John 12:1-11 | What am I going to do about it?
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
-1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Part of the enemy's prerogative his innerworkings of our lives to to stir ungrateful hearts in us. It is incredibly easy to become tunnel visioned at the experiences around us. Mary could have sat in a place of being amazed that Jesus simply wasn't present. She could have with held praise out of her own greed for her belongings. She could have allowed social boundaries keep her from worshipping as she did. Despite every reason she may have found to not give praise, the reason to praise was so much greater. And praise she did.
The enemy knows how ungratefulness has been sown among us. He is the one who has sown such seeds of discontentment and greed. We live in a glass-half-empty kind of world. Truth be told, that doesn't look good on the believer.
Let me share a verse with you that may catch you a little off guard:
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
-Romans 15:13
When you take a look at the church today, do you see a people filled with all joy and peace in believing? Do you see a people abounding in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit? Unfortunately, such people are so few and far between, even within the Church. We think of a prayer like this being too lofty of an idea. It is easier to pray for the dead to rise than for the church to be filled with such things as this. It is true that we are bad at rejoicing. We are bad at praise. We struggle with the idea of peace because turmoil is stirred in all of us. The idea of perpetually existing in joy and peace is a fever dream. But this is biblical. This is what the people of God ought to look like.
In the effort of the practice of praise, I am going to come before the Lord and meditate on Romans 15:13. I encourage you to do the same. See what the Lord is seeking to produce in you and allow him to make that move. Let yourself be filled with these things and rejoice in Him.
What application are you implementing today?
-1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Part of the enemy's prerogative his innerworkings of our lives to to stir ungrateful hearts in us. It is incredibly easy to become tunnel visioned at the experiences around us. Mary could have sat in a place of being amazed that Jesus simply wasn't present. She could have with held praise out of her own greed for her belongings. She could have allowed social boundaries keep her from worshipping as she did. Despite every reason she may have found to not give praise, the reason to praise was so much greater. And praise she did.
The enemy knows how ungratefulness has been sown among us. He is the one who has sown such seeds of discontentment and greed. We live in a glass-half-empty kind of world. Truth be told, that doesn't look good on the believer.
Let me share a verse with you that may catch you a little off guard:
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
-Romans 15:13
When you take a look at the church today, do you see a people filled with all joy and peace in believing? Do you see a people abounding in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit? Unfortunately, such people are so few and far between, even within the Church. We think of a prayer like this being too lofty of an idea. It is easier to pray for the dead to rise than for the church to be filled with such things as this. It is true that we are bad at rejoicing. We are bad at praise. We struggle with the idea of peace because turmoil is stirred in all of us. The idea of perpetually existing in joy and peace is a fever dream. But this is biblical. This is what the people of God ought to look like.
In the effort of the practice of praise, I am going to come before the Lord and meditate on Romans 15:13. I encourage you to do the same. See what the Lord is seeking to produce in you and allow him to make that move. Let yourself be filled with these things and rejoice in Him.
What application are you implementing today?
Posted in John
Recent
Archive
2026
January
John 14:22-31 | What's the lesson for me today?John 14:22-31 | What am I going to do about it?John 14:22-31 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 15:1-11John 15:1-11 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 15:1-11 | What's the connection?John 15:1-11 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 15:1-11 | What's the lesson for me today?John 15:1-11 | What am I going to do about it?John 15:1-11 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 15:12-27John 15:12-27 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 15:12-27 | What's the connection?John 15:12-27 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 15:12-27 | What's the lesson for me today?John 15:12-27 | What am I going to do about it?John 15:12-27 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 16:1-15John 16:1-15 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 16:1-15 | What's the connection?John 16:1-15 | What’s a lesson for the original audience?John 16:1-15 | What's the lesson for me today?John 16:1-15 | What am I going to do about it?John 16:1-15 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 16:16-33John 16:16-33 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 16:16-33 | What's the connection?John 16:16-33 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 16:16-33 | What's the lesson for me today?John 16:16-33 | What am I going to do about it?John 16:16-33 | Prayer Prompts
February
Passage of the Week: John 17John 17 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 17 | What's the connection?John 17 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 17 | What's the lesson for me today?John 17 | What am I going to do about it?John 17 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 18:1-11John 18:1-11 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 18:1-11 | What's the connection?John 18:1-11 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 18:1-11 | What's the lesson for me today?John 18:1-11 | What am I going to do about it?John 18:1-11 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 18:12-40John 18:12-40 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 18:12-40 | What's the connection?John 18:12-40 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 18:12-40 | What's the lesson for me today?John 18:12-40 | What am I going to do about it?John 18:12-40 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 19John 19 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 19 | What's the connection?John 19 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 19 | What's the lesson for me today?John 19 | What am I going to do about it?John 19 | Prayer Prompts
March
Passage of the Week: John 20John 20 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 20 | What's the connection?John 20 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 20 | What's the lesson for me today?John 20 | What am I going to do about it?John 20 | Prayer PromptsJohn 21 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: John 21John 21 | What's happening (and who's involved)?John 21 | What's the connection?John 21 | What's a lesson for the original audience?John 21 | What's the lesson for me today?John 21 | What am I going to do about it?Passage of the Week: Hebrews 1:1-4Hebrews 1:1-4 | What's happening (and who's involved)?Hebrews 1:1-4 | What's the connection?Hebrews 1:1-4 | What is a lesson for the original audience?Hebrews 1:1-4 | What's the lesson for me today?Hebrews 1:1-4 | What am I going to do about it?Hebrews 1:1-4 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: Hebrews 1:5-14Hebrews 1:5-14 | What's happening (and who's involved)?Hebrews 1:5-14 | What's the connection?Hebrews 1:5-14 | What's a lesson for the original audience?Hebrews 1:5-14 | What's the lesson for me today?Hebrews 1:5-14 | What am I going to do about it?Hebrews 1:5-14 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: Hebrews 2:1-4Hebrews 2:1-4 | What's happening (and who's involved)?Hebrews 2:1-4 | What's the connection?
April
Hebrews 2:1-4 | What's a lesson for the original audience?Hebrews 2:1-4 | What's the lesson for me today?Hebrews 2:1-4 | What am I going to do about it?Hebrews 2:1-4 | Prayer PromptsPassage of the Week: Hebrews 2:5-9Hebrews 2:5-9 | What's happening (and who's involved)?Hebrews 2:5-9 | What's the connection?Hebrews 2:5-9 | What's a lesson for the original audience?
2025
January
No Comments