Psalm 118

What are you going to do with the depressing days of winter? January 24 was called the most depressing day of the year, yet we are called to rejoice!

"In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and he answered by setting me free. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

Inspirational illustration of Psalm 118:5-6 -- In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and he answered by setting me free. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

Illustration of Psalm 118:1-2 NLT -- I look up to the mountains; does my strength come from mountains? No, my strength comes from GOD, who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever."

"I thank you [O Lord] for answering my prayer and giving me victory."

"The strong right arm of the Lord is raised in triumph. The strong right arm of the Lord has done glorious things."

"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you."

"It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man."

"The Lord is my strength and my song, he has given me victory."

"Songs of joy and victory are sung in the camp of the godly. The strong right arm of the Lord has done glorious things."

"You are my God, and I will praise you! You are my God, and I will exalt you!"

Things are not always the same. You wake up in the morning, and things are changing every day. Paul Faulkner reminds us to greet each day as a gift of something fresh, new, and something that has never happened before or will again.

How do we accomplish great things and find ourselves attaining greatness? Rubel Shelly uses John Wooden as an example and a great quote on the need to focus on doing today what we can do and make the little changes each day that get us closer to our goal.

In whom or on what are you betting your life? We bet our lives on many things, but only God is worthy of our trust and he will never leave or forsake us.

Is there anyting to really hold on to when your heart aches in the middle of life's messes? With an onslaught of bad things happening over the last several weeks, Russ is holding on to hope and faith in God and the steadfast love of the Father.

So what can you do to make yourself a blessing to others? Rubel Shelly shares insights on being helpful and how it's part of our being created in the image of God.

What can we learn from a ride in the snow? When we travel with God, things might be a little uncomfortable sometimes, but we have a wonderful and exciting journey of joy.

So what birthday are you celebrating next? A grandchild celebrates birthday one and a grandmother celebrates birthday fifty and both rejoice in the gift of now.

Have you found it? Tom Norvell talks about living life abundantly, with urgency, a recognition that life is short, and that we may only have the opportunity to do some things once.

So how does your day look? So much of life is a matter of perspective; we can choose to be glad.

If you could use a type of food to describe your life, what would it be? Consider the power of attitude, the idea that how we choose to view life impacts the quality of it.

What does it lead us to do? Laura Baker reminds us that we are tested and approved by God.