Liz’s Morning Devotional based upon Upper Room
March 4, 2022
Read Ecclesiastes 11:1-6
1 Send your bread out on the water because, in the course of time, you may find it again. 2 Give a portion to seven people, even to eight: you don’t know what disaster may come upon the land. 3 If clouds fill up, they will empty out rain on the earth. If a tree falls, whether to the south or to the north, wherever it falls, there it will lie. 4 Those who watch the wind blow will never sow, and those who observe the clouds will never reap. 5 Just as you don’t understand what the life-breath does in the fetus inside a pregnant woman’s womb, so you can’t understand the work of God, who makes everything happen. 6 Scatter your seed in the morning, and in the evening don’t be idle because you don’t know which will succeed, this one or that, or whether both will be equally good.
Good Morning! Praising God All Day Long
Those who sit and wait on the Lord will be left in waiting. Our relationship with God and with the Word requires action. In this context, Word is a verb. Only when we step out in faith, will the power of God be upon us. We will take some actions that seem to fail or result in nothing, but some actions will blossom into amazing outcomes. The only certain result is when we choose to not take action, nothing happens. I will reuse a basketball analogy from a recent sermon.
Imagine you are on the basketball court and you are tossed the ball. You are uncertain of what to do, so you just stand and wait. While you stand, many things are happening around you, but you continue to just stand and wait because you are uncertain of your next move and full of doubt. There are several outcomes to this scenario: someone comes and takes the ball, you are called for a violation and you lose the ball, or the coach calls timeout and you are asked to rejoin the players on the bench. When you are given the ball, your team expects you to make a decision and do something. Whether you choose to pass, shoot, or dribble, action is required.
So, how does this relate to God? When we choose to follow Christ, we make a covenant to study the Word and work to become like Christ, our Savior, and our teacher. Through faith, we are called to go where we are called, we are called to love God, and we are called to love one another. Sitting in church as a passive listener on Sunday mornings does not fulfill our covenant. We are called to go out and make disciples.
But what if we don’t know what to do? We fear failing because we think that we don’t have the skills to act upon our callings. We have doubts. “Our church is too small, we can’t possibly do that!” “I don’t even know where to start” “God surely knows that we’re too old to try that!” To receive the full glory of God, we must often take risks. Yes, you’ve never done that before, but if you take the first step, God will be by your side leading the way. Just like the basketball player in my story, if you simply stand and hold the ball, you will miss the opportunity to make a difference in the life of one of God’s children.
The ball is in your court: take a chance and step boldly towards your calling.
Loving God, Thank You for loving us. We suffer from doubt and indecision. We must work to trust You and step out in the name of Christ. Thank you for your patience with us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: By faith, I will sow seeds and trust God with the harvest.
Choose to Act! Pastor Liz
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