Morning Devotional 081125 Be a Do-Gooder!

Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room

August 11, 2025

Philippians 4:10-13

10 I was happy in the Lord because now at last you have shown concern for me again. (Of course, you were always concerned but had no way to show it.) 11 I’m not saying this because I need anything, for I have learned how to be content in any circumstance. 12 I know the experience of being in need and of having more than enough; I have learned the secret to being content in any and every circumstance, whether full or hungry or whether having plenty or being poor. 13 I can endure all these things through the power of the one who gives me strength.

Good Morning! God blesses us abundantly!

Life is a series of opportunities! God gives us the ability to pick and choose our pathways. With each choice, consequences will follow. I remember those rules and consequences charts that were standard in most elementary classrooms, which emphasized the negative impacts of breaking the rules. 

What about the consequences for following the rules? If we continue in the elementary classroom thread, who can remember how the rule follower was treated? They were adorned with all kinds of nicknames like teacher’s pet, brown-noser, or do-gooder. 

Does this scenario follow us into adulthood, especially regarding our choice to be a Christian? Do we worry about how others perceive us when we stand up for the rights of the oppressed, the poor, and the lonely? How many people scoff at the idea of spending Sunday morning in church instead of sleeping in from a Saturday night of partying? 

Paul, who is in prison when he writes this letter, shares that he has learned to be content in any and every circumstance he encounters. That secret is the power of God within us. I can endure all these things through the power of the one who gives me strength. 

It can be hard to do what is right when you feel as if you are the only one, but in those moments, we must lean into the power of the one who saved us. Christ was the ultimate “do-gooder.” He ignored the rebukes of those who sought earthly rewards over heavenly ones. No matter what, do what is good, what is right, and what is holy 

Giving Lord, you bless us abundantly! Sometimes we don’t do what is right because we worry about what others will think. Help us focus on meeting the needs of others. Thank you. We love you, Lord! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen

Thought for the day: Accept the strength that comes to those who proclaim their faith.

Be a do-gooder! Pastor Liz