Daily Devotional for November 22, 2014

Psalm 100:1-5
Shout praises to the Lord,
    everyone on this earth.
Be joyful and sing
as you come in
    to worship the Lord!
You know the Lord is God!
He created us,
    and we belong to him;
    we are his people,
    the sheep in his pasture.
Be thankful and praise the Lord
    as you enter his temple.
The Lord is good!
    His love and faithfulness
    will last forever.

Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.

My friend put up a Christmas tree and let her three young grandchildren (a boy and two girls - ages 5 and under) decorate it.  One of the little girls methodically hung ornaments while singing, “O Mistmas Twee, O MISTmas Twee!”  It was adorable.  She sang her heart out for the joy of Christmas and decorating the tree in her Honey’s bedroom.

I’ve often said that we can learn so much from little children.  They are truly pure and unadulterated…able to find the joy in little things like decorating a “Mistmas twee” with cousins at Grandma’s house.  They get excited over presents…sometimes as much about the box as what was inside.  For the most part, they have no doubt that they are loved and belong to someone…and in their own way, they are thankful.

Somehow, as we grow up, we seem to somewhat “outgrow God”.  We’re not nearly as unabashed in our singing of His praises.  We question who we are, where we fit in – and sometimes, WHOSE we are!  We take God for granted…and when we do thank Him, it’s often hurried or superficial.  We fail to truly acknowledge His gifts…and when we do, we’re much more concerned with what is given than the packaging or the Deliverer.

I have to wonder…are our “songs of praise” to God as sweet and dear to Him as the humbly offered “Oh, Mistmas Twee” of a toddler?  Are our words of gratitude a “joyful noise” in His ears, or the same old “yadda, yadda, yadda” we’ve offered Him for ages?  Isn’t it time we got this right?  Wouldn’t this be a great day to begin?

Make a joyful noise. Serve the LORD with gladness.  Come before His presence with Thanksgiving. For the LORD is good…His mercies are everlasting…and His truth endures forever.  If that doesn’t merit a grown-up “O Mistmas tree” praise, I don’t know what will…do you?

©2014 Debbie Robus