4th. May. 2021. Daily Devotion.

Ephesians 5:18-20

18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the secular world, what is important is how nearly full your glass is. Are you beautiful, rich, happy, smart, athletically gifted? Do people fawn over you? Or are you destitute, a victim of crime, fat, skinny, ill . . . ?

In Christianity, and in the eyes of God, however, how much water you have in your glass is irrelevant. Nobody’s glass is empty; nobody’s glass is full. No person is without sin and no person is beyond hope. We all fall short of the glory of God; and we might all be saved. So, is our glass partly full, or partly empty?

Without God, the glass is completely empty. No matter how small our gifts in life, or how great our pain and tribulation, we have a life; we exist; and that existence is utterly and completely a gift from God. We also have the love of Christ and His sacrifice for us, that we might know Him and be saved, to live one day in eternal peace and joy with Him. And so, no matter how great our trials in this life, we owe God gratitude, for both our existence and our salvation are not ours except by His grace, His gift.

Gratitude honours God. Gratitude is the echo of grace as it reverberates through the hollows of the human heart. Gratitude is the unashamed acceptance of a free gift and the heartfelt declaration that we cherish what we cannot buy. Therefore, gratitude glorifies the free grace of God and signifies the humility of a needy and receptive heart. ~ M Barge

Lord, however great or small my lot may be in this life, let me always be grateful to you, for without You, I have nothing at all. Amen.

Thanks for God’s Mercy

O Lord, you are compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. You have not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is Your lovingkindness toward those who fear You. As far as the east is from the west, so far have You removed our transgressions from us.

All glory, all thanks be to You, wonderful God, who has by Your Son put away our sin, and cleansed us, that we might dwell with You forever, Amen.

~ Adapted from Psalm 103

The breath of the Almighty
Lord God, loving Creator,
You fashioned us from clay,
And breathed life into us.
We are made and loved by you.
The Spirit of God has made me,
And the breath of the Almighty has given me life.

Heavenly Father,
Your Spirit fills us with hope
And lights the path to fullness of life.
Hear us! As we cry out to you, uncertain and afraid.
The Spirit of God has made me,
And the breath of the Almighty has given me life.

In your mercy, Lord,
Grant us the strength to rebuild
When all seems lost.
And the courage to reach out
To those in pain.

The Spirit of God has made me,
And the breath of the Almighty has given me life.

Prayer: Linda Jones/CAFOD