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You Can Do This - Crosswalk the Devotional - April 10

Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back (Luke 6:30). My continuous workouts had made me stronger than I realized; I had underestimated my own strength. Christians can sometime have the same problem when it comes to their faith.

The Crosswalk Devotional

You Can Do This
By Ryan Duncan

Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. – Luke 6:30

Every other day, just after finishing with work, I head to the gym and spend some time exercising. I like to work out. It’s a great way to stay healthy and burn off stress at the same time.

My routine is pretty simple. I start by running on a treadmill, then I wander around the free-weight section for a variety of exercises. Finally, I try to finish off by swimming a few laps in the pool. When it’s over I always feel tired and sore, but good that I completed such a full workout.

One day, I was invited to work out with a friend of mine. As we made our way around the weight room, my friend stopped at the bench press and placed two huge weights on the side of the bar. Immediately, I became nervous. I had done the bench press before, but never with that much weight. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to lift it. Pride got the better of me though. Instead of saying something, I just braced myself and lifted the bar with all my strength.

To my surprise, it wasn’t that heavy. Sure, it took more effort than usual, but I realized my continuous workouts had made me a lot stronger. I had underestimated my own strength.

I think Christians can sometimes have the same problem when it comes to their faith. We keep telling ourselves we are not ready, that we need just a little more time to prepare ourselves. We underestimate our ability to be of service to God. Take a moment to read this excerpt from the book of Acts.

After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. – Acts 18: 1-3

Acts continues to explain that while Paul ministered in Corinth, Aquila and Priscilla opened their home, helped with his teaching, and even followed him on some of his travels. Now read the verse again. Aquila and Pricilla weren’t anything special, they were tentmakers. If anyone had an excuse to think they weren’t ready for ministry, it was them. Instead, they gave what they had while serving where they could and God did amazing things through them.

So, instead of wondering if you're ready to serve, ask yourself: what could you do to serve?

Intersecting Faith & Life: Make a list of your strengths. How can these be used to serve God?

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