Hi there! Happy Monday, my name is Caleb Van Liew, I am the Sound, Lighting, and IT Director here at Desert Breeze, and I will be leading you through today's DB Devotional. During the month of December we're following the ancient tradition of Advent for our daily devotionals. Advent is the four weeks leading up to the celebration of the Incarnation: week one reflects on Hope, week two reflects on Peace, week three reflects on Joy, and week four reflects on Love. This week we’re focusing on Joy. For our devotional we will be reading a portion of the one-hundred and eighteenth Psalm, but first we’re going to take a minute of silence for prayer. Take this moment to calm down, remove, just for a second, the distractions of the day, and connect with God. Ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you through this passage, ask Him to lead you, ask Him to give you something to take with you for the rest of the day. Let’s do that now.
Let’s begin our devotional. First, we are going to read the Scripture, listen, and if you have a Bible with you feel free to read along.
Psalm 118:19-24
Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it. I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Now, we are going to move to reflection. We will re-read the same passage, but this time taking mental notes of anything that stands out to you. If you have a Bible with you, read along once again, and highlight those things. After the reading take a moment to ponder why those things stood out to you. Ask questions. Meditate. Let’s read.
Perfect, we are now going to move to response. We will re-read the passage for a third time; focus on those words or phrases that stood out to you. When this is finished go to God in prayer. Talk to Him about these words or phrases. Ask Him how you can apply these things to your day. Let’s read.
Good, now we are going to move to the final part of our devotional: rest. We will re-read the passage one final time. When we finish, use the silence to rest with God. Take what God has spoken to you through this Scripture, and pray it back to God. Let’s read one more time.
