May I confess something to you, brothers and sisters, today? This devotional almost didn’t happen. Now, I’m not saying that there wouldn’t have been A devotional offered, but it wouldn’t have been THIS devotional. For many minutes, I sat staring at my laptop screen this Monday morning, just struggling to put anything on the page. And then I found myself perusing my files for past devotionals, wondering if I could copy and paste my way through this self-induced writer’s block. It’s not that I don’t have anything to say (I always can find something to say), it’s that I just lacked the energy or effort to put words to the page.
It was as I was skimming through my past devotionals, looking for a quick fix, that I found myself overwhelmed by a sense of conviction. It was as if I could feel Christ standing over my shoulder and saying (with sarcasm in his voice), “Must be really hard to find something to share with others about me today.” Though this may seem a tad dramatic, there is some truth to Jesus’s imaginative scolding. Christ has promised to be with us always, “Even to the end of the Age” (Gospel of Matthew). Which is certainly a long time and includes the present moment! How quickly do we forget God’s presence among us in ALL aspects of our lives? And, if you like me, you can become complacent.
This scenario reminds me of a quote by the Reverend Oswald Chambers, “The most important aspect of Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain, and the surrounding influence and qualities produced by that relationship. That is all God asks us to give our attention to, and it is the one thing that is continually under attack.” The simple act of composing a new devotional for the week is not work; it is relationship building. It is another opportunity to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others.
For you today, what is it that God has put upon your heart to offer the world, our community, and his people, in the name of Jesus? What situation are you in today that would allow you to share a new expression of Christ with those around you? Often, writer’s block is indeed a real issue: the challenge of finding what to say. But for many of us, the struggle is not truly finding what to say; it is finding the strength or motivation to go out and say it.
Today’s devotional was not a byproduct of writer’s block, but instead a pastor being convicted by the powerful presence of Christ in his life. May we all be convicted to offer someone Christ today!
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Pastor Mike McVey
Minister – First United Methodist Church, Fairfield, TX
ACS Chaplain – United States Coast Guard, Station Galveston, TX
Cell: 919-935-2513
Email: pastormike@fumcfairfield.org
”Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20
”Semper Paratus” – Always Ready
