Daily Devotional
The Daily Devotional from The Upper Room in Nashville Tennessee United States for Sunday, 14 January 2018 "Determination" by Randy Tramp (South Dakota) - John 4:34-36
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;
I have come that they may have life,
and have it to the full. (John 10:10 (NIV))
I walked out of the nursing home feeling like a failure. I had gone to visit a friend and to tell him about the good news of Jesus. Yet, as usual, I lacked the courage. Over the following weeks, I prayed earnestly for courage to share my faith. I know that this type of evangelism is not everyone’s gift, but the opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus and the abundant life he offers has become a passion for me.
After many prayers, the day finally came when I decided I would no longer let my fear stop me. One day soon after, following God’s nudging, I approached a man in a cafeteria. Pulse increasing, voice cracking, I asked, “Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior?” With tears he replied, “My mom on her death bed asked me to do that.” We prayed, and he asked Jesus into his life.
At times we may feel as if we have failed God. But when we continue to pray, we will discover opportunities to use the gifts God has given us. When we are willing to serve, God is willing to give us the strength and power to fulfill the plans we have made. Above all, we can come to love doing God’s will.
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TODAY'S PRAYER:
Dear God, show us our gifts, and guide us to opportunities to use them. Restore our passion for your work, and help us to seek your will above our own. Amen.
***
TODAY'S READING: John 4:34-36
I walked out of the nursing home feeling like a failure. I had gone to visit a friend and to tell him about the good news of Jesus. Yet, as usual, I lacked the courage. Over the following weeks, I prayed earnestly for courage to share my faith. I know that this type of evangelism is not everyone’s gift, but the opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus and the abundant life he offers has become a passion for me.
After many prayers, the day finally came when I decided I would no longer let my fear stop me. One day soon after, following God’s nudging, I approached a man in a cafeteria. Pulse increasing, voice cracking, I asked, “Have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior?” With tears he replied, “My mom on her death bed asked me to do that.” We prayed, and he asked Jesus into his life.
At times we may feel as if we have failed God. But when we continue to pray, we will discover opportunities to use the gifts God has given us. When we are willing to serve, God is willing to give us the strength and power to fulfill the plans we have made. Above all, we can come to love doing God’s will.
***
TODAY'S PRAYER:
Dear God, show us our gifts, and guide us to opportunities to use them. Restore our passion for your work, and help us to seek your will above our own. Amen.
***
TODAY'S READING: John 4:34-36
John 4:34 Yeshua said to them, “My food is to do what the one who sent me wants and to bring his work to completion. 35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘Four more months and then the harvest’? Well, what I say to you is: open your eyes and look at the fields! They’re already ripe for harvest! 36 The one who reaps receives his wages and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that the reaper and the sower may be glad together —
***
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
I will pray for courage to answer God’s call.
***
PRAYER FOCUS:
Those sharing God’s word
***
READ MORE:
My full-time job is a freelance writer. My first book, “Night to Knight” is about a guy who rescues children without the knowledge of his wife and teen daughter. His wife becomes suspicious and his daughter rebellious. He must make a decision: rescue children or rescue his family.
As a freelance writer, I write for the Press and Dakotan, a newspaper in Yankton, South Dakota. I’ve also written for a livestock magazine out of Rapid City, South Dakota.
Stephen King said, “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have time to write.” I agree and so I read and review books on a regular basis. You can find my book reviews at randyreview.blogspot.com***
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
I will pray for courage to answer God’s call.
***
PRAYER FOCUS:
Those sharing God’s word
***
READ MORE:
More from Randy Tramp
With eleven children, ranging from four to thirty-four, I always have stories. I asked my youngest what she wanted to be when she grew up. “I want to be five,” Aliah told me. I can’t get enough of children in my home, so in my spare time, I drive a school bus for preschoolers and I love it. On Sundays, I drive an hour to a Native American Reservation. At All Tribes Assembly, I conduct a children's service. They are special to me.My full-time job is a freelance writer. My first book, “Night to Knight” is about a guy who rescues children without the knowledge of his wife and teen daughter. His wife becomes suspicious and his daughter rebellious. He must make a decision: rescue children or rescue his family.
As a freelance writer, I write for the Press and Dakotan, a newspaper in Yankton, South Dakota. I’ve also written for a livestock magazine out of Rapid City, South Dakota.
Stephen King said, “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have time to write.” I agree and so I read and review books on a regular basis. You can find my book reviews at randyreview.blogspot.com***
The Upper Room
1908 Grand Avenue
Nashville, Tennessee 37212, United States
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