In Touch Daily Devotional For September 22, 2023
Read In Touch Daily Devotional For September 22, 2023 – Friday Daily Devotional Message Written Dr. Charles Stanley
TOPIC: Doing Good Work
SCRIPTURE: Galatians 6:9-10
There are at least two kinds of waiting. We wait passively at times—while we’re in the car, on the phone, or in a checkout line. But we also wait actively—for the weekend, for summer, for retirement. We typically continue our work as we wait for these times of leisure and refreshment.
These experiences color our understanding of the Old Testament’s refrain to “wait for the Lord” (in Psalm 131:3, for example). Through Zephaniah, God Himself tells Israel, “Wait for Me” (Zephaniah 3:8). What kind of waiting is this?
At times it may seem passive, like standing in line. But generally, our waiting for God is the kind of waiting a gardener does. He plants seeds and keeps working as he waits for the harvest. Paul encourages the Galatians to do this—to keep working as they wait. “The harvest is coming,” he says, “so don’t allow weariness to discourage you from what you do.”
And the heart of this work, Paul says, is to live out the gospel’s promises where we are. “While we have opportunity,” Paul continues, “let’s do good to all people” (v. 10). Doing good comes naturally when we believe the gospel’s promises about the future. As we wait for the Lord’s return, let’s look for opportunities to be a blessing to others. And we can trust God will be faithful to bring a harvest “in due time” (v. 9).
Bible in One Year: Amos 5-9
Thought: The harvest is coming! So when you’re tired, ask God for the strength to carry on.
In Touch Daily Devotional 22nd September 2023. Charles Stanley is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church Atlanta and founder of In Touch Ministries, both located in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Stanley’s heart’s desire is to get the gospel to “as many people as possible, as quickly as possible, as clearly as possible, as irresistibly as possible, through the power of the Holy Spirit to the glory of God.