Thursday, September 1, 2011

Celebrate Life

Good Morning Dear Friends and Prayer Partners and Happy Sept. First! This is the day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it!

Another overcast day, but that just makes it seem like fall will soon be here. I will know for sure when the acorns start falling off the oak trees. It was a fairly quiet day for me yesterday...just some household chores to do and then I took a ride out to Walmart to fill the tank on the van and was pleasantly surprised to note that prices have not gone up, yet.

I saw lots of activity at the park when I stopped in there..big, new green dump trucks traveling across the weir, going down the one way road to the back of the park, and then coming back out. I checked with Dave and he said there had been plans to cut a new opening so the two canals could join together..the one behind the houses, and the one that comes from Sawgrass Lake. It won't be visible to the public. And then I saw one of the animal control people out on the bridge near the young gator. He had a long metal pole with a cup on the end that he was dipping down into the water. At first I thought he might be trying to catch the gator to move him, but Dave said  he was testing for mosquitoes. A couple of the sentinel chickens have been found to have encephalitis (?). I'm glad that program has not been cut out!

Then I discovered several big trucks parked outside in front of my house most of the afternoon. Chippers and tree trimmers for next door, I guess. That house is on a double lot and is planted with many fruit trees, including very tall mango trees, which grow huge!
But, after all that excitement, I decided to do some reading. God is good!

From the little devotional book Knowing God:


This is the day which the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 NASB
 

Do you want to know God more intimately? Try this: celebrate the life He has given you. Do you feel like celebrating today? If you're a believer, you should. When you allow Christ to reign over your heart, today and every day should be a time for joyful celebration. What do you expect from the day ahead? Are you expecting God to do wonderful things, or are you living beneath a cloud of worry and doubt?

The words of Psalm 118:24 remind us that every day is a gift from God. So whatever this day holds for you, begin it and end it with God as your partner and Christ as your savior. and throughout the day, give thanks to the One who created you and saved you. God's love for you is infinite. Accept it; celebrate it; and be thankful.

Some of us seem so anxious about avoiding hell, that we forget to celebrate our journey toward heaven.
                       Philip Yancey

If you can forgive the person you were, accept the person you are, 
and believe in the person you will become, you are headed for joy.
So celebrate your life.
                 Barbara Johnson

                                                          -Today's Prayer-
Dear Lord, help me remember that every day is cause for celebration. Today I will try my best to keep joy in my heart. I will celebrate the life You have given me here on earth and the eternal life that will be mine in heaven. Amen.

I always give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers with thanksgiving, joy and love!


Love and hugs, 
Amaryllis