Freely Speaking Audio Devotion

Welcome to Freely Speaking, an OHSOFREE devotional ministry where we share our hearts and trust God for transformation. 

Today’s devotion was written by Marge Webb.

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer" (Romans 12:12 NIV).

For the past few years, my favorite kid's movie has been "Inside Out." The film takes viewers inside the mind of a little girl named Riley and her personified emotions of joy, sadness, anger, fear, and disgust. "Inside Out II" gets even more exciting as Riley becomes a teenager, and envy and embarrassment suddenly appear. 

The character, Joy, is vivacious, peppy, and optimistic, always trying to rule in Riley's heart, keeping sadness and other emotions at bay. But in life, just as in the movie, joy is not our only emotion. 

Oh, we try to be joyful. As Christians, we strive to live as redeemed saints of the living God who has given us much to be joyful for. But then, life happens, and we let the cares and struggles weigh us down.

Recently, I watched a family stroll across the parking lot at church. The young man was carrying the four-year-old and holding hands with the two-year-old girl. The older kids were skipping along with mom, seemingly without a care in the world. 

This Norman Rockwell-like scene warmed my heart because, for the past five years, this dad has battled cancer, which has metastasized everywhere in his body. He has endured so many treatments, causing nausea and other side effects. There have been ups and downs, good news, then bad. Their future is a massive wall that only God can see.

I'm sure this family knows our key verse very well. They must be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer. That's all they have. That's all any of us have. We must rely on joy because any other emotion is fleeting. 

Take some time today to reflect on your sense of joy. Set aside the emotions of your circumstances and tap into the joy only our Lord God and Savior can provide. 

Thank you for joining us today. If you would like to learn more about OHSOFREE Ministries, please visit us at www.ohsofreeministries.com.