Hello Ladies!!! I hope you had a marvelous weekend! This week’s devo is “Busy for the Lord” written by Megan Monaghan. Please take the time to read as she shares her heart with us and shares some very needed wisdom! Hope you have a GREAT week!
Busy for the Lord
Every day of our lives we have tasks to accomplish; whether it is as a mother, a wife, a student, or a child. We as Christians must choose to accomplish these tasks with God on our side or with the world. Every day we have to wake up and make a conscious effort to follow God’s will or do things our way. As Christians, it’s so very important to allow God to lead us in our choices. The Bible says in
Ecclesiastes 9:10
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might;
We are called to do all things “for the glory of God”. (1 Cor 10:31 “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”). That includes working or anything else good that our “hand finds to do.” We should live this life to the fullest, in the presence of God, filling every minute here on earth with meaningful activity.
In Proverbs 16:27-29 it speaks about how idle hands are the devil’s playground –
This includes tasks such as mindless internet browsing, texting, and even gossip. Many times we don’t think about these areas as potential stumbling blocks.
Proverbs 16:27-29
27 An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire.
28 A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.
29 A violent man enticeth his neighbour, and leadeth him into the way that is not good.
We must stay busy and use our time each day productively to His Glory.
The first part of Ecclesiastes 9:10 says, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do,”
Let’s find good godly things to do.
Christians should be busy. We, as women, have many talents; therefore, many people depend on us and those talents, so we must seek God in all we do and ask Him to guide our daily walk.
Proverbs 31:24-27
“She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.”
To be successful with the things we do in life, we must consider planning our days, scheduling activities, learning time management skills, and learning to multitask but also to be sure not to get in over our heads… it’s ok to say no or to bow out of activities if we are overwhelmed! We are truly only one person ladies!
As Christian women, we are meant to work and take responsibility for what is given to us to steward.
1. Our skills; we should be willing to use our skills whether it be organizational skills, cleaning, or even a vocal skill for singing.
2. Able hands; if we have the ability to serve in any capacity, we should want to serve. We should never be too good to do something if it’s to serve the Lord.
3. Witnessing; we must share this wonderful gift God has given us with others. So many times I, as the wife, leave it up to my husband to speak to someone about the gospel, but I must remember that my experiences in life even before salvation might be what someone needs to hear to draw them to the Lord!
How can we seek God’s will and guidance on the things we do throughout our day? We must abide in him.
The Bible says in John 15:4-5, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.“
If we abide in Christ, then we will have things set before us by God to do for his glory and his purposes.
So, how can we best abide in God?
We can abide in Christ through praying and Bible reading.
Jeremiah 29:13, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”
I want to share a story with you about a day in my life where the Lord reminded me that I need to begin my day in His word. That day I adopted Psalm 55:22 as my life verse.
Psalm 55:22 “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”
This particular day I was in a rush and didn’t take the time to get in my Bible, not even for the verse of the day on my Bible app. My husband and I had a conversation while I was at work, and it didn’t go well. I was upset and discouraged after that conversation. I decided to look up some verses of encouragement to try and get my day back on track. I came across this verse along with others, and it spoke to my heart. Later in the day, the argument arose again but became more heated. I was sobbing and decided to call a friend to seek some advice. She talked to me for a bit and said to me, “Have you been in your Bible today because you know you can give this to God and seek His word and He will help you through this.” I realized I needed to take a moment to get into my Bible and seek His will. When I opened my Bible app to begin my reading, the Verse of the Day was Psalm 55:22, “Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”
Had I been in my Bible that morning, I would have had this in my heart to start the day. I began to cry and called out to God and said… I hear you; I’m giving it to you.
God will carry us through our most trying times if we allow Him into our lives, and let Him!
God’s word tells us, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13
We all know this verse, but it’s so true! We may struggle doing things on our own but if we seek God, He will help carry the load we are bearing.
Now let’s focus on the second part of the verse:
“do it with all thy might.”
Why do anything in a mediocre way? Wise people say, “If it is worth doing, it is worth doing right.” Add to that, “If it is worth doing, it is worth giving your very best.” Some people have a way of rationalizing mediocre work because people in today’s culture are plagued by a sense of entitlement. The thinking of society today is that unless you give me this much reward, I will only give you this much effort.
But that is not the way God intended His people to operate. If we are to be like Christ, we should seek to be excellent in our efforts, trusting God for the results.
Colossians 3:23-24 – “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”
Be prompt in all things we do. Don’t procrastinate away your life thinking of what you intend to do tomorrow as if that could make up for the laziness or idleness of today.
Proverbs 13:4 – The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.
No one ever served God by doing things tomorrow. If we honour Christ and are blessed, it is by the things which we do today. Throw your whole soul into whatever you do for Christ. Do not give Christ your leftovers, but serve Him with your heart, mind, soul, and strength.
James 4:17 – “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”
Let’s choose to stay busy for the Lord and stay in His word so that we can abide in him and live out this verse of the Bible, Ecclesiastes 9:10, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might”
https://www.sappsolutely.com/devotions/busy-for-the-lord-megan-monaghan
