Morning Devotional 080924 Use It! Don't Lose It!

Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room

  August 9, 2024

Psalm 119:9-16

9 How can young people keep their paths pure? By guarding them according to what you’ve said. 10 I have sought you with all my heart. Don’t let me stray from any of your commandments! 11 I keep your word close, in my heart, so that I won’t sin against you. 12 You, LORD, are to be blessed! Teach me your statutes. 13 I will declare out loud all the rules you have spoken. 14 I rejoice in the content of your laws as if I were rejoicing over great wealth. 15 I will think about your precepts and examine all your paths. 16 I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget what you have said.

Good Morning! Rejoice in the Lord!

As I sit and watch the rain come down this morning, I am reminded of the power of our collective prayers. I pray for those who live and work in flood-prone areas and for those whose lives have been lost or turned upside down during this storm. For weeks, we have asked and prayed for rain, and we have been abundantly blessed. Let us continue to pray for those in need, knowing that our prayers are heard and can bring comfort and relief.

In our passage this morning, I am reminded of the old adage that if you don’t use it, you lose it. Think of things you memorized and knew at different times in your life. Some are so buried from disuse that they might be forever lost. While watching the gymnasts compete, I enjoyed my memory of doing cartwheels in my younger days. I can’t imagine even trying to attempt one now. Is that because I forgot what to do or because I’m too scared of what would happen to my body if I failed? I don’t remember ever worrying about falling then; I just did the cartwheel.

If we put God’s commandments and statutes in a box and don’t use them for years on end, will we be able to open the box and resume as if no time had passed? Will fear enter our thoughts as we realize that we don’t know how to do this anymore? Can we, like children, just follow God without worrying about what others will think or say about us?

Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it" 

Joyfully follow and serve Christ who leads us to eternal life. 

Faithful God, Thank you for creating us. Your love is all-encompassing and unwavering. Help us grow into the mature faith for which you prepare us. Thank you! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen

Thought for the day: Studying God’s word regularly helps us stay true to the pattern Jesus created.

Use it! Don’t Lose It! Pastor Liz