DEVOTIONS

Monday, October 30 – “But see, there is joy and revelry, slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep, eating of meat and drinking of wine!  ‘Let us eat and drink,’ you say, for tomorrow we die!” (Isaiah 22:13) You may read this verse to say, live now because you don’t know what tomorrow will bring.  And you wouldn’t be wrong.  Yet, there’s more to it.  (There’s always more to it!)  The point is this: Don’t spend your time worrying about what might go wrong.  Spend your time enjoying the days you have.  It’s about gratitude for what is.  As opposed to worrying about what might be.  Fun-Tervention rule #1 – Gratitude is an attitude and attitude is a choice.

Tuesday, October 31 – “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) Can we talk for a moment about what “all circumstances” really means?  Surely, the Bible isn’t teaching us to be thankful in circumstances like pain and suffering?  Well, what if it is?  Can you be thankful in the midst of pain and suffering?  Why or why not?  Does being thankful change any circumstance?  Does being thankful change you, in the midst of any circumstance?  And which one of these do you believe is God’s true desire – to change your circumstance or to change you?  Fun-Tervention rule #1 – Gratitude is an attitude and attitude is a choice.              

Wednesday, November 1 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6) There’s a lot here.  First, don’t “be anxious about anything”.  How?  Step one, pray.  Keep your relationship with God open.  Step two, “petition” or ask.  You have not, because you ask not.  Step three, pray and ask “with thanksgiving”.  In other words, thank God for the answer, before you ever get the answer.  This will require you to move your requests beyond worldly specifics.  Don’t pray for a specific car.  Thank God for providing you with transportation.  Don’t pray for God to take away a specific pain.  Thank God for healing your mind, body and spirit.  Fun-Tervention rule #1 – Gratitude is an attitude and attitude is a choice.

Thursday, November 2 – “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.  For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” (Psalm 100:4-5) Maybe it would be easier to understand the significance of these verses if you reverse them – For the Lord is good and his love endures forever, his faithfulness continues through all generations.  So, enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.  Your attitude of gratitude comes from a place of thankfulness for what God has already done and who God already is.  Fun-Tervention rule #1 – Gratitude is an attitude and attitude is a choice.  

Friday, November 3 – “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” (1 Timothy 6:17) No rich shaming here.  The point is this – Don’t let money be your God.  Work hard.  Play hard.  And believe hard.  Enjoy your money.  Have fun.  Ask yourself this question: Do you have fun in your life, because of your money?  Or do you have fun in your life, because of who you are?  The former will cause huge problems.  For you will live in fear of losing your money.  Thus, you will worship it and serve it.  The latter doesn’t care if you have money or not.  For your life isn’t about what you have or what you can afford.  But about who you are.  Fun-Tervention rule #1 – Gratitude is an attitude and attitude is a choice.

Saturday, November 4 – “There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: the righteous who get what the wicked deserve, and the wicked who get what the righteous deserve.  This too, I say, is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 8:14) There’s a basic flaw in this understanding that leads Solomon to write the very next verse.  The basic flaw is that none of us are righteous.  And if you believe that you’re righteous, that’s an indication of how unrighteous you truly are.  Thus, we all realize that none of us deserve any of the goodness of this life.  Which, in turn, means that when it comes, we all need to enjoy it that much more.  Fun-Tervenion rule #1 – Gratitude is an attitude and attitude is a choice.