Monday, September 5, 2011

Celebrating

Yesterday our pastor talked about living our lives in celebration of who God is instead of looking at our circumstances and reacting to them. He said that if we truly seek to rejoice in what God is doing our circumstances won't control how how feel. He gave us all cards to put up around the house with words from Philippians in The Message translation. Here is what the card says:


CELEBRATE GOD!

Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in Him!
Make it as clear as you can to all you meet
that you're on their side,
working with them and not against them.
Help them see that the Master is about to arrive.
He could show up any minute!

Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray.
Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers,
letting God know your concerns.
Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness,
everything coming together for good,
will come and settle you down.
It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry
at the center of your life.

Summing it all up, friends,
I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating
on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling,
gracious--the best, not the worst;
the beautiful, not the ugly;
things to praise, not things to curse.

Philippians 4:4-8 (The Message)

I need to put this all over my house and really work on doing it. It's remarkable how much you can face when you go into each day with an attitude of thankfulness and peace. Hoping to focus on Him instead of my anxieties today!

1 comment:

We Three Smiths + 1 said...

I'm going to print that out and keep it with me. It is true..Matt always tells me to pray when I am worried or stressed. It's amazing how it always makes me feel so much "lighter". Thank you for sharing! Hugs!