Daily Devotional
Will you give God time to work?
October 5, 2018
BIBLE MEDITATION:
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. James 1:3-4
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
The trying of your faith is going to develop patience in you. The Amplified Bible says, “Let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed in your faith, lacking in nothing.”
When was the last time you asked God to make you perfect? You should have asked for patience as well, because it’s only through patient, abiding faith and trust in the Lord that we become “perfect.”
Most people confuse this word “perfect” with “sinless.” The Greek word for “perfect” in James 1:4 is “teleios”—it refers to “maturing growth.” Not sinless, but fully matured. For example, an oak tree is the “teleios” of an acorn. It is the “perfection” of an acorn, which has now come to maturity.
So when you are discouraged and feeling a little blue,
Take a look at a mighty oak and see what a nut can do.
We say, “O God, get me out of this test,” when God wants to keep you right in it until you grow more, until you’re more mature, until you're strong. God doesn't want you to live weakly, then die feebly. He wants you to grow and be “teleios”— perfectly mature.
ACTION POINT:
Take a walk this week, enjoying the beauty of God’s creation, and ask Him to give you the patience and faith that can turn a little acorn into a mighty oak.
FOR YOUR GIFT TO THE MINISTRY
Front Porch Moments by Gayle Foster
WITH KEY INSIGHTS FROM HER FATHER, ADRIAN ROGERS
I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.
Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”
