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HomeWord - Aug. 3, 2009

Love Life 
This devotional was written by Jim Burns

David said about him: "I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence." —Acts 2:25-28

When I was growing up I believed God was probably "the great killjoy in the sky." My impression was that He was stoic, serious, and usually in a bad mood. Well, I was wrong. Although God is beyond our finite words to describe him, this I know for sure: God is love. I have a feeling Jesus liked to laugh and enjoy life to the fullest.

These sentences were taken from actual letters received by a welfare department in applications for financial support:

I am forwarding my marriage certificate and six children. I have seven but one died which was baptized on a half sheet of paper.

You have changed my little boy to a girl. Will this make any difference?

I am forwarding my marriage certificate and three children, one of which is a mistake as you can see.

In accordance with your instructions I have given birth to twins in the enclosed envelope.

Mrs. Jones has not had any clothes for a year and has been visited regularly by the clergy.

Sometimes what we mean to say doesn't always come out just right. Have you ever written or said the wrong thing at the wrong time? I have. Like the time I asked a woman at church how many months pregnant she was—and she told me she wasn't pregnant, just a little overweight. Oops!

Is there a reason for today's devotional? Yes, there is. It is dedicated to not taking life so seriously, putting a smile on your face, and considering the possibility that when we laugh, God laughs with us.

GOING DEEPER: 

  1. Are there any areas of your life that you take too seriously? List them and give them to God.
  2. What is the meaning of Acts 2:25-28?

FURTHER READING:
Psalm 16:1-6

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