|
Listen to this devotional: |
Listen while you read: "He Leadeth Me: O Blessed Thought"1 (Lyrics) |
Matthew 25:21 – His master replied, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!" (NIV)
Luke 13:6-8 – Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?' 'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.'" (NIV)
I had been trying for at least six months to make a change to my bank account. I had spoken with the bank numerous times and answered dozens of questions, filled out paperwork, and sent everything in, and yet, I had still not had confirmation from the bank that the changes that I required had been put into place. Several emails were sent, seeking confirmation. None were answered. I finally called, and after half an hour of answering more questions and waiting while they were checking for answers, I got my answer. No, the changes had not yet been made.
At this point, I told the very nice young woman I was dealing with that I had had enough and would be closing my account. I knew that this issue was not of her doing and I let her know that, and that I appreciated her service. She asked me if I would give it one more try, and that she would keep trying to get through to the necessary department to find our what had happened and call me back. I responded that though I appreciated her offer, after six months and speaking with many different individuals, I no longer had any faith that the necessary changes were ever going to happen. I had come to the conclusion that if this institution could not be faithful in small matters, I was no longer prepared to trust them with larger matters.
The next week, when I was in the city, I followed through and opened another account in a new bank and transferred my finances to it.
Likewise, God often calls upon us, as His servants, to do as He asks in regard to allowing Him to make changes in our lives, which need moulding to line up with His good and perfect will. If we keep balking or ignoring or running away from the prodding, nudging, convicting and calling of His Holy Spirit, we, too, run the risk of a change that we may not be prepared for, just as the bank was not prepared for me to withdraw my business from them.
God is a god of great patience, but sometimes even for Him, enough is enough, and when that happens, He takes action for our own good. The people of Israel experienced this on their way to the Promised Land, and their disobedience causing them to wander for forty years. Jonah experienced this and was swallowed by a huge fish, before he decided to be faithful. The Scriptures hold many other examples of what happened to those who refused to be faithful in the things that God was calling them to do, with consequences that I am sure that they were not prepared to deal with.
So today, let each of us take seriously the commands and calls of God upon our lives, and allow His Holy Spirit to make the changes that He desires to make for our good. Let us be faithful in these small areas, that God in His goodness may say to us, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!" (Matthew 25:21 NIV)
Prayer: Lord, we thank You for Your patience and goodness toward us when we procrastinate and/or intentionally disregard the callings of Your Spirit upon our lives and the changes You wish to make in us. Open our hearts and motivate us to say, "Yes, Lord, here I am. Change me for the better, that I may more fully love and serve You in all things, large and small." In Christ's name, we ask. Amen.
Forward this devotional Share this devotional on Facebook Like PresbyCan on Facebook
Although PresbyCan doesn't have a mobile app, you can still have a PresbyCan icon on your mobile phone home screen. 
Good morning, Lynne, so well written, again a help to me. Thank you. Blessings.
Truly appreciated this devotion, Lynne! Thank you for your timely advice, and devotion.
(ON.)
Great message to start the week with Lynne. Stay well and thank you!
Blessings,
(QC)
Thank you, Lynne, for sharing this instructive devotional with us. May we always be ready to jump to whatever God is calling us to do, be, or say!
Blessings.
Thank you, Lynne, for the analogy of dealing with a bank over an issue for many months and the action you had to take and how it relates to the people of Israel as they journeyed toward the promised land. I can relate to this in so many ways and you have provided me with a fresh perspective.
Blessings.
Good morning, Lynne, and many thanks for another very special devotional. Sorry to hear you had such an ordeal to get through with that bank and hope all is going well now. Yes, there sure are times when we resist or take our time to follow what God plans are for our life and then He steps in and shows the way things should be. The result is truly the best for us. Blessings for these writings you do. Much appreciated.
Wow! This hit the mark! My husband was a banker; yet even with the bank that employed him, he experiences this kind of issue.
We have both dealt with changes big time with all that has happened in the last year, but procrastinating is easier. It’s human nature, and no one but ourselves knows!
Ha! Omnipotent God knows and “He neither slumbers nor sleeps”.
Bless you Lynne, and May God continue to refine you, as you follow along “the Way”
With cheerful wishes.
Morning Lynne,
Some things are the same the world over and technology does not always get the job done because, alas, people are involved! As I read your effective devotional this morning, I glanced up afterwards at our kitchen window where there is a hummingbird feeder attached. It was “out of commission” for a day until my husband used his magic fingers to do a better job of fixing it than I did. During that whole time of its absence from the window, the hummingbirds kept coming back…all day long…looking for their food. SO, I said to myself Lynne Phipps would see a devotional in this experience. Perhaps I shall try to write one myself.
As always, thanks for your writing.
Good morning, Lynn,
As a matter of fact, we watched a YouTube service last night and it was about the passage from Matthew 25 which you cited. The theme was if a person has a talent, he or she should not hide it. Good words.
You mention that God is a God of great patience. We have talked about that a lot lately, with the situation in Ukraine, Yemen, etc. etc. etc. Shootings and murder, especially here in North America. And so often we too say when is God going to say “Enough is enough. There are times when I despair as to what is happening in so many places.
May the Lord speak to those who have the ability to change things. Thank you for your good words, Lynne.
Blessings.
Very important advice, Lynne. Thanks and blessings!
Good morning, Lynne,
A great message with a good practical example to help us really get the point. It definitely is easier to let God’s promptings slide by when we are busy and not willing to change.
God wants the best for us and sometimes it takes us longer to get there to do His work.
Thanks for always encouraging us to see thinks from different angles with practical example to move us forward.
May we feel God’s hand guiding us to be better. Blessings.