The Upper Room 18 January 2022 Daily Devotional || Tuesday Message
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January 18, 2022 The Upper Room Daily Devotional
Obedience
Bob LaForge (New Jersey, USA)
TODAY’S READING
Psalm 111:1-10
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Even if it is not what I am used to, I will follow God’s ways.
PRAYER FOCUS
Soccer players and coaches
KEY VERSE:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever. – Psalm 111:10 (KJV)
The Upper Room 18 January 2022 Daily Devotional Message
One of my daughters plays on a soccer team. At her first-ever practice, the coach told her to kick the ball with the side of her foot rather than her toe. My daughter insisted that it was better to use her toe because she could kick the ball harder and faster, and she had always done it that way. They went back and forth for a while until the coach finally told my daughter to try it just once. Reluctantly, she gave it a try and found that she had more control and could still kick the ball far. She was convinced once she tried it.
God’s commandments can be like that. We think that we have been doing fine on our own, and often God tells us to do something that is not easy or that does not make sense. We may squirm and try our best to rationalize why that does not apply to us because our circumstances are different. We may forget that God’s desire is always for our good. God tells us that understanding comes from obedience. When we follow God’s commands, even reluctantly, we experience the blessings that come with obedience.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear God, may we always be quick to obey you. Help us remember that your ways are always for our good. Amen.
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More From Bob LaForge
The Upper Room is a daily devotional magazine published in more than 30 languages and 100 countries around the world. The daily meditations are written by readers of the magazine and others interested in sharing their faith experiences through writing—both laity and clergy, published authors and new writers. The meditations are stories of real people working to live faithfully with the Bible as their touchstone. Every day, readers of The Upper Room around the world read the same story in many different languages and pray the same prayer together. Read More