January Devotional
What CAN You Do?
The other day, I was so excited to receive a letter in the mail from a friend of mine in Washington. The writing on the envelope is a little wobbly, but still legible. She began her letter explaining why she wrote on the computer and not by hand. She had attempted to hand write her letter, but “it was too hard.” She told me that every time she started it was “just too ugly and unreadable.”
You see, my friend suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury seven years ago. Her condition was so bad that the doctors told her husband not to expect her to survive. They basically told him the family needed to say their good-byes. But God had other plans. She’s still here and doing remarkably well for the condition she had been in. She’s had to relearn how to walk, talk, and do normal human activities.
So no, her letter wasn’t hand written. But I was absolutely thrilled to receive this letter. I am so grateful my friend didn’t just quit because she couldn’t write by hand “well enough.” She found another way to craft a letter to me. She did what she could.
My sister told me about an elderly neighbor who used to just smile and wave to people from her porch as they passed. She did what she could.
Isn’t that really all that the Lord ever asks of us? In Mark 14:3-9, Jesus praises the woman who anointed His body for burial with “an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard.” When she was criticized by those around them, He said,
When we remember that nothing about our salvation or our sanctification has to do with our abilities in the first place, we can take a deep breath, relax, and offer whatever we have and whatever ability we do have.
Please know that God isn’t asking every follower to go out and do big things for Him. To be sure, there will be people who will do big things – and you may be one of them, I don’t know. But most of the time for most of us, He just asks that we walk with Him, offering whatever we have and whatever we can do. There isn’t a single follower of Christ who has nothing to offer.
Written by Dianna Godwin - Wise Woman Bible Studies
The other day, I was so excited to receive a letter in the mail from a friend of mine in Washington. The writing on the envelope is a little wobbly, but still legible. She began her letter explaining why she wrote on the computer and not by hand. She had attempted to hand write her letter, but “it was too hard.” She told me that every time she started it was “just too ugly and unreadable.”
You see, my friend suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury seven years ago. Her condition was so bad that the doctors told her husband not to expect her to survive. They basically told him the family needed to say their good-byes. But God had other plans. She’s still here and doing remarkably well for the condition she had been in. She’s had to relearn how to walk, talk, and do normal human activities.
So no, her letter wasn’t hand written. But I was absolutely thrilled to receive this letter. I am so grateful my friend didn’t just quit because she couldn’t write by hand “well enough.” She found another way to craft a letter to me. She did what she could.
My sister told me about an elderly neighbor who used to just smile and wave to people from her porch as they passed. She did what she could.
Isn’t that really all that the Lord ever asks of us? In Mark 14:3-9, Jesus praises the woman who anointed His body for burial with “an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard.” When she was criticized by those around them, He said,
“Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always. She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.” (Mark 14: 6-9)
Too often we may feel like we have nothing to offer the Lord. We get stuck looking at all the things we can’t do.
When we remember that nothing about our salvation or our sanctification has to do with our abilities in the first place, we can take a deep breath, relax, and offer whatever we have and whatever ability we do have.
Please know that God isn’t asking every follower to go out and do big things for Him. To be sure, there will be people who will do big things – and you may be one of them, I don’t know. But most of the time for most of us, He just asks that we walk with Him, offering whatever we have and whatever we can do. There isn’t a single follower of Christ who has nothing to offer.
Can you smile? Offer your smile to everyone you pass.
Can you speak? Offer people words of blessing or encouragement.
Can you see? Look people in the eye with kindness. Let someone know that they are seen.
Can you hug? Offer a hug. You might be surprised how much that can do for someone.
Can you pray? Offer prayers for anyone and everyone who comes to mind or even people you pass.
Can you read or listen? Open up God’s word whenever you can – while you’re waiting at the store, open the Bible app on your phone or pop in some earbuds and listen to verses from an audio Bible. A regular diet of God’s word will produce fruit. You never know what He will do with that.
Can you write? By hand or by computer, it doesn’t really matter. Send a card or letter to someone to bless them. If you don’t know who to write to, get in touch with an organization like Compassion International. Did you know that there are children who are sponsored but don’t have anyone writing to them (ie; corporate sponsorship). You don’t have to be a monetary sponsor, but you can be their sponsor through letters.
Don’t look at your Christian service through the lens of what you can’t do. Think about what you can do. Be like my friend who found a way to write me a letter in spite of her challenges. Be like the woman who anointed Jesus with oil. Be the one about whom the Lord would say, “She (he) has done what she (he) could.”
Written by Dianna Godwin - Wise Woman Bible Studies
Posted in Devotional
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