Daily Reading: 1 Corinthians 16
Scripture Focus: A wide door for effective work has opened to me. (1 Corinthians 16.9)
Devotional Thought: Having built four houses in my life, I have discovered that I like wide doors. I designed the first one - in Concord, NC - with a double door in the walkout basement. I wanted to make sure that I could get my lawnmower and other equipment in and out. I needed a wide door for effective work. Wide doors make work more effective.
The Apostle Paul knew that. He explained his delay to the Corinthians, by pointing out a wide open door for effective work in Ephesus. Consider...
· The door. Jesus Christ, of course, is the Door! As we seek to do effective work, we must remember that all work done for him must be done through him! If we try to work without him, we will be like the seven sons of Sceva in Acts 19, who failed terribly.
· The work. What was Paul's work in Ephesus? Acts 19, reveals that people were coming to faith and learning to live their faith. In short, Paul was making disciples!
· The opener. Paul was always busy, always seeking what to do next, but his work was not aimless. The Spirit guided him. In our work, we must walk by the Spirit, or we will only be fulfilling our interests.
· The worker. While Paul knew he must do the work of Jesus by the power of the Spirit, he also knew that he himself had to do the work. The wide door was opened for him.
· The adversaries. Paul did not let opposition turn him away. Instead, he found that adversaries could spur him forward in his work. We must adopt the same mindset, or we will grow weary in doing good.
Prayer: Lord, help me to go through the door, by the power of the Spirit, to do the work that you have given me. Guide me and grow my effectiveness, O Lord, as I trust in you. Amen.
Psalm of the Day: 116.10-14
10 I believed, even when I spoke: “I am greatly afflicted”; 11 I said in my alarm, “All mankind are liars.”
12 What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me? 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord, 14 I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.
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