Flashlight
Would you follow a prescription or recipe for joy?
Verse of the Day
“Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts. As I learn your righteous regulations, I will thank you by living as I should!”
Today’s Devotional
Recently I woke up in the middle of the night and got out of bed. I couldn’t sleep and I did not want to wake my husband with my tossing and turning, so I decided to change locations. There were no lights on in the house, and as I walked away from the bed I had to stop and allow myself to get oriented to the dark. It was a very disconcerting feeling to know exactly where I was and yet not be able to see anything. It was that dark.
Then I remembered that I had my phone in my hand, so I turned on the flashlight (making sure not to point it in the direction of my sleeping husband). That one act changed everything. I could navigate exactly where I needed to go without stubbing my toe or making any noise.
What if gratitude is our flashlight? What if practicing gratitude is a tangible way we walk in obedience to God?
Today’s verse gives us a prescription for joy. Obey and search. Is it really that simple?
God has given us an instruction manual. Not everyone who believes in God reads the instruction manual. Many more read the manual and decide not to follow the instructions.
I can tell you from personal experience that there was a time in my life when I read the Bible (occasionally), but I did not obey. There was no joy in my life at that time. I found abundant joy when I began to obey and when I made my relationship with God – my search for Him – a consistent priority in my life.
Choosing to find things to be grateful for is one of the ways we can obey God. He tells us MANY times in the Bible to be thankful. Gratitude can also light the way, just like my flashlight did, in our search for God. When we choose to be grateful for all of the little things, we light the way to find God moving in ways we might not have seen otherwise.
The beauty of these two verses is the outcome: As we obey, as we seek God, as we learn, our lives turn into displays of our gratitude. Not just a list in our journal or mind, but actively seeking out how we can live in order to display how grateful we are to our good, GOOD God.
Today’s Gratitude Challenge: The analogy of the flashlight makes me wonder… What useful tools do I have access to for which I can be grateful? I am such a word person, so I am very grateful for dictionaries. I am also grateful for my car, which allows me to run errands and get me to places I need to go. I’m grateful for my computer and the internet. Those 2 tools allow me to carry out this mission God has placed on my heart. I’m grateful for my stove that allowed us to cook dinner last night. We each have so many tools at our disposal. Which ones are you grateful for?
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
How are you willing to obey God’s instructions to be thankful?
How can you search for God with all your heart today?
How does your gratitude light the way?
What tools do you have access to for which you are grateful?
How can you live your life today as an expression of your gratitude to God?