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Monday Morning Encouragement -- Easter Break



A Joyful Cottage is on Easter break. I'll see you in two weeks!


He is Risen!






 

Monday Morning Encouragement -- Look Back, Look Around, Look Up

"I remember the days of old;I meditate on all Your doings;I muse on the work of Your hands." Psalm 143:5


When we are in the midst of a trial and peace seems far from us, it's a perfect time to stop what we're doing and mediate on the goodness of our Heavenly Father. 

Monday Morning Encouragement -- Captivated Worshiper

 

"Make His praise glorious." Psalm 66:2


What does it mean to make God's praise glorious? According to Pastor Steven Cole, "making His praise glorious does not mean getting pumped up by group enthusiasm or by music that has a catchy beat. Rather, it is the overflow of our hearts when we are captivated by God’s all-satisfying glory in Christ."

 

To be captivated means to be attracted and held. So perhaps when we are so attracted and held by God's beauty, holiness and fullness in Jesus Christ that nothing else will satisfy, that is when our hearts overflow with glorious praise. 


I desire to be a captivated worshiper every day. How about you?


Today's music video Here I Am To Worship sung by Tim Hughes is one of my favorite praise and worship songs. May it bless you and draw you closer to the One who is worthy of all our adoration.




I love you, I'm thinking of you, and I'm praying for you.



Monday Morning Encouragement -- All for His Glory

 

"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31


When I was a young mother I read a devotional by Gigi Graham Tchividjian that impacted me at the time, and which has stayed with me for many decades. 


In her devotional she recounted how one day after getting her children off to school she walked into the laundry room and was overwhelmed with the amount of dirty clothes she faced. Her eyes filled with tears as she remembered that she had just done three loads the day before. After getting the first load into the washer, she tidied up the house and headed for her son's bathroom where she began cleaning the tub. Once more she began to weep. She was tired and discouraged. She writes:

"Sitting in the middle of the bathroom floor, sponge and cleanser in hand and tears streaming down my cheeks, I found myself fussing, crying and praying all at the same time."


In that moment God met her right where she was and reminded her that even cleaning a bath tub is a way of serving Him.


The truth is that even the smallest and most mundane things we do can be an act of great service to the Lord, and used to bring glory to Him. As we launder clothes we can thank God that He has provided those clothes. Scrubbing the floors we can praise God for our homes. Putting fuel in our vehicle we can lift our hearts in gratitude to the Lord that we have transportation. All that we possess belongs to Him, and it is only by His grace that we have them to enjoy.


This morning I made an egg sandwich for breakfast. As I cracked the pretty pastel egg into the frying pan, I marveled at how my friend's hens (from whom I buy my eggs) lay beautiful pale green, beige and pinkish eggs. This is God's doing! He created those hens and gave them the ability to produce food encased in glorious color. The avocado I sliced for my breakfast was another reason to praise the Lord. He has given us food that pleases the eye, as well as our tummies. All for His glory, and for our good.


Today's music video Glory to God Forever by Maranatha Music is a praise song that I hope will lead you to worship.




I love you, I'm thinking of you, and I'm praying for you.







Monday Morning Encouragement -- Soul Talk

 

"Why are you in despair, O my soul? 
And why have you become disturbed within me? 
Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him 
For the help of His presence." Psalm 42:5


Have you ever felt so discouraged that you had to talk your soul into hoping in God? This is what David does in Psalm 42. He had seen the faithfulness of God in the past and had experienced great heights of joy. And yet, at the time of this writing, he is depressed. 

Monday Morning Encouragement -- The End of the Law

 

"For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness  to everyone who believes,"  Romans 10:4


Two decades ago the Barna Research Group conducted a survey of professed Christians. At that time, "half of all adults (50%) argued that anyone who 'is generally good or does enough good things for others during their life will earn a place in Heaven.' Almost half of the non-evangelical born again Christians adopted this view, in spite of the fact that they have prayed for the forgiveness of their sins and asked Jesus Christ to be their savior – actions which they believe were the basis of their assurance of salvation. Apparently, large numbers of the non-evangelical born again adults believe that people have a choice of means to salvation, either the grace-alone or the salvation-though-works approaches."

Monday Morning Encouragement -- Compassionate Savior

"Jesus wept." John 11:35


While reading through the eleventh chapter of John, which gives the account of Jesus' raising Lazarus from the dead, I was especially struck by verses 33 - 35. Here John gives us a glimpse into the compassion of our Savior. 

Mary, Martha and their companions were gathered together to mourn the death of their brother and friend Lazarus. Jesus clearly knew that in just a few short minutes Lazarus would be revived by a shout from Him, commanding his dear friend to come out of the tomb. Yet even knowing this, Jesus wept. And we should take special note of this.

Verse 33 tells us regarding the grief expressed by Mary and the mourners:

"When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in His spirit, and greatly troubled."

Then we read in verse 35 that "Jesus wept."

I believe these few short verses are extremely important to our understanding of the heart of Jesus. He wasn't weeping for Lazarus. He was weeping for the gut wrenching grief of Lazarus' family and friends. He heard their laments, felt their pain, and shared in their sorrow and their tears, so much so that He wept, too.

Our Savior is deeply compassionate. Of course, it was His compassion for lost sinners that drove Him to sacrifice His own life so that all who receive Him would be saved from sin and given eternal life. And that in itself is enough. The Lord doesn't need to do anything beyond Calvary to show us His compassion. 

And yet, He does. 

He grieves when we grieve. He weeps when we weep. His heart hurts when our heart hurts. He feels everything we feel, and His arms are wide with comfort. He beckons us to come to Him and experience His love and compassion.

Honestly, this brings me to tears. 

What a wonderful, merciful Savior is Jesus Christ our Lord.

Today's music video Wonderful, Merciful Savior by Selah is one of my very favorite songs of praise. I pray it will stir your heart to worship.



I love you, I'm thinking of you, and I'm praying for you.




Monday Morning Encouragement -- Imitate The Father

 

https://www.heartlight.org/


"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." (Ephesians 5:1 ESV)


One of my favorite things to do is watch YouTube short videos of children doing cute things, especially little boys imitating their fathers. There's just something endearing about it, and I think it illustrates the confidence the child has that he is loved by his father, and which compels him to imitate what he does.

Monday Morning Encouragement -- Three Things


"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, 
be constant in prayer." 
Romans 12:12 (ESV)


Today's scripture verse is quite short, yet in these eleven words we find tremendous power for living the Christian life. What's more, they were written by a man, the Apostle Paul, who serves as an example of what it looks like to faithfully follow Jesus under extreme pressure.

Monday Morning Encouragement -- Waiting on God

 

"Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!" Psalm 27:14


In my opinion, the ability to wait patiently has become a lost art. Just spend some time in an airport and within minutes you'll find someone who's experiencing a meltdown over having to wait for service from a busy airline customer rep.

Monday Morning Encouragement -- Far More Abundantly

 

"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21


In September 1853, a twenty-one year old named Hudson Taylor sailed from Liverpool to China. His desire was to reach the people of China with the Gospel of Christ. At the time only a few dozen missionaries were stationed there. By the time Taylor died a half century later, he had established the China Inland Mission, which still operates today, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with East Asians.