Don't Give it Up!

Don't Give it Up! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22, ESV. TODAY'S WORD: Throughout life, there will always be something that will try to take our joy. If it’s not a grumpy sales person, it’s a family member aggravating you, traffic is backed up, your flight got delayed, or your spouse is taking too long! Don’t go the next 20 years allowing the same people and same circumstances to frustrate you. Change your approach. What’s upsetting you now doesn’t have to upset you anymore. You can choose to keep your cool and stay calm and steady. Remember, a relaxed attitude is going to lengthen your life. The next time you’re tempted to be upset, ask yourself, “Is this really worth me giving up my joy?” If you’ll make this decision to not give away your joy, to live each day happy, God promises you’ll be strong, you’ll have better relationships and you’ll accomplish more. He says a joyful heart is good medicine! Hold on to your joy and move forward into the abundant life God has in store! PRAYER FOR TODAY: Father, today I will hold on to joy! I choose to live each day with peace and happiness. I choose to rely on Your strength and Your Word which guides my every step. I love You and thank You for loving and directing me in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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In a Season of Loss, You Need God’s People by Rick Warren "Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God.”(Hebrews 12:15 NLT) When you're going through a season of loss, you need not only the support of other people; you also need the perspective of other people. When you're in a season of loss, you don't see the whole picture, your pain narrows your focus, and you need other people who can help you see the big picture. We need each other desperately in the season of loss. After you release your grief, it's time to let other people minister to you. Let them help. Let them comfort. Let them offer suggestions. Let them sit with you and grieve with you. And don't be embarrassed about it! That is one of the reasons God created the Church. We are a family, and we are to care for each other. You need to get involved in a small group and get into ministry so those relational bridges will be in place before the inevitable time of loss comes. Years ago, when our church was much smaller, a family attended Saddleback for five years. They never joined the church, took a membership class, got into a small group, or found a ministry to serve in. They never met anybody. They were spectators and consumers. In the fifth year of their attendance here, the man was opened up in surgery, and doctors discovered he was being eaten alive by cancer. They called the office and said, "Can Pastor Rick come visit us?” I was often out of town, ministering somewhere. I called them back and said, "I can't be there, but tell me the name of your lay pastor and who’s in your small group. Tell me what ministry you're a part of. Name anybody in the church that you know, because I'll contact them, and I'm sure they would be there in an instant to give you comfort, pray with you, encourage you, provide meals — whatever you need.” Although they had attended for five years, they couldn't name a single person in the church. He later got out of the hospital, and they left the church saying, "This church doesn't care for us.” And it was their fault! All the opportunities had been there to build relationships so the foundation would be there when crisis came. Hebrews 12:15 says, "Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God” (NLT). To make it through a season of loss, we need God's people to help us. Talk It Over                                                         Why do you think it’s often hard for us to receive grace and gifts from others? What do you think is the best way to approach someone who has experienced a loss so that you can offer help?