Devotional Song: Go to this link – Please take your time to see a video of a poignant song, performed by Steve Green singing… Find Us Faithful, reminding us that any service given to others or for God’s glory which is given in living sacrifice, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, is a worthy offering for God’s kingdom.
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Reference Passage #1: Isaiah 49: 6 … [NKJV] …
6 Indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’
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Highlight Context: Isaiah 49: 1-6 [NKJV} ... GO TO THIS LINK …
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Reference Passage #1: 1st Kings 19 [NKJV] ... GO TO THIS LINK …
Reference Passage #2: Zechariah 4: 10a… [NKJV] …
10 For who has despised the day of small things?
Reference Passage #3: Romans 12: 1-2 [NKJV] ... GO TO THIS LINK …
My Journal for Today: Today's Our Daily Bread, reminded me that our culture over values BIGGER, FASTER, and SPLASHIER in lieu of smaller, steadier, and less explosive. What ever happened to “good things come in small packages?” [see attached photo]
This Christmas I gave my wife a simple pearl pendant which was topped by a beautiful, perfect, small diamond; and like those in the photo it came in a very small package. But the look of love on her face when she opened the gift was recognition of the love and sacrifice from the heart of the giver to its recipient. Yes, good things - even great things - can come in very small and very mundane looking packages.
Yet, what does the world value … and almost demand; … BIG, FAST, and POWERFUL; … right?! … You know I’m right; but if you read through the Scriptures above we read of God presenting a powerful package (i.e., message) to His people in a very mundane package - Isaiah. The Prophet Zechariah (see Zech. 4: 10a above) despaired of those who looked down on the insignificant ones, like himself, who were called to bring VERY IMPORTANT messages to God’s people. And who would have ever thought that God would present Himself to the world in the package of a babe in lowly manger.
Right now, I want you to think of someone, maybe in your church, who does very significant work for God’s kingdom behind the scenes with almost no recognition. You might even find it difficult to think of someone because we tend to think of those in high places of authority or the ones who are out front on the podium on Sunday, like the Preacher, as the ones who are significant. But God values all who come to give of themselves, humbly, and often almost without notice, … i.e. all those who are his gifts of living sacrifice as Paul wrote about in Romans 12: 1-2.
I pray that many who read with me here are, in some way - maybe as a small package - giving all we can for our God’s glory today.
My Prayer for Today: … Lord, may all who read here know that any gift of living sacrifice, given unselfishly for God’s glory, is seen by our LORD as an offering worthy of Gods’ grace. And I pray that today I can be one of those packages. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread [TGIF], distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you’ll find a link to read the Our Daily Bread blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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