Daily Devotion For December 13

Not As it Seems

It was Sunday and time to take a break and entertain some friends who were visiting from overseas. They had been with us before to a local flea market and enjoyed it a lot. So we decided we would go back there and enjoy browsing around the many little stalls.

We arrived and walked slowly up the whole long road that they set the market up in. We walked up one side and then down the other. We were about to leave when someone spotted a fruit and vegetable stand and began browsing through it.

While he was there he bought some awesome looking pomegranates. They were bright red and clear on the outside. Others didn't look so good on the outside but we thought we would try them anyway. We figured we would at least get some good fruit on the inside.

One morning after buying the fruit we decided to cut some of them open to have with a meal. We took the best looking, bright red fruit on the outside and cut them in half. But oh dear the fruit on the inside was totally rotten.

What a surprise that was. It didn't make sense that something that looked so good on the outside should have such a mess on the inside.

We then tried with another one and the result was the same. Then we took one that didn't look so nice on the outside and cut it in half. The inside fruit was beautiful. Again it was the opposite of what we thought it would be like.

I learned a good lesson that day. The Lord showed me that in the spiritual life often what seems to be a good thing will not always end up that way. And what seems to be bad will often be something good after all.

You may have had the same sort of thing in your life. Perhaps you were looking for a job and an opportunity came that you thought was just awesome. You jumped at the chance, only to discover that it ended up the complete opposite. In the end it was the worst decision that you could have made.

On the other hand there are situations that seem to be so bad. When you look at them you wonder how anything good could ever come of them. But these are often the situations that end up with the best blessing.

The Lord is able to change them for good, and you can stand on this promise from Romans 8:28 that says,

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Perhaps you are in a new situation or there are new things on the horizon. It is a good idea not to assume that something is good or bad. Rather, why not ask the Lord to give you wisdom and show you how He sees it?

In that way you can see if the enemy is trying to give you false hope about something. You will also walk in the Lord's blessing and peace.

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I want to thank the Lord that He is able to show us if something is really a good or bad idea to follow after.

Thank you Lord for leading us into blessing and for helping everything to work for good in our lives.

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Today may you look to the Lord to confirm if something is the way it seems or not.