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Devotional: God, do more with the hours in my day than I can {Acts 9:15}

By: Lindsey Bomgren, CPT | May 12, 2019

‘Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.’ {Acts 9:15}

Imagine God saying this to you: ‘Go! You are my chosen instrument…’

I think we are all craving this kind of direction in our lives. I know I am, as I question the direction of my business as I start preparing for the arrival of baby number two, and what life will look like with two little humans seeking my attention.

In this verse, Acts 9:15, God is specifically talking about the apostle Paul {formerly known as Saul} as his chosen instrument.

Paul was fierce and intense man. In fact, Paul was on a mission to persecute Christians before his personal encounter with Jesus changed his life {Acts 9}. But what I love about this story is that Paul’s past is what made his conversion to Christianity and his ability to channel his fierce intensity into sharing the gospel even more amazing!

Paul was actually the first person to take the gospel to non-Jews and show Gentiles they too were loved by God.

Where I’m going with this story is that God did not waste any part of Paul — his background, his previous trainings to persecute, his fierce intensity, his mind, or even his weaknesses.

God does not waste our time.

Instead, He uses our past and present, and the skills we’ve acquired in these seasons, to prepare us so we can serve Him with our future.

After reading Acts 9 the study notes in my Bible asked this question: ‘Are you willing to let God do the same for you {in reference to how he used Paul}? You will never know all He can do with you until you allow Him to have all that you are.’

God does more with the hours in my day than I can

Allow Him to have ALL that I am. Not just the moments at my kitchen table in the morning, but ALL of me.

Today I’m going to soak in God’s presence knowing that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.

And if giving God ALL of you is an overwhelming concept for you to understand; you’re not alone, I’m there too.

But because I have a desire, a strong desire, to know ALL that He can do when I give Him ALL of me, I’m taking baby steps in that direction.

So what’s the next right step?

Maybe it’s to say a prayer right now, maybe it’s stepping back into the church doors this weekend, maybe it’s opening your Bible for the first time in a long time…I don’t know what it is for you.

But for me it’s giving God more of my presence. Literally setting alarms on my phone throughout the day with reminders to just stop and check in:

To pray about the work I’m doing.
To hand over all those fears and anxieties that are starting to creep in as I approach the halfway point in this pregnancy.
To ask God to do more with the hours in my day than I can.
And to simply recognize that the God I tend to see so far off in the distance is actually sitting right here next to me.

I want to know ALL that God can do with my life

Dear God,

I want to soak in your presence,

and I want to give you more of my presence today.

I want to know ALL that you can do with my life;

show me how to give ALL of myself to you.

Let your presence fuel me in a way that only you can.