Proclaiming the Positive

They tell of the power of your awesome works-

and I will proclaim your great deeds -Psalm 145:6 (NIV)

In today's suggested scripture readings, the psalmist blesses God every day and just can't seem to proclaim the great deeds of God enough!

I recently heard a statistic that 80% of the daily news you and I hear is bad news. Just this morning, I read about the German Embassy being attacked, a teacher strike in Chicago, a 73 year old woman being raped, and Christian Iranian pastors being jailed. There is not much good news being offered about God's marvelous deeds and doings in the world. And yet surely there is good news around us! For instance, Darrell Hale was honored last night for his lifelong commitment to young people and to our 4-H at our local fair, the 4th Annual Run for Ella just raised more money to help children and their families cope after a life-changing event, and new ministries to combat hunger and poverty are about to be announced in our community that should truly make a difference in people's lives. God is at work in people both inside and outside our church and it's exciting!

Today, I'm going to look for opportunities to tell people the power of God's awesome works in my life, the church I serve, and the community I live. I don't mean to suggest that I'm going to bury my head in the sand from all the bad news, but rather I just don't want to lose sight of the good. By not losing sight of the good and by instead celebrating it, I am reminded that God can work for good in all of the bad things taking place in our world. I'm motivated to be part of the solution to those problems because I've been reminded that God can bring good from bad.

May God grant us the grace to be more mindful of God's marvelous doings and deeds in the world today and how God may be calling us to be part of the solution to the bad.

If you're interested in reading through the Bible in a year, tomorrow's suggested readings are Ezekiel 40-41, Psalm 128, and Revelation 21. Sunday's readings are Ezekiel 42-44 and Revelation 22. I'll be back on Monday with a devotional thought on Ezekiel 45-46 and/or Luke 1.