In the Bible, James is so wise. He gives insight about how to respond to a variety of different situations.

Here’s an example. In James 5:13 he writes: “Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.”

Simple. Straightforward. But what difference does it make?

Earlier he has said that “Every good and perfect gift is from above…” (James 1:17). I think that’s the key to his logic. When we are cheered up by good and godly things, we should direct our gratitude back to the one who is the very source of the good gifts in our lives.

Imagine someone came up to your door and handed you $10,000 with no strings attached. And imagine that in response you slammed the door in their face and exclaimed, ‘Lucky me!’ without even acknowledging the person who you gave it to you!

We wouldn’t do that, of course. It would be disrespectful and ungrateful to the one who has done this incredible thing for us.

How much more has God done for us!

We show respect and gratitude toward him with songs of praise… in worship, in the car, on a walk, in the kitchen…

“Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.”

It makes you faithful—and it makes you feel good too.

By Matthew Ruttan

–Today’s devotional is connected to my most recent sermon (Nov. 29, 2020) called “Believers live like believers.” You can access YouTube or audio-only download options here.

–Bible quotes are from the NIV.