Joni and Friends Devotional 15 August 2023 Tuesday Message. As you study today’s devotional, remember this; “Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 (NLT)
TOPIC: Ripe for Glory
“You [God] have set mankind so brief a span of life—months is all you give him! Not one bit longer may he live.” – Job 14:5 (TLB)
Joni And Friends Devotional 15 August 2023 MESSAGE
I am a banana expert. I know exactly when a banana is too green, and I also know “just the right time” when it’s ready to be peeled. Who can tolerate a banana that’s gone mushy, covered with brown spots? When I go to the market, I normally buy my bananas hard and green. Then I place the fruit on the kitchen counter and wait for that just-right-time when the color turns a yellow-green. It’s a signal! It’s a sign! And I’m ready to eat the whole bunch.
When the Puritan pastor Richard Cameron was ill and in bed, it was said that he was “ripe for glory.” Reading that statement made me pause and consider. I often say, “Boy, I wish the Lord Jesus would come back soon—I’m ready to leave this wheelchair behind and dance on those streets of gold!” But I’m not in heaven yet, I’m still here on earth. Doesn’t that prove I’m still a green banana, not yet ripe for glory?
And if you are moving and breathing, you’re not ripe, either. You’ve got a ways to go. God has determined the exact number of our days on earth. That means all our days and hours—and even our moments—have meaning and purpose. God has a design, a plan. He waters us with his Word, tills the soil of our heart through trials, sweetens our disposition over time, and ripens our faith. He knows the exact moment when we are no longer green, but ready!
God has something to finish in you, and until he does, every day is packed with purpose. Ask the Lord to reveal his desire and intentions for the way you live your life over the next twenty-four hours. It’s your chance to ripen.
Fill me, Lord Jesus, with your Holy Spirit, that I might make the choices that please you this day and seize every opportunity you lay at my feet.
Thank you for reading Joni And Friends Devotional 15 August 2023
READ MORE TOPICS: OPEN HEAVENS, OUR DAILY BREAD, IN TOUCH, SEEDS OF DESTINY, STREAMS OF JOY, JOEL OSTEEN, MOUNTAIN TOP LIFE, DCLM DAILY MANNA, UCB WORD FOR TODAY