Verse of the Day - Psalm 51:12

Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
~ Psalm 51:12 (NIV)

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Well, it's Monday again. Start of the work week. Can I get a show of hands of who's already tired?!? Gee, I had a hard time getting up this morning! I've been off for two days, and yet, my body's tired and my spirit is, well...not feeling quite like the Energizer Bunny.

I also know, without asking for a show of hands, that as followers of Jesus, we can get that "in need of some Geritol" feeling about our spiritual lives. Sometimes, the joy of God's salvation is just not what we need it to be, nor what it could be. We feel stale, like week-old bread. Prayer life and Bible study can seem like obligation between legal parties, rather than communication between friends. Going to church can get to be drudgery instead of a delight. Am I ringing any bells here?

I think we all go through periods of dryness in our spirits, where the blessings of a relationship with God through Jesus Christ seem a distant memory. So, how do we try to fix it? Down to the Christian bookstore we go, scanning the shelves under the "Christian living" section, trying to find the key to unlock our stagnation. Or we bury our ears in the stereo headphones and pump the Christian music into our brains, hoping for some spiritual revival through the sound waves. Or worse yet, we just throw up our hands and think this is just the way it is to be a Christian, and you throw yourself back in the bread basket -- stale and unsatisfied.

David didn't have a local Christian bookstore, nor an iPod to plug into. Yet, he knew where he needed to go to get himself back on track, spiritually. He went to God, and God alone. What he lacked, He asked God for. He wanted joy to be re-ignited in his spirit, so He asked the Keeper of the flame for a light. He wanted to have a willing spirit for godly living and service again, so He asked God for it. How many times do we say, "Well, you know, I just don't feel like serving in that way..." or "That's just not me, okay." ...? God can give you a willing spirit, if you really want to be willing. You don't have to drum it up on your own, or think there's something wrong with you if you don't already possess it. Go to the One who can give you all the willingness you can handle!

Everything we need for a vibrant relationship with God comes from Him. Our salvation, number one, through His Son, Jesus. Then He offers a myriad of spiritual riches, as we come to Him as the Great Provider -- joy and a willing spirit, just to name a few! If you're feeling stale, I encourage you to stop spinning your wheels trying to "get it" from another source or stop giving in to hopeless resignation -- acknowledge your weakness to God and ask Him to build you back up again. He can turn your spiritual life from stale into spectacular -- but it's Him, not you, who makes it happen. Just open your mouth and ask Him for it.

Love,
Joelene