Manna for Your Morning

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones. — Proverbs 17:22 (NASB) Are you looking for the perfect prescription? It is found in the Word of God. A cheerful heart is the best antidote for discouragement, weariness, etc. Proverbs 17:22 NLT says, a broken spirit saps a person’s strength, and Nehemiah 8:10 reminds us that the joy of the LORD is our strength. Never let the enemy steal your joy. In addition to strength, a joyful heart is also good for our overall mental and physical health. A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired (Proverbs 17:22 MSG). The Amplified version adds that a happy heart and a joyful mind causes healing. Where do we find our joy? Fullness of joy is found in the Presence of Almighty God and there are pleasures forevermore at His right hand. (Psalm 16:11). Dwell in His Presence and He will give you beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spir...

The next day they offered sacrifices and burnt offerings to the Lord…and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. — 1 Chronicles 29:21 (AMP) In today’s culture of convenience and entitlement, most of us rarely entertain the notion of giving sacrificially, giving of our time, our treasures and our talents, until it hurts. Sacrifice is the act of giving up something valued for the sake of something else regarded as more important or worthy. What are you willing to offer to God as a sacrifice today, for the sake of His Kingdom? May we freely sacrifice to the LORD in abundance. Let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name (Hebrews 13:15). Psalm 27:6 tells us to offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle. Psalm 51:17 says God will not despise, the sacrifices of a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart. And then, Romans 12:1 tells us to present our bodies as living sacrifices, holy, acceptable to God. Amen!

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise. — Psalm 51:17 (NKJV) When something is broken, we tend to throw it away. However, God’s ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:9). When our lives are shattered and our spirits broken, God picks up all the broken pieces. He washes them off and puts them back together. The Master molds our spirits, and gives them a new shape. He restores purpose for every piece. He makes us whole again and strengthens our spirits. When you are battered, bruised and broken, instead of growing bitter, receive the blessing of letting God make you even better.