Scripture tells us to be in the world and not of it. What does that mean? Does it mean
to isolate oneself from current events? Does it mean to refrain from helping to meet
the challenges that the world faces today? What it could mean is that we should
bolster ourselves with prayer when we take on the painstaking and arduous task of
seeking and supporting solutions, which sometimes achieve two steps forward and one
step backwards.
We need to sustain our efforts by a prayer that leads us to follow what we are called to
do whether we are successful or not. Jesus’ life by the world’s standards might seem
to have been a failure, and yet in God’s eyes he had profound results for the salvation
of the world and its peoples.
We walk by faith and not by sight, knowing that what we do even giving a “cup of
water in his name” will be significant.
• How does “being in the world and not of it” speak to you?
• How do you deal with discouragement when you achieve little “success?”
• Have you experienced how God has used your “unremarkable efforts” to achieve
God’s purpose?
O God, help me realize that “one small step” has eternal implications.