So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. Ecclesiastes 2:24 NLT

How much complaining, griping, stress and anxiety go on in our time? So much of our natural nature is to always want so much that we do not enjoy what we have. The beauty of grace in Jesus the Christ is that it gives us the ability to find joy in the little things of life. Just think of the simple things such as eating and drinking and all those taste buds in our mouth that are just waiting to have a party. Grace gives the joy of celebrating with an attitude of thanksgiving and that changes everything to how we feel and to how we think. On this new day may you find pleasure in the smallest things along your journey. You, your family, your friends and those you come in contact with will be renewed through your attitude of thanksgiving. Most likely you will just plain like this day.

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. James 1:2,3 NLT

We are not expected to count pain and sorrow as good things in themselves and therefore the source of joy. These disappointments and sorrows that come into our life are opportunities for our development in our life of grace and faith. We are to rejoice not because troubles come, but because of their possible benefits. George Muller of Bristol put it this way -"When trials come, we should say - My heavenly Father puts this cup of trial into my hands, that I may have something sweet afterwards." We are told that when a grain of sand presents itself into the oyster, the irritation that is caused is stopped by encrusting it with a pearly formation. A true pearl is therefore simply a victory over irritations. On this new day may you cover all the details of your life with that which has no irritation, the grace of God that is in Jesus the Christ. Your attitude, your thoughts and your emotions will be overwhelmed with delight and those around you will see the beauty of grace through you.

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. Galatians 5:13 NLT

We are a nation about freedom. Yet as a nation we seem to be loosing our freedom and becoming enslaved to ourselves. It isn’t just alcohol, drugs, and food but also violence in attitude and actions along with all forms of greed. What is ironic is the more someone asserts his or her self-centered freedom, the more he or she becomes enslaved to sin. But there is a prescription for freedom by the grace of God. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36. This freedom of grace is not a belief system, it is a life that is called a new creation. Here the root of addiction is replace with a love for God, a love for yourself and a love for all who you meet. On this new day may you enjoy what God has given in and through Jesus the Christ. May your day be free so that your old habits and addiction are no longer who you are. Your freedom in Christ will bless you and everyone around you.

So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord... who has saved us and called us to a holy life - not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. 2 Timothy 1:8,9

When God's grace touches our life the freedom of not being condemned leads to not being ashamed. We then begin to experience in our daily journey the joy of living without the feelings of peer pressure, guilt and shame. Now, even our past failures bring an opportunity to encourage others which gives glory to God. On this new day, enjoy being relaxed in the grace of God's love. Living and enjoying his grace will bring refreshment to your journey which will be a blessing for others who live and work around you. Your very breath today will bring praise to God.

I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and salvation. I do not conceal your love and your truth from those I meet. Psalm 40:10

This Psalm reveals how relational David’s journey with the Lord was. God's grace gives great relief to our lives and causes us to see our world in a fresh new way. Your righteousness in my heart gives us a beautiful view of life without condemnation in our emotions and desires. With that in place, our belief in our Lord becomes a joy in our journey and others are then blessed with his love and kindness. On this new day, let his grace and love continue to overwhelm you for you no longer have any condemnation in Jesus the Christ. Your journey can now freely express the joy that brings. Those you meet today will be very blessed to experience the love of God through you.

A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25

Here we can see the impact of God's grace in the details of our heart and mind. Much of what we are born with is very self-focused and consuming. But God's grace gives a delight in living with open hands and heart which frees us up to see the blessing in others along their journey. Being overwhelmed by his grace gives the freedom and joy of encouraging others along their way. Being generous with kind words, a smile of encouragement and the sharing of what is in your hand will bring joy to you and a feeling of worth and encouragement to others. On this new day may you enjoy the freedom of his grace as it expresses itself through your words and your pocket book. You will experience that life called eternal for God so loved the world that he gave his only Son. You will be very refreshed and renewed in this freedom.

He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise. Proverbs 15:31

Our natural nature does not like being told what to do and if left to its own, has a difficult time listening to correction which feels like criticism. Grace which removes condemnation gives us a different ability to hear, see and understand. When living overwhelmed by grace, we do not feel a rebuke as criticism, but as a voice of compassionate encouragement to help us along our journey. This being true, we actually can feel refreshed, encouraged, loved and valued. On this new day, may you enjoy your journey of God's grace and the freedom it brings to how you feel and how you see yourself. May you have the freedom to receive impute from God’s Word and others which allows you to walk and live with joy and be known as wise. Your home, work, and community will be refreshed and a freedom will be yours, which will be known as thankful.

Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation. Proverbs 3:3,4

Being overwhelmed by grace allows us a great freedom of thinking, living and esteeming others as more important than ourselves. Loyalty and kindness are two beautiful parts of grace and when they are allowed to live in and to be expressed through our lives our Lord is blessed and people are refreshed. That being true, we then are filled with joy and goodness. On this new day, that has never been before, may you enjoy these expressions of his grace in you. May your journey have situations for loyalty and kindness to be expressed through you. Relax, smile and get ready to be blessed.

Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean. Hebrews 10:22

Sometimes along our journey we feel that God is not interested in the details of our lives. That feeling is real, but it is not telling us the truth. God's Word give us a wonderful picture of his grace working in and through our lives. We are invited to come into his presence with our full emotions and intellect, allowing the faith and grace he has given to express itself before him. And here we are reminded that we now have no condemnation, guilt or shame because of the blood of Christ. So on this new day, may you enjoy your journey of grace and go right into his presence with the details of your life. He desires your good and your refreshment is his delight. So smile, relax and let your heart give thanks to the Lord for his joy in you.

LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman, who keep his oath even when it hurts. Psalm 15:1-4

Heavenly Father, these are truths that overwhelm mankind. These simple truths seem to allude us along our journey. When we find ourselves doing and living just the opposite of these simple truths, then we feel accused and at times worthless. Father, it is in this place and condition that you have given and expressed your grace to us through Jesus the Christ. Your grace cleanses us from the power and condemnation of our sin. Your grace gives us freedom of our emotions, thoughts, and words to experience your glory, rejoice in your life and live as an encouragement to others. May we live overwhelmed by your grace in the freedom of your love without condemnation and be a living expression of the good news of grace found in Jesus the Christ. On this new day may this prayer be yours to the fullest and may our Lord grant to you in fullest measure the beauty, the freedom and the refreshment of his grace in your life and family.