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Speaker 1: Life Audio.

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Speaker 2: Welcome to the Crosswalk devotional. We're glad to have you listening.

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Speaker 2: Today's topic is renewing your Enthusiasm for everyday Life. We'll

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Speaker 2: return with the devotional after brief message from one of

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Speaker 2: our sponsors. Renewing your Enthusiasm for Everyday Life, written and

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Speaker 2: read by Carrie Iiberger. Whenever you do, work at it

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Speaker 2: with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not

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Speaker 2: for human masters, Colossians three, verse twenty three. I'm a

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Speaker 2: full blooded beach girl, but considering I live about ten

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Speaker 2: hours from any coast, I don't make it to the

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Speaker 2: same time shore as often as I'd like. And when

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Speaker 2: I do, enthusiastic is a fitting description of my heart posture,

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Speaker 2: from the moment my plans are in place, all the

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Speaker 2: way through to the impending day of departure, when I'm

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Speaker 2: not so enthusiastic the week after, back at home, when

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Speaker 2: the monotony of the same old, same ole greets me

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Speaker 2: the following Monday morning. What is it that fills you

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Speaker 2: with enthusiasm? Is it a vacation to the beach, mountains

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Speaker 2: or the city. Maybe family gatherings, milestone celebrations, or certain

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Speaker 2: seasons and holidays and what doesn't excite you so much?

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Speaker 2: Maybe you can relate to my lack of enthusiasm on

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Speaker 2: the mundane days of life. Or you may feel the

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Speaker 2: stillness of your job, daily tasks or house chores and

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Speaker 2: the accompanying lists of needed updates. Possibly you'd confess you're

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Speaker 2: not so thrilled with the constant demands of parenting toddlers routines,

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Speaker 2: or with the serving opportunities you're signed up for. I

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Speaker 2: get it, it's hard to match the excitement we fee

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Speaker 2: deal with the things that most light our senses and souls,

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Speaker 2: with the ordinary of our everyday regimes. But wouldn't it

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Speaker 2: be wonderful if we could? Personally, I love this idea.

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Speaker 2: I've heard it said it's no fun to have no fun,

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Speaker 2: or on the flip side, it's fun to have fun,

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Speaker 2: and I'm sure we can all agree fun is more favorable,

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Speaker 2: and when we find enthusiasm, we find more fun. Of course,

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Speaker 2: we'd love to find and add more fun, enthusiasm, and

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Speaker 2: enjoyment to the everyday aspects of life, because that's where

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Speaker 2: we spend the majority of our time, Thus all our

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Speaker 2: days really. Claus In three twenty three says, whatever you

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Speaker 2: do work at it with all your heart, as working

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Speaker 2: for the Lord, not for human masters. Some versions replace

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Speaker 2: all your heart with enthusiasm or heartily. This verse and

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Speaker 2: varying versions remind me we are not just to do

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Speaker 2: some things with enthusiasm, but all things. It also speaks

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Speaker 2: to me that if we desire enthusiasm and what we do,

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Speaker 2: we will approach it with our whole heart and for

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Speaker 2: the sake of the Lord. So then, how do we

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Speaker 2: do something or everything heartily and wholeheartedly for good? How

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Speaker 2: do we add enthusiasm to everyday tasks and chores, assignments

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Speaker 2: that feel more mundane that we quite frankly don't feel

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Speaker 2: so enthusiastic about. It occurred to me that doing something

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Speaker 2: with our whole heart involves a sincere heart, and I

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Speaker 2: believe we gain sincerity through appreciation and gratitude for the subject.

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Speaker 2: The subject of Colossians three twenty three is God. Do

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Speaker 2: we have an appreciation and gratitude for our Almighty Father

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Speaker 2: when we're walking through the everyday, dull and disappointing parts

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Speaker 2: of life as much as when we are vacationing or

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Speaker 2: celebrating with loved ones? And is our gratitude sincere? Or

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Speaker 2: are we forcing smiles, faking our things thanks, and allowing

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Speaker 2: a sarcastic spirit. I know it's not always natural or easy,

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Speaker 2: but we should aim to be genuinely grateful in all circumstances,

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Speaker 2: in the fun and joyous occasions as well as in

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Speaker 2: the blah and bothersome moments. The truth is, God gives

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Speaker 2: us all our opportunities for good, for our good, and

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Speaker 2: most importantly, for His good and glory. The more we

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Speaker 2: see that everything we do and every opportunity to place

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Speaker 2: before us is for God and his glory, and the

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Speaker 2: more we get to know the character and heart of

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Speaker 2: Him who we serve, Him who loves us like crazy

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Speaker 2: and has given us more blessings than we can count.

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Speaker 2: The more we grow in gratitude toward God. He is

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Speaker 2: indeed the gearer of gifts. And as we grow in

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Speaker 2: gratitude for God and every moment that He gives, our

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Speaker 2: hearts become more sincere, and we begin to add more

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Speaker 2: enthusiasm to the most mundane of moments and the dullest

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Speaker 2: of days. I know sincere gratitude can be harder in

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Speaker 2: some seasons and on difficult days. I feel this struggle

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Speaker 2: too often myself and those at the times we need

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Speaker 2: some assistance and additional reminders to refresh our understanding of

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Speaker 2: who God is and what God does. And regardless if

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Speaker 2: you're feeling jazzed about the task at hand or not,

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Speaker 2: we can always grow in gratitude and benefit from getting

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Speaker 2: to know Him better. Intersecting faith in life, if you

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Speaker 2: could use a boost and enthusiasm, stop and spend some

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Speaker 2: time reflecting on the work or the day directly in

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Speaker 2: front of you. Sit still in God's presence, Pray for

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Speaker 2: a sincere heart of gratitude for what He has set

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Speaker 2: before you. Soak in his power and greatness in the

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Speaker 2: pages of his word. Understand that He is good. Understand

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Speaker 2: he is using every single thing for your good and

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Speaker 2: the good of all those around you, and thank Him

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Speaker 2: for it, even the seemingly not so ideal parts. Thank

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Speaker 2: him for that too, and then rise up sincerely grateful

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Speaker 2: deep down in your heart, seek an angle, find a

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Speaker 2: way to be thankful for the very thing before you.

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Speaker 2: There is always something in everything to be thankful for,

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Speaker 2: and when you find more sincere gratitude in every moment,

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Speaker 2: you'll find more enthusiasm and enjoyment in your everyday moments.

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Speaker 2: If you liked what you heard today, I think you'll

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Speaker 2: love my latest book, When over Worry, Conquer what shakes you,

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Speaker 2: and Soar with the One who overcomes. You can find

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Speaker 2: it on Amazon or your favorite online retail site. I

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Speaker 2: hope it blesses you.

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Speaker 1: The Crosswalk Devotional is a production of Life Audio and

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Speaker 1: Salem Media. If you liked what you heard today, please

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Speaker 1: can find the show. For more faith filled inspirational podcasts,

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Speaker 1: visit us at lifeaudio dot com.

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Speaker 2: MHM