What Can I Do for You Today?

Ask not what God can do for you today, but what you can do for God today.

This thought came to my mind the night before last. I had read a post from someone on Facebook who said she didn't believe in God (or thought if he did exist, he was pretty horrible [but she used stronger terminology]) because her grandmother died from cancer ten and a half years ago and she lost a newborn child in the last year. She definitely has reasons for her heart to hurt, but I'm sad that she has turned away from God instead of toward Him. I have lost family and gone through hard times, but my relationship with God has made those times easier to get through.

I looked at the person's personal page as I sought ways to pray for her. I wondered if she was someone whose heart was prepared for discussion about God or if she was too closed off at this time. I got the impression that she would want a God who would give her what she wants, and turn away from him if she didn't get her way. She is not alone. There are many who see God (and other humans) this way. If someone is not useful in helping them reach their personal goals, then they have no desire to interact with them. Sometimes, after some introspection, someone with the best intentions may find this true of themselves. I know I have. Consider your prayers and how they sound. Are they filled with requests like "Please help me to ____" or "Please _____ for me"?


That made me think of our Sunday school discussion this past Sunday. (Questions taken from The Gospel Project Chronological: Jesus Saves, Volume 9, Fall 2017 Personal Study Guide.)

• How does our perspective of earthly promises impact how we view God's promises? We can view God's promises as we view people-made promises. If we have people in our lives who break promises, then we might also expect God to not keep his promises.  The opposite can be true, too. Then again, we might see how great our God is that we can trust Him to fulfill His promises even when we cannot trust others to fulfill their promises.

• What can get in the way of your belief in God to be faithful to His promises? When we don't get what we want or think we need, that sense of entitlement can lead to distrust of the one(s) who did not meet our expectations. Also, God's timing may not be what we hope, and God may not answer in the way that we think He would or should.

Sometimes we have a tendency of seeing our relationship with God as one-sided. What can He do for us? What blessings will He give to us? How will He get us out of the trouble into which we got ourselves? How will He protect us from the (deserved) consequences for our choices? If something goes wrong, why did He allow that to happen to us? How could He do that to us? 

So, that brings me back to the beginning: ask not what God can do for you today, but what you can do for God today. It should not be about us. It should be about God. How can we know what God wants? By spending time with Him! For any relationship to grow, it takes a commitment of time to get to know the other person. We need to build our relationship with God through quiet times in prayer and Bible reading/study so we will know what God wants. 

One thing we know God wants is our thanks and gratitude. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us to "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." Psalm 100 is also a good passage to read about giving thanks. These are just two of several places in the Bible that refer to giving thanks. This past Sunday our pastor, Jared Allen, mentioned keeping a record of what you are grateful for each day. I used to keep a gratitude journal, initiated, I think, by a 1000 Gifts (by Ann Voskamp) book study of which I was a part. It definitely led to a more grateful outlook as I began looking for things for which to thank God each day. I also was a part of a study (Beth Moore or Priscilla Shirer, I think) that mentioned fingerprints of God. That is what I look for nowadays - ways that I notice God touching or acting in my life or the lives of others. Those are definitely things for which I can be thankful!

Our pastor also said, "The giver of the blessings deserves the thanks." How can you show thanks to God today? How can you share His love with someone else who desperately needs it? How can you shine His light and show His glory? Are you willing to be obedient so He can work through you and touch the lives of others?

Isaiah 1:17 - Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.

James 1:27 - Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Matthew 28:19-20 - 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."

Philippians 2:3-4 - Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Joshua 24:15 - But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

Here are a couple interesting reads you might like:

• Since the wording of my question is similar to what was said in this inaugural speech, I felt compelled to read it. "Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You" John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961. http://www.ushistory.org/documents/ask-not.htm
• My daughter found a book at Barnes and Noble yesterday called The Book of Amazing Stories: 90 Devotions on Seeing God's Hand in Unlikely Places. I have a feeling that would be a really powerful book to read.
• Check out Bobi Ann Allen's website (bobiann.com) and look her up on Facebook or Instagram. She has a couple posts about being thankful on her website and has been doing daily posts lately on Facebook and Instragram about thankfulness and gratitude. They are great reminders and prompts to be thankful.

Now is the time, if you haven't already done so - go ahead and ask the question:

"Lord, what can I do for you today?"