Daily Devotional: Wednesday, May 12

Speaker: Ben Sigman

Theme: I'm Overwhelmed

Weekend Music links on iTunes: Let the Praises Ring by Lincoln Brewster; God is With Us by Michael Olson; How Great is Our God/How Great Thou Art by Chris Tomlin; You'll Come by Hillsong.

Read: John 15:1-11; John 4:7-14

Think: "Do not mistake the important for the imperative."

This simple aphorism was a favorite of my roommate's father and is now one of mine. She told me this one morning last year, my senior year of college, as I debated taking some time to spend with the Lord, already overwhelmed by a paper that had not only lost its inspiration and life, but was also due that day. Anxious to keep working, I worried that taking any time at this point would rob me of precious moments to finish. I didn't realize, however, that as important as my paper was, my time drawing life from the true source of creativity was imperative to helping me complete it. 

Jesus encouraged His disciples the night before His crucifixion with this kind of dependence on prayer, which He would model only a few hours later. He called them to "abide in the vine," saying, "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). I, by myself, had been trying to produce fruit from a dusty, disconnected branch.

This weekend, Pastor Ben encouraged us to take a "Time-Out" to be with the Lord. It's in these moments that we are both energized and comforted, prepared for the day's tasks as we hear the heartbeat of the Father's love for us and His plan for the world. It's an incredible invitation to be intimately connected to the creator, so much so that He's promised to empower us with the resources to accomplish His amazing plans. Or take it from Martin Luther who said, "I generally pray two hours every day, except on very busy days. On those days, I pray three."

Do: Ask the Lord to reveal an area of your life where forward motion has seemed to cease, and inquire as to whether it has been from a lack of direction through prayer. If so, spend some time allowing the Holy Spirit to strengthen you, to give you His love and His resources to accomplish it.

Pray: Lord, you are the deep well from which I can freely drink. Please show me who you are and how much you love me, for it is only out of a revelation from you that I can live fully and abundantly.

The eDevotional is written each week by a team of volunteers from Timberlake Church.

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