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As my wife and I were driving through our neighborhood recently, she noticed a tattered, blue tarp on a roof. She asked, “Do they still have a FEMA tarp on their roof? I think they’ve had that since Hurricane Harvey. That was eight years ago!” By the looks of it, I believe it has been on their roof since Harvey. She then asked, “Why haven’t they gotten it repaired yet? They had to have insurance. Aren’t they embarrassed to still have it up there? How could they go this long?” I don’t know any of those answers, but it is very indicative of human nature to grow accustomed to living in disrepair or in a mess.

In the book of Nehemiah Israel had been captured and taken to Babylon. Ninety years before the story in this book, about 50,000 had moved back to Jerusalem while the others stayed in Babylon. When someone returned from visiting Jerusalem, Nehemiah asked how things were in Jerusalem. They told him that the walls were still down and the gates had been burned with fire. Nehemiah wept at how they were still living with broken walls. They were living in a city that was vulnerable, exposed and incomplete. Instead of thriving, they had grown accustomed to living in the ruble and brokenness. Nehemiah went to Jerusalem, encouraged the people there and helped them rebuild the walls.

Nehemiah 2:18 says, “I told them how God had been with me and helped me, and what the emperor had said to me. They responded, ‘Let’s start rebuilding!’ And they got ready to start the work” (GNT). What does your life look like? Have you grown accustomed to living with broken down walls? Have you put a patch on the issue and just learned to live with it? God wants to work with you to rebuild the walls of your life. He’s calling you to rise up, to rebuild and to step into restoration. He wants you to break free from living in complacency with the problem. He will strengthen you for the work, but you must rise up and start rebuilding.

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If you’ve never read “Love Does” by Bob Goff, you’re missing out. I call him “God’s Yes Man.” This book is full of crazy stories of what happens when you believe everything circumstance and interaction is an opportunity to be a blessing. He sent a key to his home to every world leader, and some have taken him up on it. He also became a lawyer in a foreign country in order to free a prison full of boys falsely accused, took the door off the prison and shipped it to the US. The stories in this book are a reminder that being a blessing isn’t about convenience, but availability. It also shows that you don’t need a title or a stage to make a difference.

In the book of Acts, there’s the story of a man named Joseph who sold his field in order to give money to the Early Church to help them care for the poor. When Saul went from persecuting Christians to becoming one, it was Joseph who stood up for him when everyone else was scared. He was a blessing to the Church and to all who met him. In fact, the people quit calling him by his birth name and started calling him Barnabas, which means “Son of Encouragement.” His character became his identity and is forever canonized in the Bible.

Galatians 6:10 says, “Take advantage of every opportunity to be a blessing to others, especially to our brothers and sisters in the family of faith!” (TPT) You don’t have to wait for big opportunities to come your way to be a blessing or to have a crowd. Most of the time, God gives us small settings to be a blessing. They happen on the job, at the store, on the road and everywhere in between. You don’t need to record them or put them on social media. A kind word, a smile and some encouragement are blessings you can give today. Start small and start looking at every interaction as an opportunity to be a blessing. You never know where God will take you when you give Him you’re availability to bless others through you.

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When I first started writing for this site, I made a list of topics in my phone. I would try to brainstorm every couple of days to add to the list. I wrote on things I knew, but each day I was writing out of fear. I was so afraid that I wouldn’t have anything to say or that I’d run out of topics. As I shared my fear with an author, he told me I was approaching it all wrong. He said, “You need to go to God each day with an empty bucket and say, ‘Here i am, Lord. I need a fresh word. Will you fill up my bucket with enough for today?’” That conversation changed how I write and how I approach writing. It’s forced me to quit trying to use my knowledge, and to go to God each day seeking to hear Him.

In Exodus 16, the children of Israel had crossed the Red Sea and were on their way to Mount Sinai. They were hungry and began to glamorize their slavery. They complained that at least they had food in Egypt. God heard them and decided to supply them with what they needed. Each night, quail would fly into the camp and rest on the ground to provide them with meat. In the morning, the dew would turn to a thin bread like substance called manna. They were to take their buckets out in the morning to collect about half a gallon of it per person as food rations. They did this every day while they were in the desert.

In Exodus 16:15-16 Moses said, “This is the food that the Lord has given you to eat. The Lord has commanded that each of you is to gather as much of it as he needs, two quarts for each member of his household” (GNT). I believe the same is true for us. To move from a head knowledge of God to a heart relationship, we must go to Him each day seeking Him. Sunday’s sermon wasn’t meant to feed you all week. God is looking for you to meet with Him daily to feed your spirit. It’s time we started getting fresh manna from above each day. If you’re not sure how, pray, “Lord, I need fresh manna from you. I open my heart to hear from you today. Show me what you want to hear from you today.” Then open your Bible and read until you hear from Him. It’s not about the quantity as it is the quality. God will speak to you through His Word and fill your bucket daily.

Photo by Monika Grabkowska on Unsplash

Throwback Thursday is a feature I’m using to help build some margin into my schedule to pursue other ventures. Each Thursday I’ll be bringing you a previously written devotional that still speaks encouragement to us from God’s Word.