“Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourself to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain”. - Philippians 2:14 (NASB)
I went to bed before the New Year of 2022 kicked-in, feeling heavy-hearted for those in the path of tornados and fire in the recent days, and weeks. Seems like the night hours of sleep were on fast forward and I woke up early hearing the sound of rain; I checked my phone for the forecast and saw the devastation others are facing today, like lost homes, towns and lives caused by one calamity or another.
Sometimes I feel like I have it rough and God shows me that others have it worse. I cannot imagine celebrating with family one day and in a few hours losing everything I have because of a fire, or tornado, flood, or illness, etc. I have lost a home and most of my possessions and started over from scratch, but the losses were because of tough decisions I made. As I write this, I have a flood of emotions and concerns for others who are facing a catastrophic loss and I asked God to show me ways I can help. This scripture came to mind so I immediately turned on my computer and obeyed the voice of God to share His Word to us all.
How can we shine if what others see and hear from us is complaining or arguing with God over our circumstances? We as believers have something that those who haven’t received the saving Grace of God do not have. We have the power of God living in us. We can ask Him to help us with our thinking and words that are the complete opposite of His “Word of Life” instructions. We may have hardships, yes, but we may have more than others at this moment and having Christ is what matters most.
We have the bright side that others need to see. Look at the bright side.
Father, thank you for showing us that we can help others by changing how we see things in our own lives first. Remove our grumbling and disputing, forgive us, so we can appear as a light to others. You have given us a reason to glory even in our own struggles because we are meant to share your light.
This devotion by author, Terrie Miles, is exclusively and solely shared with permission to New Beginnings Church. Any unauthorized printed reproduction, sharing or use of this material is prohibited.
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