But now, O LORD, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are our potter; we are all the work of Your hand.

— Isaiah 64:8

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you,

7 casting all your anxieties on him, because He cares for you.

— 1 Peter 5:6-7

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act.

— Psalm 37:5

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.

6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.

— Proverbs 3:5-6

I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of Him who sent Me.

— John 5:30

7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.

— Philippians 3:7-8

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and love from Christ to you.

There are times when we, God’s children, may profess willingness to follow the Lord and surrender to His perfect plans for us. However, yielding to Scripture’s commands and the Spirit’s urgings requires surrender, which often seems costly. God’s plans for us include both the general direction of our lives and specific steps of obedience. He affords us opportunities to step out in faith. His Spirit moves within our hearts to make us willing. He equips and enables us as He leads us.

When the Lord leads us in a challenging direction, are we willing to make sacrifices to accomplish God’s calling for our life? How responsive are we when God stirs our hearts to reach out to a neighbor for gospel or to show generosity to someone in need? How do we respond when God gives us a burden that lingers? God moves within His people to accomplish His work. Let’s look to the Lord’s grace that we will follow for the promptings when reading His Word and praying? May we share God’s heart, listen to His truth and act accordingly.