The Upper Room Daily Devotional 22nd June 2023
The Upper Room 22nd June 2023 Daily Devotional, Thursday Message by Jason Koon (North Carolina, USA)
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TOPIC: Helping Jesus
TODAY’S READING
Deuteronomy 11:18-20
KEY VERSE: Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. – Matthew 26:41 (NIV)
MESSAGE: Most of us can remember “helping” our parents when we were children. For me, helping usually consisted of my holding a tool while my father worked nearby. Sometimes I’d get to turn a wrench or finish pounding a nail, but my father could easily have done those tasks without me. Eventually I realized that this time spent helping my father was an opportunity for me to learn and practice skills that I would one day teach my children.
I think that Jesus was doing the same thing with his disciples in Gethsemane. “Watch and pray so you will not fall into temptation,” Jesus says to them after they’ve fallen asleep. Jesus is not asking them to do this for his own benefit but for theirs.
Just as my father used my help to teach me the things I would need to know as I grew into adulthood, God invites us to participate in serving the world. Whether through prayer and worship, caring for the poor, looking out for those who are alone, or providing for those without housing, God uses these opportunities to shape us into mature disciples.
God includes us not because the job can’t be done without our help but because God has chosen to involve all of us in the work of the kingdom.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Almighty God, thank you for involving us in your work in the world. Help us to see opportunities each day to love you and serve our neighbors. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Every circumstance is an opportunity to learn how to serve God.
PRAYER FOCUS
Someone learning a new skill
The Upper Room 22nd June 2023, 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. Read More.
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