Focus

Prepare yourself to discern what is and what is not of God today. Still yourself so you can hear how God is calling you.

---

Read

Psalm 98 (NRSV)

O sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done marvelous things.
His right hand and his holy arm
have gotten him victory.
The LORD has made known his victory;
he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the victory of our God.

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre,
with the lyre and the sound of melody.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD.

Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
the world and those who live in it.
Let the floods clap their hands;
let the hills sing together for joy
at the presence of the LORD, for he is coming
to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.

---

Reflect

In the last 15-20 years an explosion of reality talent competitions have hit our television screens. It is fun to debate who is the favorite, who has the best voice, and who never should have made it past the initial auditions.

For many people, the favorite parts of these shows come when producers spotlight those people who, quite honestly, probably should be pursuing some other career. Even though they might not have the greatest talent, they sing or dance or whatever with passion, grateful for the opportunity to live out their dreams. To those contestants it doesn’t matter if they aren’t the best. It doesn’t matter what others think of them. It only matters that they absolutely love what they are doing.

Christians are called to sing the Lord a new song, and to make a joyful noise. While it is easy, and perfectly fine, to take those verses at face value, if we go deeper, we will see that these scriptures mean far more than singing songs every day.

We have experienced such amazing blessings in our lives that we should be fighting for the opportunity tell the world what God has done for us. Our Lord has given everything to us, and we have so much for which to be thankful. We should joyously praise our God with every fiber of our being.

---

Pray

Holy God, forgive us when our pride gets in the way of expressing our thankfulness. May we recognize our blessings, be generous in our abundance, and gracious in our need. We demonstrate our joy every time we praise your name and deeds. Amen.

Go with God.