Dave's Newsletter Devotion - October 16th
Posted by WBFJ | | Posted on 11:48 AM
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9
Most of the time, I have absolutely no clue how God is using me. As much as I strive to be close to His heart, the fruit of my walk with Him almost always seems to elude me. I could chalk it up to being human and, thus, being incapable of seeing the big picture when it comes to God’s work. And while I’m sure of the truth of that statement I think, more often, it comes down to being unaware of the impact of my words and actions. I’ve come to the conclusion that I can be incredibly dense.
Sometimes, though, God breaks through my haze and allows me to see how He’s using my life for his purpose. At those times I’m usually shocked, dumbfounded, amazed, and, most of all, humbled. One of those times was this past Sunday night.
My church recently started home groups for our Sunday night services. Four or five families serve as hosts for a cycle of eight weeks and the rest of the members sign up for whichever group they choose to be a part of. This gives us a chance to get to know each other in a deeper way that goes beyond saying “Hi” and “How are you” in a big group setting.
At our first meeting, which was Sunday before last, I mentioned that my wife and I were treating our pastor and his wife to the movie “Fireproof” the following night and would like to have other couples and families join us. I really talked up the movie and its potential impact on couples and families (if you’ve seen it you know what I’m talking about). This generated enough interest to where a group of 15-20 showed up at the theater. Two of the attendees were our host couple, Ralph and Sally.
On Sunday night Sally shared that, after seeing the movie, she was prompted to contact her daughter and ask her to go with her husband to see it. According to Sally, their marriage is troubled and has been for quite a while. Her daughter agreed to go and arranged babysitting for the following Saturday night. Upon arrival at their local theater they found that the early showing was sold out (praise God)! But something pressed upon her heart that they needed to see the movie so she and her husband made arrangements to see the later showing (likely after agreeing to some hefty compensation for the babysitter!). During the waiting time the couple engaged in a discussion which turned into an argument that included the husband unleashing every hurtful and pent up thought he had been holding back for years. They were in tears when they finally went in to see the movie.
Here’s where God steps in. After basically seeing their marriage played out on the screen, Sally’s son in law came out a changed man. The report goes that he went to church the next morning and told everyone within earshot that he saw himself in most of the movie and was actually encouraging others to go in order to strengthen or potentially save their marriages! Sally’s daughter told her on the phone last Sunday afternoon that God had used “Fireproof” to soften both her heart and her husband’s.
Now you can say that all I did was invite a few people to a movie but I’m telling you that even in that small, seemingly insignificant act was in God was moving and working. As I listened to Sally’s praise report I was moved to tears and reminded that God is the almighty, all-powerful, loving, and merciful Lord of EVERYTHING! May we always be aware of His presence and His purpose and never grow weary in being obedient in the “small” things He asks of us.
Most of the time, I have absolutely no clue how God is using me. As much as I strive to be close to His heart, the fruit of my walk with Him almost always seems to elude me. I could chalk it up to being human and, thus, being incapable of seeing the big picture when it comes to God’s work. And while I’m sure of the truth of that statement I think, more often, it comes down to being unaware of the impact of my words and actions. I’ve come to the conclusion that I can be incredibly dense.
Sometimes, though, God breaks through my haze and allows me to see how He’s using my life for his purpose. At those times I’m usually shocked, dumbfounded, amazed, and, most of all, humbled. One of those times was this past Sunday night.
My church recently started home groups for our Sunday night services. Four or five families serve as hosts for a cycle of eight weeks and the rest of the members sign up for whichever group they choose to be a part of. This gives us a chance to get to know each other in a deeper way that goes beyond saying “Hi” and “How are you” in a big group setting.
At our first meeting, which was Sunday before last, I mentioned that my wife and I were treating our pastor and his wife to the movie “Fireproof” the following night and would like to have other couples and families join us. I really talked up the movie and its potential impact on couples and families (if you’ve seen it you know what I’m talking about). This generated enough interest to where a group of 15-20 showed up at the theater. Two of the attendees were our host couple, Ralph and Sally.
On Sunday night Sally shared that, after seeing the movie, she was prompted to contact her daughter and ask her to go with her husband to see it. According to Sally, their marriage is troubled and has been for quite a while. Her daughter agreed to go and arranged babysitting for the following Saturday night. Upon arrival at their local theater they found that the early showing was sold out (praise God)! But something pressed upon her heart that they needed to see the movie so she and her husband made arrangements to see the later showing (likely after agreeing to some hefty compensation for the babysitter!). During the waiting time the couple engaged in a discussion which turned into an argument that included the husband unleashing every hurtful and pent up thought he had been holding back for years. They were in tears when they finally went in to see the movie.
Here’s where God steps in. After basically seeing their marriage played out on the screen, Sally’s son in law came out a changed man. The report goes that he went to church the next morning and told everyone within earshot that he saw himself in most of the movie and was actually encouraging others to go in order to strengthen or potentially save their marriages! Sally’s daughter told her on the phone last Sunday afternoon that God had used “Fireproof” to soften both her heart and her husband’s.
Now you can say that all I did was invite a few people to a movie but I’m telling you that even in that small, seemingly insignificant act was in God was moving and working. As I listened to Sally’s praise report I was moved to tears and reminded that God is the almighty, all-powerful, loving, and merciful Lord of EVERYTHING! May we always be aware of His presence and His purpose and never grow weary in being obedient in the “small” things He asks of us.
Comments (0)
Post a Comment