“If we are going to live as disciples of Jesus, we have to remember that all efforts of worth and excellence are difficult. The Christian life is gloriously difficult, but its difficulty does not make us faint and cave in— it stirs us up to overcome. Do we appreciate the miraculous salvation of Jesus Christ enough to be our utmost for His highest— our best for His glory?” (Excerpted from the July 7 reading in My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers)

Dear God, to be stirred up for you can be a wonderful thing. It can take the staleness that life can sometime become and infuse energy and vision. But it doesn’t happen by accident. I can’t just cruise along and then one day your inspiration falls on me. Well, I guess it could, but that will take very intentional action on your part. No, it’s most likely to come when I take moments like this to spend time with you. When I set up meetings with others to plan and then invite you into the process.

I have a meeting set up today with another agency in town. I asked for the meeting. I’ve asked them to think about some of the needs in our community and how they think our agency might respond to them. This process will push me out of my comfort zone, but my prayer is that you will meet me in it, speak to me in your still small voice, and then inspire me to do what you see that needs done.

Father, I give you a lot…well, I give you a bit. I give you some. But I don’t give you my utmost. I still keep quite a bit for myself. For my comfort. For my leisure. And it’s important that I take Sabbaths and not burn out, but that’s not what I’m talking about here. I’m talking about giving my utmost for your highest. Help me to get there.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen