Liz’s Morning Devotional based upon Upper Room
January 11, 2022
Read Matthew 7:7-12
7 “Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Whoever seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door is opened. 9 Who among you will give your children a stone when they ask for bread? 10 Or give them a snake when they ask for fish? 11 If you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him. 12 Therefore, you should treat people in the same way that you want people to treat you; this is the Law and the Prophets.
Good Morning! Love one another, my brothers and sisters!
This morning we are blessed to have another day to share God’s love with others. When I read this familiar passage, one thing jumps out at me. We must take action: ask, search, knock. Each of these words is an action verb. God calls us to interact with the world in which we live.
We are all offered God’s grace through the Holy Spirit working within us, but we must actively accept the gift. Think about receiving a gift wrapped in paper and bows! I would think that most of us would be unable to contain our excitement as we eagerly open our package. Who among us would place the gift unopened upon a closet shelf and wait for the right moment to open it?
When we chose to be baptized and profess our belief in Jesus, we are given a gift: salvation. We have done nothing to earn this gift, but it is unconditionally given to us. We can either allow it to sit unopened, or we can claim our gift. Unopened the gift simply gathers dust, but when we claim our gift we are filled with the Holy Spirit. Unlike those collector items that grow in value as they sit unopened in pristine packaging, God’s love grows each time we use it by sharing it with others. We must open it, use it, share it with the world, and when we think that we have done enough, start again!
To grow into God’s children we must allow ourselves to be transformed by the love working within us. Each of us will face challenges as we live our lives. We can leave God’s grace sitting in the packaging and face our challenges alone, or we can claim God’s grace and know that we will never be alone. God loves us and calls us to love one another!
Creator God, Thank You for loving us. O God, we can be stubborn. We think that we can make it on our own. As we struggle, thank you for staying by our side ready to answer when we call. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: When I face challenges, I will turn to God in prayer.
Open Your Gift! Pastor Liz
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