Devotion 

Allowing The Scriptures

To bring Joy To My Life

Frances Taylor 

The beginning of Luke's Gospel has always been one of my favorite readings. It makes me feel confident that I can believe what I have been taught. It also gives me peace because I know that God's promise has been fulfilled. We have been set free from fear. Of course, we will know fear of the unknown in this unpredictable world, but not fear of death because we can be sure that death is not the end, only the beginning of a new life. Otherwise, how could we continue to experience happiness and joy in the face of suffering? This freedom of fear, this belief in the good news – this Gospel message – is what made the early Christians so willing to face suffering in the name of Jesus. It is what motivated them to spread the good news to anyone who would listen. Is our world any less in need of the Gospel than theirs? I doubt it. Considering how we work so hard to be happy! How hard we work to avoid pain or suffering! So why are we not motivated to do as they did? Maybe we need to spend more time listening to the words of Jesus. The more time we spend with the Scriptures, especially the New Testament, the more joy we will experience in our lives and the more prepared we will be to help others understand our commitment to our faith. Who doesn't need a little more joy?

Prayer 

Lord, let your Scriptures take root in our hearts and minds. Take us away from the video games, the addiction to phones and the falseness that comes from the noise of our world and let us find the peace and joy of your message that can only be found in your Word. Amen.