July 16, 2009

Rejoice In All Good Things the Lord Has Given to You

You shall rejoice in all the good things the Lord Your God has given to you and your household. --Deuteronomy 26:11
Now I am not claiming to be an expert on this subject. Honestly, I think God has yet to take me down some difficult roads, but He has been using small things in my life as training grounds to remind me to rejoice in His goodness and to dwell on His statutes.
Rejoicing and being thankful is not an option in Scripture. It's not something that we feel like doing when things are going fantastic in our life. It's not just our reaction to answered prayers or gifts. Thankfulness is an attitude that makes us as followers of Christ different. I have been trying to focus on the eternal lately. Gaining an eternal perspective in our lives often has an enormous effect on our attitude toward situations. Suddenly small irritations and frustrations become just that! Small! Insignificant. As Christians what ultimately matters? Our position in Christ and what's in store for us at the end of this race. With this in mind, how can we not be thankful and rejoice?
Another verse that came to mind when I was reading this morning was Proverbs 17:22, "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."

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