daily devotional

So far this week we’ve talked about screwups and moments of stupid, so I feel it’s necessary to switch gears and talk about rainbows and butterflies, you know feel good things that give you the warm fuzzies. We’re not always screwing up, right? Every moment isn’t a moment of stupid. Some days we kinda nail this thing called life. Some days we get it right. Some days we wake up on time, our pants zip (now I’m not saying that as a measure of success on how much you weigh … I’m saying we actually put on pants with a zipper, not stretchy pants! Yeah, who knows that’s a special day when the pants have a zipper on them!) Some days we show up, we give our best effort, and we go to bed with that ‘good tired’ feeling of accomplishment, without any major quarrels or melt downs.

What if you woke up to that kind of day? Yes, a rainbowey butterflyey kinda day! I believe you did. I believe today is a Psalm 42:8 kinda day for you “But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me.” Now line up and receive that unfailing love he wants to pour on you. See God doesn’t want to sprinkle his love on you. He’s not just throwing it up in the air, hoping a bit falls on you, no no no, he wants to pour it on you. For someone to pour something on you, you need to be close and you need to be still for a moment. That’s what we’re here to do today. A moment of closeness to our God. We are gathering here at his feet to receive his blessing. We are stopping everything else in our busy lives and we are getting real still in this moment.

God pour out your unfailing love on your girls today. As you bow in reverence at this moment, may you feel his love pour over you. May you know his love is unfailing. It will never fail you. Ever. His love will follow you into the pit with lions, it will go before you on the mountain climb, and it will cover you on the stormy seas. Psalm 36: 5 &6 “Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths.”

This is the kind of love we receive from our Creator today. An unfailing love. A love that is handcrafted to meet your every need. A love that is faithful, righteous and just. A love that covers any area of lack or shortcoming and makes you MORE than enough. A love that changes everything. This is the love God is offering you today. He’s ready to pour it out on you today as you come close to him in this moment of stillness.

We receive.

We are grateful.

May nothing separate you from Him today. I don’t know what you have going on today, but I bet there will be a pull of either busyness or a pull of boredom. May neither of these separate you from God today. As you come in close to him this morning, may you remain close to him throughout this day.

May you stand strong in him today. May he anchor you and hold you steady. When the world wants to toss you around and when circumstances want to get you all stirred up, may you be strong and steady in him. May your eyes be fixed on Jesus today. May you see him in everything and everyone. May you be aware of his presence and his power.

It’s all around you this morning. It’s being poured out on you at this moment. Get you some girl. Don’t dismiss yourself from this goodness. Get all up in there as God is pouring out his unfailing love this morning. There’s enough for everyone and you don’t have to sit it out!

Psalm 30:5 says “Joy comes in the morning.” Ahhhh, that’s why the enemy fights so hard to convince you mornings suck … because the mornings hold the precious gift of joy. And we know from Nehemiah 8:10, “the joy of the Lord is your strength.” This is where your strength comes from. Joy.

Who does it come from?
God.

When does it come?
In the morning!

So today we get it right. Today we receive what is being offered to us from our the hands of our loving, unfailing God. He is offering JOY this morning, and that joy gives us strength.

The enemy is offering disappointment. He’s offering disagreements today … oh yes, the day after elections, he’ll be throwing around out invitations to disagreements like confetti today! The enemy is a offering a day unworthy of pants with a zipper. A day where you go to bed feeling like a failure. I’ve had those kind of days before. I’ve taken his offers in the past. Unknowingly, I bet you have as well. Where he tricks us is in the busyness of life. He keeps us so distracted that we’re just being hand-fed his dark offerings of despair and overwhelm.

But not today. Nope, today we’re opting for what God’s pouring out. We’re not going to miss it today. We’re coming in close. We’re gathering at his feet. We’re getting real still, and in this moment we’re bowing in reverence to receive the joy that comes in the morning. The joy that will pour over our heads and anoint us. The joy that will strengthen us for this day.

Pour it on out God. And as God pours, may you rise up in the strength you are receiving. Judges 5:31 says “may those who love you rise like the sun in all its power!” May you rise up like the sun this morning. With power. With purpose. On a mission.

Oh yeah, that’s the kind of day you just woke up to. Now it’s time to live it!