We’ve got your daily encouragement, written by Joe Mummert.
Bible Reading:
Acts 6:8-15
“8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. 10 But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. 11 Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12 And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, 13 and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, 14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.” 15 And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.“
Word:
I have been involved in a couple of ministries and some of the best advice I have heard in those ministries rings true with the box as well, “Just show up!” One of my favorite sayings is that the heaviest weight at the box is the front door. Sometimes when we think of courage we think of things like David vs. Goliath or Moses, Paul and other heroes in our faith.
I think we overlook the simple courage sometimes of just saying, “Yes, I will!” Luckily, I have someone in my life who continues to invite me to the box week after week. There are seasons where I haven’t been to the gym in months, and this person will text me on Sunday night and say, “Wanna work out tomorrow?”
I am very grateful to have people in my life who care enough about me to continue to push me to grow. Many times in life we automatically come up with lists of why we can’t do something. It’s so easy to instantly formulate a list of things that hinder us in a situation. “I’m too busy,” “Too far away,” “Costs too much,” and many other similar excuses.
While some of those may actually be true, I want to encourage you to try and shift your mindset. Go to bed earlier to get up earlier to make time. Shift your spending somewhere else to free up the cash. The truth is there is usually ALWAYS a way, but we are pre-programmed to find the easy route. So, the next time someone asks you or encourages you to do something that may take a little extra courage or stretch you out of your comfort zone, just reply “Yes, I will!” Ask God for help figuring out the “how” later.
Prayer:
God, help me to say yes more, to remove excuses and to step out in faith when I may not know what the outcome will be. Help me to find more reasons why I CAN do something than reasons why I can’t. Amen.
Skillwork:
Start saying YES! If there is something you aren’t quite stepping up to do, find the courage this week to do it! Have that conversation, delete that app!, get up earlier, eat better! Whatever it may be, the courage is in you!
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