LOVING LIFE

David said about him: "I saw the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, because You will not abandon me to the grave, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence." Acts 2:25-28

Today is Autumn's 10th birthday. I woke her up this morning with a playful hug and a cheerful "Happy Birthday". She wasn't so cheerful right away; she usually isn't... kind of slow at being cheerful in the morning. (I know that's hard for some of you to imagine!) But after she was up for a while, you could see the excitement in her eyes for the day. She couldn't wait to get to school, share the cupcakes Deanna had stayed up late cooking, pass out invitations to her weekend party, etc. She was living for the moment and everyone around her could sense it!

So what's Acts 2:25-28 speaking to me today? It speaks to me of the joys of life! Right now, I am an extremely busy man. The dates on my Palm Pilot are so full, I wonder if it is gonna crash the next time I open the software. But regardless of what the calendar says (or the piles of paper in my office), I have joy in life because of a greater hope. Because death has been conquered for me and the sheer fact that I have the presence of God living in and spilling out of me!

What keeps me going? It is not coffee... it is not music... it is not money... it is the joy of living out the life that God created me for. Breathe life in -- it smells REALLY good!

GOING DEEPER:

1. Are there any areas of your life that you take too seriously? List them and give them to God.

It is definitely easy for me to get caught up in deadlines, to-do lists, and filled up calendars. Today, God, I ask You to please take these kinds of stresses out of my life. I don't want to call these tasks "futile" -- the things that fill up my organizational tools are mostly for the Kingdom or for my family -- but I do want to recognize that without YOU FIRST in my life, the pressures can easily weigh me down. Father, You are my JOY, my HOPE, and I put my TRUST in You. I love you, Lord. AMEN.

PSALM OF PRAISE: Protect me, O God; I trust in You for safety. I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord; all the good things I have come from You." How excellent are the LORD's faithful people! My greatest pleasure is to be with them. Those who rush to other gods bring many troubles on themselves. I will not take part in their sacrifices; I will not worship their gods. You, LORD, are all I have, and You give me all I need; my future is in Your hands. How wonderful are Your gifts to me; how good they are! Psalm 16:1-6