I woke up a bit grumpy today - aches and pains and general "blue" funk. I heard the birds singing and saw the sunshine streaming through my bedroom window. I stopped for a moment to give myself a chance to reflect and adjust my attitude. Praise God for the sound of the birds. Glory to God for the sunshine. Hallelujah, I am alive and God has a plan for my life today. Grumpiness fades as gratitude takes over. That gratitude attitude is transformational. I praise God out of obedience, even if I don't feel up to it. The Holy Spirit fills me with power to make that first offering of praise and to keep praising God, moment by moment, word after word, all through the day. Take a moment and thank God. Start small, maybe for a flower. Whatever situation you are in, thank God. That's worship in real life.
AMEN!
ReplyDeleteThe Holy Spirit is just so Awesome!
ReplyDeleteAs Age sets in to the perspective of praise; I discover the body less able to be what the heart desires and the mind wants to speak; which is an attitude to direct my attention. I already recognize where I am, the choice I am making with the first breath I take is to direct where my attitude is going to be. I make the Choice to change it; I take the steps to measure it's current affects on me; then I retreat to simplicity to feel God at work in me so I can measure the day not with How I felt when I awoke as an older man, but how I feel in response to the input I allow to affect me in the direction I want to go. Since I choose Praise, I may say it in faith, but as I listen to praise, I begin to "feel" it as well and As I begin to sing it, I come to the place of it swelling from the depths of my inner soul to take hold of the Spirit within me and return me for a moment out of time to taste and see the Lord is good. For it is certain as the Day dawns on the Evil and the Good, If I don't choose the way I approach the day; it does so for me; and dictates the good and the evil with a less than desired direction I want to go. In my old age now, it requires my volition to change my condition because the fact is this flesh is fading away, but my praise doesn't seem to.
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