Matthew 1:23 The virgin will be with child and give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel--which means God with us.
John 10:10-11 The thief comes to steal and destroy and kill; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.
##In this devotional we are told that we can learn to enjoy life. We have an enormous capacity to know God and enjoy His Presence, but it may no longer be a natural behavior for us and we need to re-learn how to enjoy. To learn something we have to make a conscious choice to develop knowledge and/or skill. So the first step is to make that choice. I want to learn how to enjoy life to the full.
The second step is to define what it means to enjoy life. Take a few moments and think about how you would describe enjoying life. According to Webster's Dictionary, enjoy means to get pleasure from, to relish. So enjoying life means to get pleasure from life, to relish life.
The third step is to practice this behavior. In this devotion Sarah gave some of the ways to practice enjoying life.
1. Relax! Although we are wanting to learn how to enjoy life, there will not be a test! Give your self time and grace.
2. Know God. For us to enjoy life we have to feel loved and safe. This comes from knowing God. Just from the devotion and scriptures we read, we learned that God is our God, my God; He is with us; He made us; He is our Shepherd; Jesus, Immanuel, God with us; Jesus came to give us life and to the full; Jesus lay laid down His life for us. Knowing God lets us open our hearts to Him and to His creation.
3. Look at things through child-like eyes and be delighted. Watching Amelia has reminded me of what that child-like wonder looks like. There is such excitement and joy and everything is new! We need to look at our world that way! Slowing down to notice the little things.
4. Savor every blessing. Reminds us of "One Thousand Gifts", doesn't it?
5. Focus on His Presence. God is always with us. Look for His Presence in every situation. He is there walking with us and in us.
6. Glorify Him. We bring Him glory just by enjoying our life. There should be smiling, laughter, singing, prayers of thanksgiving, and sharing His world with those you meet.
The world is watching. The world is desperate to enjoy life...just look at all the commercials, but only God can give us true joy. Share your joy with others!
I would love to hear from you what brings you joy today!
one thousand gifts:
#61 an iridescent hummingbird skirting from one flower to another
#62 the sacred treasure of weakness
#63 the last family swims before school starts
That was so tragic wasn't it? I just can't get over how easily life can change - sometimes for good, some times, not good. I wanted to tell you that you putting me on your 1000 gift list was about the nicest thing that I've ever heard of. Blessed me so much! Thanks!
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