The Upper Room Devotional 31 July 2026, Friday Message
Do It Well
Erasme Figaro (Dominican Republic)
Today’s Reading
Psalm 127:1-5
Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. – Proverbs 1:8 (NIV)
At age fifteen, I decided to leave home, seek work elsewhere, and live independently. I expected resistance from my father when I told him of my decision. Instead, he told me, “Son, wherever you go and whatever career path you choose, do it well.”
I have carried this advice with me throughout my life. I have also shared this guidance with the people I encounter in my pastoral ministry. I have come to understand that God’s work in the world is not restricted to particular places of worship or life paths. God’s wondrous grace allows for multiple expressions and ways of serving as we share the good news of Jesus Christ with all people. When I share Christ with someone new, I don’t focus on how they follow God’s call or require them to come to my church. Instead, I share a variation of the advice I received from my father: Wherever God has called you is the place God wants you to serve for God’s glory. Where God has called you, follow God’s teachings and do it well.
Thought for the Day
I will glorify God’s name in all that I do.
Prayer Focus
Young people on their own
Today’s Prayer
God of grace, help us to seek you first in all that we do and in the place where you have called us. Amen.
The Upper Room Devotional 31 July 2026 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
