Devotional for July 24

Bearing Fruit Takes Time

12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;
15 To shew that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him. Psalm 92:12-15 (KJV)

The Morning Exhortation

Get unstuck. Change doesn’t come from things remaining the same. Something must change for things to be different. Go back to the basics and then be willing to try something new. The longer it takes to start moving in the right direction, the longer it will take to reach the destination. It’s normal to take some hits when you’re in a fight, and only drunks and fools feel good when taking licks. It is just as normal to sometimes get hit with bad feelings in the good fight of the faith. Complaining, grumbling, and fault-finding can only lead us to where we don’t want to go. When the mind is occupied with its own bad feelings, it effectively pushes us out of the peace of God. It is in thanksgiving rather than complaining, praise rather than grumbling, and prayer rather than fault-finding which keeps us in the peace of God that surpasses understanding. All circumstances are temporary and God is in control of all things. When you know that God is faithful, all difficulties can joyfully be accepted as an opportunity to exercise faith in God. You will see the glory of God if you are willing to believe. Faith in God changes what cannot be changed otherwise. (Deuteronomy 2:1-3; Matthew 23:37; Proverbs 31:1-2, 10:16-26, 26:14, 23:29-35, 31:3; 2 Timothy 2:15; 1 Timothy 6:12; James 1:2-8; Matthew 17:21; Ephesians 6:10-12; Colossians 3:2; 2 Corinthians 10:3-6; Ephesians 6:13-18; 1 Peter 5:6-10; Philippians 4:8-9; John 14:13; 1 Peter 5:11)