A child’s laughter is my favorite sound! It is full of sheer joy. A child can be fully in a happy moment. They aren’t concerned with who is watching them. They don’t care if they get loud and rowdy. Catching the scowl of an adult can sometimes start a whole new round of giggles!
When Jesus told us we must be like a child, I think this is one of the childlike qualities He wants us to have. Do you have that “joie de vivre” (exuberant enjoyment of life), able to take joy from the present? Can you still giggle for no apparent reason?
If it’s been a while since you really laughed, it’s way past time! Find something that makes you laugh. Watch a funny movie. Watch a good comic. Dry Bar is a good start at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvlVuntLjdURVD3b3Hx7kxw. Just laugh. It’s good for you and it’s good for the environment. When you laugh, honestly and unashamedly, you bring a smile and light and mirth to those around you. You can change the atmosphere in the room. You can bring happiness into your life and others, even if it just for a moment!
Prayer Focus
Someone needing to laugh and have fun.
Prayer
Dearest God, who created laughter for us, your beloved children, help us to laugh more and to enjoy the life you gave us. Remind us how to have fun and how to share it with others. Show us how to laugh, honestly and fully, with our whole bodies. Amen.
Today’s Thought
How can I share my joy and peace with someone who needs to remember how to laugh and have fun?
Constantly remind the people about these laws, and you yourself must think about them every day and every night so that you will be sure to obey all of them. For only then will you succeed.
Joshua 1:8 (TLB)
Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Psalms 119:105 (NLV)
The man who reads this Book and listens to it being read and obeys what it says will be happy. For all these things will happen soon.
Revelation 1:3 (NLV)
Devotion
Lots of people are hesitant to start reading the Bible, for a variety of reasons. Some just don’t know where to start. Others are put off by the fancy, Shakespeare-like wording or all the begats and references to people and places that don’t seem relevant today. If you want to read the Bible, there are a lot of options you may not know about, designed for regular people like you and me who just need a little help.
There are many translations which use more modern language than the traditional King James Version. You might try the Living Bible (TLB), the New Life Version (NLV) or the Modern English Version (MEV). These are easier to read, and don’t contain ‘thou’ or ‘knowest’ or ‘doeth’ words. They still contain a lot of people and places. You can skip over those for now, when it gets too dry. One day those people and places will become more important. Until then, just skim them and move on. Pick the version you think will work best for you.
If you like, you could start at the beginning with the book of Genesis and work your way to the last book, Revelation. Another approach is to pick an easier book such as Psalms or Proverbs or one of the Gospels. Ask your pastor for advice. Nobody, not even God, expects you to understand everything you read, especially if it’s your first time through.
God knows that some passages are hard to read. He built in many layers of depth and richness of meaning. The more you study and discuss a passage, the better you will be able to grasp what God is saying. You will begin to see the deeper meanings. It sometimes brings up more questions than answers. That’s okay. It’s how the Bible is designed, so that it never gets boring or repetitive to read the same passage over and over. You’re supposed to ask questions. You’re supposed to dig deeper.
When you run into something you don’t understand, your pastor or priest is a great person to ask about it. After all, pastors are very knowledgeable on the subject. If you don’t belong to a church, call or visit one nearby. A good pastor will be happy to help you, even if you’re not a member of their flock. Your pastor might not know all the answers to your questions. Discussing the Bible with someone allows you to ask follow-on questions in real time, as they occur to you.
Another great source is the library or bookstore. Whatever the passage, someone has written something about it to help others wrap their heads around it. Many people have written explanations of specific parts of the Bible. Some books dive deep into one particular book or chapter. Some are written specifically to help us read the whole Bible.
Go online. There are lots of sites devoted to Biblical topics, some more formal than others. Some sites are set up in classic printed Bible format, which provide footnotes to the passages as you get to them. Others are less formal, and provide the passage couched in a paragraph or two of the writer’s perspective.
Watch movies about the Bible. I find myself inspired to read for myself about what was shown in a movie. Some movies are more biblically accurate than others. It’s fun (for me, at least) to fact-check those movies.
As you get more involved, you might want to look for resources that explain the origins of the passage. The term ‘lost in translation’ refers to the difficulty of picking words in the new language that carry the same meaning. For instance, it would be hard to translate an iceberg into a language used by people that only know about deserts. Some books even go into the cultural settings, giving you the perspective of the average person of that time and place.
Follow journeys on a map. Some Bibles include maps, and make it easy to find the places of that era. It gives you an idea of distance, direction, and terrain.
There are so many way to approach reading the Bible, and so many fellow travellers eager to help you find your own approach. Tell God, out loud, that you need help with it. He will put the right people and resources for you into your life.
Prayer Focus
Someone struggling to read the Bible.
Prayer
All-knowing Father, who created the heavens and the Earth, who breathed life into me, and who provided a guidebook for me, give me the tools and people I need so I can study Your words. Lead me to follow the path You want me to take. Help me use the Bible, so I will be prepared for whatever You have in store for me, and know how You want me to act in any situation. You are my God, and I want to do what pleases You. Amen.
Final Thought
Knowledge is power. Righteous knowledge is righteous power.
19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.
Luke 2:19 (NASB1995)
51 And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.
Luke 2:51 (NASB1995)
26 When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.
John 19:26-27 (NASB1995)
Devotion
The love of God knows no boundaries. Although we are all His children, there was one man who was more than that. He came to this world to set it right. We celebrate his birth at Christmas. We remember his teachings. We commemorate his death. On Easter, we celebrate his resurrection. He was God on Earth. He was also a man. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
At Easter, we talk a lot about how much God loves the world, and the sacrifice He made for us. We hear little about the sacrifices of his mother. I often think about what it must have been like for Mary, mother of Jesus. Being a good Jewish girl, she would have been very aware of what the Torah (Old Testament) said of the Messiah. When the angel told her she was chosen to bear the Son of God, ancient prophecy must have flashed in her mind. She must have known her child would one day die a horrible death in order to save the world. Perhaps all this flashed through her mind at the time.
Perhaps, being a teenager, she didn’t fully think it through. Perhaps she didn’t believe she would outlive her child. Perhaps she decided not to think about the difficulties ahead, preferring instead to think only of the present and the joy and honor bestowed on her when she was asked by God, through the angel, to do all this. We can only guess. I believe she knew everything that was being asked of her when she, without hesitation, agreed, “let it be according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)
Over the next 30+ years, she stored up many things in her heart, according to Scripture. This is normal for any parent, especially in an age without video cameras, cell phones, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and the hundreds of other apps parents use now to record every first or cute thing their child has done today: smile, walk, run, school, trophy, belch, hiccup, etcetera, ad nauseum and add nausea.
Mary did not have any of those modern conveniences. She only had her heart and mind to store up the memories. I also think that, more than any other mother, she had good reason to store in her heart all the deeds and wonders as she watched her child grow and mature.
I believe she loved God so much that, though she must have dreaded having to see her son tortured and killed, she willingly agreed to see him through the human world with the loving, open arms of a mother. I also believe she trusted God enough to know He would see her through the daunting assignment of being the mother of the Living God.
The stories survive to this day, written down for those of us separated by generations from the actual event. Mary must have kept back many stories that were deeply personal between her and God. Some stories she shared with His followers. We know this because several of these stories wound up in Scriptures. She must have loved and trusted God deeply, for she took that giant leap of faith and gave birth to Jesus, helped him navigate the world as a mere human child, proudly saw him become a master craftsman, teacher and healer, then helplessly stood near him as he suffered and died on the cross. She then helped the others as they laid him in the tomb. She also watched as they sealed the tomb and set guards to watch over it and prevent anyone from opening it and stealing the body. She would have known that would not keep God from fulfilling His promise.
What joy she must have felt that morning when she was told He had risen from the dead, overcoming death itself! I don’t think she was surprised by His resurrection. I think she would have expected it. She was the mother of the Living God, after all. Her faith was strong. She had seen Him do other wondrous, miraculous, seemingly impossible things to fulfill Scripture. I think if she was surprised, it was about how the event transpired, not that it happened. She knew He was the Son of God. She knew He would live again. He was God. God never lies. She must have been a brave, strong and amazing woman!
Prayer Focus
Parents who have lost children.
Prayer
Almighty Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, thank you for saving me. Thank you for showing me how You want me to live. Help me remember to put You first in every aspect of my life, as You put me first in Yours. Help me to bring others to know Your love. Guide me to someone who needs my help today. Let me shine Your light boldly and brightly, so all will know You are mine and I am Yours. Amen.
Spread the Love 