DAY 5- Spend the Life You Cannot Keep
DAY 5- Spend the Life You Cannot Keep
Read slowly
Romans 12:1 through 2 and 2 Timothy 4:6 through 8
Romans 12 begins with mercy. Paul has spent chapter after chapter explaining what God has done for us in Jesus. Then he says, in view of God's mercy, offer your bodies as a living sacrifice. Surrender is our response to grace. It is not a way to earn it.
A living sacrifice is an entire life placed at God's disposal. Your body. Your time. Your ability. Your home. Your work. Your relationships. Your future. Paul does not ask for a spiritual corner of your life. He asks for you.
The difficulty with a living sacrifice is that it can climb back off the altar. We surrender on Sunday, then reclaim control on Monday. We tell God we are available until his direction interferes with our plans. That is why this offering is daily. You place your life back in his hands again and again.
Near the end of his life, Paul tells Timothy that he is already being poured out like a drink offering. He does not speak like a man who believes his life has been wasted. His life has been spent in service to Jesus, and he knows where it is going. Paul is not clinging to what he cannot keep. He is finishing what God gave him to do.
You have one life. You do not need to make it famous, dramatic, or impressive. You need to make it available. God may use your yes in a way you can see quickly. He may use it quietly over twenty years. Some obedience will be noticed. Much of it will not. Faithfulness is still faithfulness when nobody applauds.
The question at the end of these five days is not whether you feel inspired. Inspiration fades. The question is whether anything will change. God may have brought the same person, decision, habit, conversation, or act of obedience to your mind more than once this week. Stop asking for a different assignment. Give him your yes.
God is not asking you to make your life impressive. He is asking you to place it in his hands.
Ask yourself
Your Next Yes
Complete this sentence in writing: Because Jesus is Lord, my next yes is. Then write the action you will take, the day you will take it, and the person you will tell. Do not make the promise larger than the obedience God has actually put in front of you. Make it real enough to do.
Pray
Father, everything I have is already a gift from you. In view of your mercy, I offer my life back to you. Take my plans, my time, my gifts, my fears, and my future. Keep me faithful when obedience is small and when nobody notices. I am available. Show me the next step, and give me courage to take it. Amen.
Read slowly
Romans 12:1 through 2 and 2 Timothy 4:6 through 8
Romans 12 begins with mercy. Paul has spent chapter after chapter explaining what God has done for us in Jesus. Then he says, in view of God's mercy, offer your bodies as a living sacrifice. Surrender is our response to grace. It is not a way to earn it.
A living sacrifice is an entire life placed at God's disposal. Your body. Your time. Your ability. Your home. Your work. Your relationships. Your future. Paul does not ask for a spiritual corner of your life. He asks for you.
The difficulty with a living sacrifice is that it can climb back off the altar. We surrender on Sunday, then reclaim control on Monday. We tell God we are available until his direction interferes with our plans. That is why this offering is daily. You place your life back in his hands again and again.
Near the end of his life, Paul tells Timothy that he is already being poured out like a drink offering. He does not speak like a man who believes his life has been wasted. His life has been spent in service to Jesus, and he knows where it is going. Paul is not clinging to what he cannot keep. He is finishing what God gave him to do.
You have one life. You do not need to make it famous, dramatic, or impressive. You need to make it available. God may use your yes in a way you can see quickly. He may use it quietly over twenty years. Some obedience will be noticed. Much of it will not. Faithfulness is still faithfulness when nobody applauds.
The question at the end of these five days is not whether you feel inspired. Inspiration fades. The question is whether anything will change. God may have brought the same person, decision, habit, conversation, or act of obedience to your mind more than once this week. Stop asking for a different assignment. Give him your yes.
God is not asking you to make your life impressive. He is asking you to place it in his hands.
Ask yourself
- What has God repeatedly brought to my mind during these five days?
- What would availability to God change about my ordinary week?
- Where am I tempted to measure faithfulness by attention, results, or applause?
- What do I need to place back in God's hands today?
Your Next Yes
Complete this sentence in writing: Because Jesus is Lord, my next yes is. Then write the action you will take, the day you will take it, and the person you will tell. Do not make the promise larger than the obedience God has actually put in front of you. Make it real enough to do.
Pray
Father, everything I have is already a gift from you. In view of your mercy, I offer my life back to you. Take my plans, my time, my gifts, my fears, and my future. Keep me faithful when obedience is small and when nobody notices. I am available. Show me the next step, and give me courage to take it. Amen.
Posted in Daily Devotional