What do I need to give God today?
SOUL JOURNEY
THURSDAY
JUNE 23
James 1:22-27
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what
it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says
is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at
himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But
the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and
continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it–he
will be blessed in what he does. 26 If anyone considers himself
religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives
himself and his religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father
accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows
in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
SAY WHAT?
Despite significant disabilities, Andrew seems poised for success.
Cerebral palsy hasn’t stopped him from turning in solid grades. He’s
overcome speech challenges to become a compelling speaker. Currently
he’s enjoying his senior year of college and anticipates entering the
ministry soon.
His love for the Lord and his profound sense of peace are obvious to all
who know him. So what’s his secret?
“I changed when I was a teenager,” he says. “I stopped asking God why,
and started asking God what.”
Andrew explained, “I used to ask God why all these things had happened
to me. Why did I have to have things so hard? But then I started asking
Him what He wanted to do through me.”
Scripture is rife with examples of people who learned to say “what” not
“why.” They chose to follow God and do the things that honor Him. And
God, in turn, honored them.
Joseph, so sure of himself when he was Jacob’s favorite son, learned to
say “what,” first in slavery, then in prison, then in the palace as
second-in-command (Genesis 37, 39–41).
Moses learned to say “what” decades after fleeing the palace. He found
his way back to confront Pharaoh and lead his people out of slavery
(Exodus 2–12).
Daniel, despite captivity and exile to a land hostile to God, asked his
Lord “what,” and rose to prominence under three different pagan rulers.
(You can read most of his thrilling story in the first seven chapters of
his prophecy.)
So how can those of us who follow Jesus today know “what”? The Bible is
full of advice on that subject. Here’s a sample: “If anyone does not
keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is
worthless” (James 1:26). The passage then states that true religion
takes care of “orphans and widows in their distress” and avoids the
pollution of the world (v.27).
Got problems? You’ve got good company. Don’t ask why. Instead, join
Andrew and the Old Testament heroes in asking God, “What?” –Tim
Gustafson
DESTINATION POINTS
* What is it I don’t understand about my circumstances today? * How do
my problems compare to those of other believers in Jesus I know? What
can I do to help them?
LINKS:
Why Is Life So Unfair? The Story Of Psalm 73
http://www.discoveryseries.org/q0719
bottom line: What do I need to give God today?
Devotion Source: Soul Journey