12^th November

“Each day I beg you for Your help, O Lord; I lift my hands to You for mercy…”

Psalm 88:9b

Suppose you have a long glass tube the exact diameter of a marble, lying on its side, with openings at both ends. Presently, the tube contains exactly 100 black marbles filling the tube in single file from one end to the other. Your goal is to fill the tube with 100 white marbles, but you can remove only one black marble per day. How many days will it take to fill the tube with white marbles? Obviously, 100 days. As you push one new white marble in one end of the tube each day, a black marble will fall out of the tube on the opposite end. By the one-hundredth day–in with a white marble, out with a black–the tube will be full of white marbles.

Can you do the same with spiritual growth? Can your mind–the battlefield in spiritual warfare–be filled more and more with godly thoughts, driving out ungodly thoughts of fear, worry, and anxiety? Following Paul’s admonition in Philippians 4:8-9 is a good place to begin by meditating daily on what is noble, just, pure, lovely, good, virtuous, and praiseworthy. The more we fill our heart and mind with godly prayer and meditation, the less room there will be for worry. Each day is a battle won and deeper surrender of our ‘everything’ to Jesus!

#Today’s devotion is taken from Turning Point Daily Devotions