I read my email devotional this morning and loved the verse. I wanted to share it with my friends and I figured that I should send it to all of you at once. Even though you might not know each other, I know that you guys are all praying for me and for that I am extremely thankful. Old friends and new friends are all so important and I am really learning that importance.
The bible verse on my devotional this morning was this:
Philippians 4:6-7 (ICB) Do not worry about anything. But pray and ask God for everything you need. And when you pray, always give thanks. And God's peace will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. The peace that God gives is so great that we cannot understand it.
What a wonderful truth this is for me. I have a very happy heart today. I got an encouraging email from a new friend this morning and one from an old friend yesterday. I am listening to Orrie"s video of Madame Blueberry and the talk about how a "happy heart is a thankful heart."
The part of this verse that really caught my attention was that it says that if we pray, always giving thanks, His peace will keep our hearts in Christ. If our hearts are in Christ then we won't worry, we will see things more as Christ does, and in that we will give thanks more and the cycle will go on and on. Isn't that cool. He makes a way that is so much easier than we could ever make. ( I think it requires giving up control though and that is always hard for me.) I don't think He is telling me to give thanks for everything. There are things that are hard and lousey and just hurt too much. I do believe that as I learn to give thanks more, His peace will allow me to be able to give thanks for more and more. Does that make sense?
A happy heart... A peaceful heart... a thankful heart. Being content in every situation. I am learning. Boy it is really hard some days. Life tends to sneak up and bite you when you aren't looking. I am so thankful for all of you guys and your prayers. I know that those prayers have paved the way for me to get to the point where I can honestly say that today I have a happy, lite, peaceful heart. ( there are no illusions that it will be that way always but it is always available)
I would love to hear what you guys think about this verse. Dianne
