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

Friday, November 22, 2019

"Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does He withhold from those whose walk is blameless."¹

"Dr. J.B. Gambrel tells an amusing story from General Stonewall Jackson's famous valley campaign. Jackson's army found itself on one side of a river when it needed to be on the other side. After telling his engineers to plan and build a bridge so the army could cross, he called his wagon master in to tell him that it was urgent the wagon train cross the river as soon as possible. The wagon master started gathering all the logs, rocks and fence rails he could find and built a bridge. Long before daylight the wagon master told General Jackson that all the wagons and artillery had crossed the river. General Jackson asked where the engineers were and what were they doing. The wagon master's only reply was that they were in their tent drawing up plans."²

It has been said that there are three kinds of people: those who make things happen; those who watch things happen; and those who don't know that anything is happening!

With God's help, I want to be a doer and among those who make things happen. In college days, I was attending a college-age youth group in a local church. The group was struggling and I was asked by the leaders what I thought was wrong. I said that I didn't feel I had a right to criticize unless I was willing to do something about the problems. Guess what? I got actively involved as a doer. Those were some of my best college days.

Let's not be critical unless we are willing to be involved. To be a doer, start doing something of eternal value, realizing that we serve God by serving people.

Suggested prayer, "Dear God, please help me to invest my life by being actively involved as a doer in the work of Your Kingdomâ€"no matter how small and menial the tasks I do may appear to be. And help me every day to be 'as Christ' to all who cross my path. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Psalm 84:10â€"11 (NIV).
2. Pulpit Helps, May, 1991.

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