Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Friday, April 12, 2019

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."¹

Three of life's greatest abilities are dependability, responsibility, and availability.

First: Dependability, among many things, is keeping one's word. It's doing what we say we are going to do. It's keeping the commitments we make. It is being authentic; for instance, sometimes, instead of saying what we truly feel and want, we say what we think others want to hear to be "nice," and then we do the opposite, which is far from being nice. It's being dishonest. Such a person cannot be trusted or depended on.

Second: Responsibility; that is, realizing that I am totally responsible for what I say, for what I want, for what I feel, for what I do or don't do, for getting my needs met in healthy ways, and for every area of my life.

Unless I am handicapped, no matter what happened to me in the past relationally, if it were negative, I am responsible for what I do about it and for what I become. As another has wisely said, "I may have been a victim in the past, but if I remain a victim, I am now a willing volunteer." As long as I fail to accept personal responsibility for my life and blame anybody else for the difficulties I have, I will never overcome them. That is, if I keep playing the blame-game, I will B-LAME!

Third: Availability. If I want my life to be fulfilling and meaningful, I need to be available for my family, for having a part in worthwhile causes (without being obsessive), and for being available to participate in God's work here on earth. As I have shared on a number of occasions, when it comes to being involved in God's work, every morning I pray the following prayer of commitment: "Dear God, again today I'm available, please make me usable, and use me to be a witness for Jesus, and, Lord, please help me to be 'as Jesus' in some way to every life I touch this day." I encourage you to also pray this prayer at the beginning of every day.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to become the person you want me to be, to always be dependable, responsible, and available for you to use to have a part in what you are doing in the world todayâ€"all for your glory. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. 2 Corinthians 5:10 (NIV).

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