Worship.

August 18
	And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord: Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
	Ephesians 5:18-20
When I feel things aren’t going very well, I’m tempted to lose heart. And when this happens, I know there’s only one thing to do: speak to myself in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.  No wonder David was discouraged. He and his men returned from fighting the Amalekites only to discover that their town had been burned by their enemies, their wives and kids taken hostage.  ‘This is your fault, David,’ said his men. ‘You took us away from here.’ And so angry were they that they wanted to kill him.  So what did David do? He encouraged himself in the Lord (I Samuel 30:6). He sang songs. He wrote psalms. He began to praise and worship. As a result, he rallied his men once again and they recovered all that was lost.  Had David remained in his depressed state, not only would he have been rendered ineffective, but the women and children would have remained captive. And so will you until you begin to worship. God’s will is that you be free — and nothing will free you from the tyranny of your own situation like worship. You will be profoundly blessed and amazingly productive whenever you give thanks to God for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This Daily Devotional is an excerpt from the book "A Days Journey" by Pastor Jon. "A Days Journey" is a collection of 365 short devotions from the New Testatment.

Knowing the hope of His calling

August 8
	… That ye may know what is the hope of his calling …
	Ephesians 1:18
Throughout Scripture, the word 'hope' always refers to that which is coming, to that which is ahead. I'm convinced the single greatest problem carnal Christians have is that they don't know the hope of His calling. They don't know the reality of heaven. Consequently, they are constantly striving for material things and are continually chasing carnal pursuits. They remain in bondage, depressed, and discouraged because they don't see the big picture of eternity. If you're not happy at this moment, neither will you be with a change of location, salary, or ministry. You'll not be happy until you know the hope of His calling. That's why Jesus said, 'Let not your hearts be troubled ... I go to prepare a place for you,' (John 14:1-2). The key to overcoming a troubled, perplexed, stressed heart is to focus on the hope of his calling, on what's ahead, on heaven.  'But heaven seems so far away,' you say. 'For years, I've been hearing Jesus could come at any time. But where is He?' 'Beloved,' Peter said, 'be not ignorant of this one thing: One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day,' (II Peter 3:8).  A day is as a thousand years. Maybe you're saying, 'Is that ever true! Will this day ever end?' If you are in a strained marriage, a single person aware of your loneliness, or if you're physically afflicted, a day can indeed seem like a thousand years.  'Lord, where are You?' you cry. 'I've been talking to You. I have total trust in You. But where are You?' This day is as a thousand years because in your day of difficulty and dilemma, pressure and pain, sadness and sorrow, you have the unique opportunity to share the fellowship of the Lord's suffering, and to pray for others in a way you never would have been able to otherwise. We want to get out of the trial, solve the problem, move on. The Lord, however, says, 'Not so fast. I want this day to be as a thousand years for you. The discoveries you'll make, the understanding you will glean, the gifts of praise, the expression of even frustrated prayer will affect you for the next zillion years. Because My coming is near, and your heavenly account is pretty small, I'm giving you an opportunity to make some huge investments in the few days that remain before you go to heaven.' You for whom this day has seemed as a thousand years — rejoice. Savor each moment. Extract each minute. Take every opportunity in this long, long day you're in to thank the Father for the opportunity to store up treasure which will make you rich for eternity.   This Daily Devotional is an excerpt from the book "A Days Journey" by Pastor Jon. "A Days Journey" is a collection of 365 short devotions from the New Testament.

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