Blessed With A Glad Heart

"Today's Devotion" For June 26, 2006

Read: Psalm 100; Psalm 95

BLESSED WITH A GLAD HEART

"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs." (Psalm 100:1, 2)

We live in a very loud world. Automobile and truck engines on our streets and highways, the whine of jet engines at airports, the vroom of lawnmowers cutting grass, the screeching of tires, the booming of bass from car radios, the sound of heavy metal bands, rock concerts - well the list is endless. We shout to be heard over the din - my wife and children complain that my voice is just too loud. Noise is everywhere. Noise permeates life. Peace and solitude is hard to come by. Noise can be one of the more destructive influences on people and their nerves. Headaches and body aches, even illnesses, have been attributed to excessive and continuous noise.

Noise comes in all forms, as we've already noted. At one time noise can be destructive, blowing out eardrums, while at another time it cansave someone from harm, as when a shrill scream scares off an attacker. In one moment noise might scare the daylights out of a military recruit as a drill instructor yells at him at the top of his lungs, while in the next moment it can be a soft, quiet lullaby putting a baby to sleep. Our voices can be used to contribute to the din of our daily living or they can be used to build up and encourage one another. The words that come out of our mouths, bred by our heads and hearts, can be noises with which to harm others or build them up. The nature of Sin in the world and in our lives often sets up such a din that all other sounds are shut out.

The sounds we don't want shut out, however, are those which give praise and thanksgiving to God for all His wonderful goodness and grace. The Psalmist calls us to serve God, to worship Him, with a joyous shout, to not be afraid or bashful about our relationship with Him, His love for us, and His salvation given to us in Jesus Christ. By faith we shout for joy with our lives, making a "joyful noise," as the King James Version translates the first verse of Psalm 100. Our lives of faith and trust in God through Jesus Christ provide another kind of noise to our world. Our lives become loud statements of God's love and forgiveness in Christ Jesus as they become our glad worship of our God and Savior. The words that we use, the love that we share, the compassion that we offer, and the kindness with which we touch the lives of others are our "joyful songs" to our God - sweet music that rises above the din of the world that seeks to quiet God's voice in our hearts and lives. By God's grace we are truly blessed with a glad heart so that each day we "shout for joy" to the Lord and call the world around us to that same worship and praise of our God and Savior.

Prayer: Father, I sometimes forget that You've blessed me with a voice with which to sing Your praises and declare Your wonderful salvation to everyone I meet. The din of Sin in the world around me so often seems to drown out the "joyful noise" of Your children, so that it's all too easy to stop that "joyful noise," believing its not doing any good. Forgive me, gracious Father, for forgetting that You have called me live a life of worship as I praise You with my actions and words - actions and words which reflect Your love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness to others. Help me to live a life filled with a glad heart and the confidence that the joyful shout and joyful songs of my voice, my heart, my spirit, and my life will not go unheard, either by You or by those to whom You send me as Your witness and ambassador of Your peace. Help me to remember that through me You are calling people to repent and worship You - it's a precious and marvelous privilege and a great joy to share Your Good News in Jesus with others. In His precious and most holy name I pray. Amen.
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-Pastor Boeck

Copyright @2006 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.