaining. (BTW: they are NOT spiritual gifts!) I think grumbling was part of my DNA. BUT GOD! I have prayed for deliverance, help to trust and the ability to choose joy always. I pray all the time for my life to be lived as an act of worship. And God has answered, helped and I have been repenting and changing. PTL! You can experience that too if you truely desire to repent and walk in God's ways as an act of worship always.
Man, it seems all we see and hear is grumbling, complaining, lying, and spinning truth. Anger is rampant in this nation. Is it holy, justified anger? Usually not. Forgive us Lord! Politicians and their followers are always grumbling. The media grumbles and stirs more grumbling. Where's the Truth and reasons to celebrate? Seems being spun to fit your agenda and narrative, right? PLEASE! Turn off the noise!Seek Truth. Choose joy and have a thankful heart. Do your research before getting your knickers in a twist. Seek first God's Kingdom and ask for His wisdom, discernment and how to worship through the chaos and noise. Ask for His peace beyond understanding as we move through these dark days and twisted truths.
God is Light and in Him is no darkness. God is Love. We are created in love to love. Are you? Where's the love and light ? Pursue those and know His peace and the ability to be joyful as you trust and follow Him and His good ways. Amen! Check out Our Daily Bread below speaking about grumblers and choosing to be thankful always. And then choose to reflect His love and light and share His Truths like the dad in the Upper Room (below). Where's your focus? that will determine your level of joy and peace and if you grumble or worship. Fill your life with random acts of love and kindness and watch the grumbling fade and worship grow. God is in charge even though half the nation doesn't know Him or honor His ways. We do or I pray we do and that we can unite in love. reason together and work at spreading the Light and Love together. That is His mission for us. So Choose joy, faith and worship and ask for help to repent of grumbling or not trusting Him fully and rejoice always. Amen! Wrap things up with some praying through the Connection blogs and prayer starters below. God is good! The world is not. Where's your focus? Choose worship, love and joy as you grow in trust and as you see God at work always. Amen!
ODB:
Thank God for His Gifts
We have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna! Numbers 11:6
The elderly man was taking a long time looking at the children’s backpacks in the store. He told me, “It’s my granddaughter’s birthday. I hope she likes my gift.” At the checkout, he clutched a pink backpack with a cartoon character design. He looked excited.
Later in a restaurant, I saw him again with a little girl and her parents. When the child opened her gift, she said, “I don’t like this character! And I hate pink!” Her parents made her apologize, but she still complained. My heart broke for her grandpa.
I was reminded of how I sometimes respond to God’s gifts. I complain because I want something different, failing to see the miracle before me—that God Himself has lovingly given something forme. The Israelites behaved similarly. God had kept His promise to them: “I will rain down bread from heaven for you” (Exodus 16:4). God’s faithful provision in the wilderness was sure: “When the dew settled on the camp at night, the manna also came down” (Numbers 11:9).
But instead of being thankful, the Israelites complained about God’s expression of loving provision: “We never see anything but this manna!” (v. 6). Instead of humbly requesting other food from God, they wailed over His gift.
I still remember the hurt look in the grandfather’s eyes that day. It made me think of how our heavenly Father must feel when we complain. Let’s be grateful for the gifts He’s given us.
By Karen Huang
REFLECT & PRAY
What blessings have you complained about? How can you thank God for them?
Dear Father, please forgive me for the times I’ve complained.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
God provided physical nourishment for the wilderness travelers in the form of manna, but their unthankful attitudes made their dining experience distasteful (Numbers 11:6).
John 6 describes the spiritual nourishment that Jesus provides: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (v. 35). The response to this amazing offer? “At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven’ ” (v. 41). These examples illustrate the failure to be grateful for God’s provision of both our physical and spiritual needs. As we reflect on all that He’s provided, we can respond with a grateful heart.
Arthur Jackson
UR: Sticky Notes
Glory to God, who is able to do far beyond all that we could ask or imagine by his power at work within us. - Ephesians 3:20 (CEB)
I began placing sticky notes that shared a quote or Bible verse in my daughter’s lunch box when she was in fourth grade and continued the tradition through her middle school years. At some point during middle school, the kids at my daughter’s lunch table began asking, “What does your dad have to say ?” What started as something special for my daughter became an opportunity to share with her friends. I was part of their day but never knew it.
When I learned how important this had become to my daughter and her friends, I marveled at how such a simple act accomplished more than I ever intended. I remembered Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, where he wrote that God “is able to do far beyond all that we could ask or imagine.” We may never know the true impact of our actions, but God does. God uses simple acts to accomplish great things.
It has been six years since my daughter was in middle school, and she still has all the notes in a box by her bed. I never knew how much those notes would mean to her and her friends, but God knew and placed on my heart the desire to write them every day. As Paul reminds us: God’s power is at work within us.
's devotional is available to you for free because of the generosity of our donors.
Thanks to donor support, anyone can read 's meditation without logging in for up to 7 days.
Please consider supporting our ministry. Your donation or paid subscription helps ensure that readers around the world continue to receive spiritual encouragement every day.
's Prayer
All-powerful God, guide us in the things we should do to honor you. Amen.
Connection Blogs
-
The Holy Spirit Empowers To Witness
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).
For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know of our concern for you from the way we lived when we were with you (1 Thessalonians 1:5).
The Holy Spirit is at work to get the Good News to people far from God. He is empowering believers to witness and then illuminating the truth of the message of Christ when we are faithful to share. The great news for the believer is that this isn’t something we have to work up, but we must simply cooperate with the Spirit already at work within us. This should give us confidence to open our mouths and proclaim the news of Christ because the Spirit is not just at work in us, but He is working in others and desires to give understanding to those who hear the message of Christ.
Holy Spirit, please teach me and empower me to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ effectively and powerfully. Put people in my path who desperately need You and give me the boldness I lack so that I can speak Your word with confidence!
--Adapted with permission from The Summit Church (thesummitchurch.org) we are inviting you into 21 days of prayer and fasting at the beginning of this new year! Each day will focus on a different biblical attribute of the Holy Spirit.
The founding pastor of Summit Church is Bill Elliff, who is now the pastor Emeritus and serves on the Executive Leadership Team of OneCry (onecry.com). You can find one of Bill’s books, Simply Prayer at prayerleader.com.
Prayer Points
Praise God for keeping his covenant promises to you.
Give thanks that you have always been able to count on him in all circumstances.
Confess any doubt you have had concerning God and his promises.
Commit yourself to trusting the Lord and taking him at his word.
Ask for his peace which transcends understanding to guard your heart and your mind in Jesus Christ.
Pray that those who instruct within the church may be able to correctly handle the Word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15).
Prayer Pointer
“Embark upon no enterprise you cannot submit to the test of prayer.” —Anonymous
Prayer Points taken from Patterns for Prayer by Alvin VanderGriend. This book is available at prayerleader.com. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
LISTEN ONLINE
