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

Tuesday, July 31, 2018

"If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done. Keep on sowing your seed, for you never know which will growâ€"perhaps it all will."¹

I recently read about a woman who planted some 50,000 daffodil bulbs in her back yardâ€"one at a timeâ€"over a period of nearly fifty years!

"Year after year, she kept planting bulbs until she had created five acres of ineffable magnificence, beauty and inspiration. After seeing the spectacular garden one woman remarked, 'It makes me sad in a way. What might I have accomplished if I had thought of a wonderful goal 35 or 40 years ago and had worked on it one bulb at a time through all those years? Just think what I might have been able to achieve!' Her daughter responded, 'Start tomorrow.' The mother said, 'I'll start today.'"²

It's amazing what can be accomplished by doing just a little every day, day after day. You've probably heard the old saying that says, "Inch by inch anything's a cinchâ€"but yard by yard it's miles too hard."

When I first wanted to write a book, it seemed like an overwhelming task. However, a friend suggested I consider writing just one page at a time. "I can handle that," I said to myself … and that's what I did 205 times.

Not many people are going to plant five acres of daffodils and not everybody is going to write a book. However, the important thing is to invest your life in a worthwhile cause that will achieve at least three things: (1) it will have eternal value, (2) it will benefit others, and (3) it will give you a deep sense of satisfaction in that you will not have lived in vain but have achieved something worthwhile with your life. It doesn't have to be profound or earth shatteringâ€"just significant. And that you can start today … one "bulb," one "page," one kind word of encouragement, one act of kindness at a time … every day for the rest of your life.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please give me a noble cause for which to liveâ€"not so big that it will cause me to be proud … not so small that it will never be a challenge … but big enough to make me stretch and grow … and give my life significance. And most of all grant that it will be a blessing to others and bring glory to your name. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Ecclesiastes 11:4, 6 (TLB)(NLT).
2. KneEmail #777, Mike Benson, Editor, http://www.oakhillcoc.org

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