– Today’s Community Scripture – 12/16/2024

Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute! Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

Philippians 4:4–7 (MSG)

– Reflection:

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Yesterday while in Church our Pastor Spoke of Joy vs. Happiness, I knew the differences between the two, but it placed a question in my mind. How many of us truly know the difference? They are the same. Joy is inside us; it is what GOD left in us when Jesus went to the cross. Happiness is around you, laughter, the way a joke makes you laugh, the way you feel around certain people. Those are traits of Happiness. To be Joyful, it is something that you have, nothing can be taken away from you because you have it. You know things are going to be ok because GOD said so.

– Where do we go from here?

If there is no reason for you to be joyful, I suggest you try GOD. He is the only one that will have your best interest at the heart of it all. He sent his son here to our world to die for us because we couldn’t get our stuff together. You can’t tell me that is not someone in our corner. After you have accepted Jesus as your savior, the work begins, but at your pace. Following Jesus is like anything. You will only get out of it what you put into it. GOD will always do his part, but we have to do ours and truly believe that Jesus died for us on the CROSS all those years ago. When you can do that, you will notice a joy like no other because you know he is real.

– Our Prayer for Today

Father, thank you for another day to be glad in and rejoice. It is our pleasure to walk with you on the paths you have set before each of us. Thank you. Amen.