Daily Devotional #1,420

A long time ago, I had a conversation with a lady about what it meant to follow Jesus in your everyday life. She really was excited about the feeling of the closeness of God and the sense of joy that would be there and the happiness that God fills you with when you are doing as he commands us. I listened and loved her enthusiasm but said that there will be times when you won’t want to do what God wants you to do. That there will be times when all the good feelings aren’t there…and your walk with him will be hard. And then I said “We sometimes find ourselves doing the right thing not because it feels good, but because it is our duty. She was really alarmed that we might get to a place where we do the right and hard things simply because we are commanded to do them. We should enjoy our fellowship and life with this God who loves us so very much. But there will be times when it will be hard to say “no” to the people and the culture around us. And realize that our duty now is to follow this one who has rescued us from our sin by forgiving us and making us righteous in his sight. So, when things get tough in your life, don’t despair, don’t give up. Remember what the Bible says in Ecclesiastes… “Fear God and obey his commands…for this is everyone’s duty”. And if you are struggling right now because that joy or happiness is not a part of your day, hang in there. It will come back. And when your journey on this earth is over and you are welcomed home to be with the Lord, you will hear the words he promised “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Master.” The promise from God is that it will all be worth it.

Here’s our Bible verse for today…

Ecclesiastes 12:13 NLT That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty.

Remember I’m praying for you…
With love, Pastor Joe