Saturday 22 Jan 2022

January 22: Psalm 80:1-6

Key Verse: Psalm 80:6
You have made us an object of derision to our neighbours, and our enemies mock us.

Devotion:
As a Christian who loves to step forward and help out whenever I can, I can relate to these words from personal experience! Sometimes doing a little goes a long way and huge rewards come from that little amount of work, whilst other times you feel like you are going far and beyond what would normally be required just for a little reward – or even no reward!

This is where many Christians fall short because they expect the rewards from what little they are able to do and they want the rewards as soon as they have done anything! From experience, I know this is not the case; not because God does not want us to have the rewards but because we live in a wicked world where other things are in play as well as our work for God.

I have found there is not always the time or need for a reward for the work you do with or for God. Sometimes it is enough that we are able to do the work at all. When we are working in a world in which we are surrounded by evil, we have to put up with a whole lot of opposition from the people around us just because we dare to do something different to them!

God wants us to be the lights in dark places – which means we are going to come up against many things as we work for God. This will be opposition, hard times, not enough time, not enough money, all manner of things. But we must continue to do what God is asking of us and not to give in to what the world is telling us is not possible or not allowed. God wants us to be the difference. God wants us to be the change. God knows how much we can put up with and does ask a lot of us at times – but he is always there to help us in those times!

Points to Ponder:
Do you feel like giving up?

Can you remember how much Jesus had to do?