A Daily Devotion for Tuesday, August 4
- ontrakk
- 14 hours ago
- 1 min read
Ephesians 5:1,8-13
Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children…
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.
I love the devotion this morning, and the writer’s experience fits this scripture so perfectly. When she smiled at the stranger, God’s light shone from her, and was recognized! She wasn’t feeling particularly charitable, but she remembered to smile instead of showing her irritation. And then she was blessed by the remark of the man. I, too, have a face that is often like an open window to my feelings. If we admit that we need to pay attention to our feelings and not allow them to injure others, then we should also pay attention to how we are showing those feelings. And because sometimes our actions precede our feelings, “acting” pleasant can lead to “being” pleasant.
PS: A lot of life happens in the grocery store, I guess! 😁
Holy Lord, thank you for your reminder today to be aware of how I am coming across to others. Help me to notice when I am wrapped up in my anger or irritation, so that this is not what I project onto anyone. I want to shine your light and your love. Amen
Becky, transforming
Ephesians 5:8-13 Resembling God
As I read today's Upper Room, i wondered what I looked like to others I meet as I go through my day. Do I smile at those I meet? Is my voice always kind. We should remember that when we smile, our body chemistry changes for the better. When our words and voice are kind, we feel it as well. What we do for others helps us as well - both physically as well as emotionally.
Prayer: Gracious God, help me keep a smile on my face, even when I'm rushed and frustrated.
AMEN
Tuesday, August 4th, 2026
Resembling God
(Focus: Someone Making An Effort To Change
Today’s Reading Ephesians 5:8-13
Ephesians 5:1
Therefore be imitators of God, therefore as dearly loved children.
Ephesians 5:8–13 explaines w e should live out our life here on earth by practicing goodness, righteousness, and truth, avoiding secret or useless wrongdoing, and letting our moral choices gently expose and correct the darkness around us . So how do we begin , Let kindness, fairness, and absolute truth guide your daily words and actions. Seek God’s will by spending time in prayer and reading the Bible to learn what choices please God. When the Lord delivered us from darkness, He set us free from the power of sin. He…
Ephesians 5:1,8-13
For me, moving from darkness to light was a process of fits and starts. I can point to various signposts along the way, but cannot, like some people, cite a specific day and time of their full-orbed conversion. Even today, I contend with storm clouds that intrude on the light, but can generally get through those episodes more quickly than before. I have a better sense of what pleases the Lord and try to make that my priority over focusing solely on pleasing myself.
Prayer - Generous God, please guide me to mirror Your generosity, peace, understanding and love as I encounter others. Let this sixth week of Scout camp and the time beyond be a time when…