Daily Devotionals

March 16, 2021

This is the fourth week of Lent, and all of the devotions are centered on the theme
“The Cost of Discipleship.”


Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you.  And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.”

 

Genesis 12:1-2

Learning to play a musical instrument isn’t “hard.” It’s a decision, a commitment. It’s a purpose-filled engagement in movements you’ve never before experienced as you teach your fingers and your breath to participate in new actions. It requires a willingness to engage yourself in the miraculous, bilateral transfer your brain creates so that moving your fingers and arms and reading music can all happen at the same time as you pour Mozart out into the world with sublime beauty. Crazy, right? Well, look at these two comparisons. Accomplished golfers realize that they win tournaments not by aiming for the win but by focusing on the technique involved in every stroke, in every putt. Mother Teresa of Calcutta famously said, “Faithfulness, not success” was her aim in serving a world that craved love. Bottom line? If you have been called to a purpose, don’t worry about the end results. Just “suit up and show up.”

 

Abraham (then Abram) was called by God to go and be a blessing. God intended to bless Abraham, not with a carefree life by a swimming pool without responsibilities but to BE something for the world, to BE a blessing. He called Abraham to be part of His full intention for the world and promised to be the maker of those nations. So what is the next scripture?

 

“So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan.” (Genesis 12:4-5)

 

Discipleship starts with a calling, certainly. But before you are equipped for the journey and the tasks ahead, there must be an answer to the call, a willingness on the part of the called person to say, “Yes, that’s me. I’m in.”

  

God is calling you today. All you have to do is trust Him and say, “Yes, Lord.” Then He will equip you for remarkable work ahead.

For Reflection


What is God calling me to today?


How can I let go of my own anxieties about the results and trust Him to equip me?

Prayer


Glorious God, I hear Your voice. I see the world You created, and I feel myself called into Your plan. Help me trust in Your provision for the tasks before me. When uncertainty creeps in, help me stop and pray for strength and wisdom to glorify You. Amen.

Mary Hoffman
Senior Music Ministry Director
404-842-5814