And Do Good
February 21, 2022 by Cynthia Ruchti
Filed under Daily Devotions
By Cynthia Ruchti –
“Stronger” is my word-of-the-year, whispered to my spirit when I asked the Lord what I should specifically focus on for 2013. A few years ago, the thought was Brave and Bold. Last year, it was Enjoy. And I did. So this year? Stronger.
For me, that means stronger in spirit. Stronger in my relationships. Stronger in a business sense. And…cough, choke, gasp…stronger physically. My knee replacement is healed. Time to move more.
When I decided—rather than just continue to toy with the idea—that it was time to get serious about getting stronger, which in my case can’t help but get my weight in better alignment, I considered the kinds of things that make up my normal diet, and what was going to have to be jettisoned.
I eat gluten-free of necessity. So cake, donuts, cookies, pies, breaded and deep-fried foods have long been absent from my table, except for the occasional yummy gluten-free variety that passes the taste test…which means very few.
What does that leave, Lord? I distinctly heard him say, in a holy, resounding voice, “Potato chips.”
Ouch. Really? I mean, I have so few legitimate indulgences. Even I recognize the ridiculousness of that statement in light of world-wide poverty and hunger.
What I’m realizing is that I can’t just eliminate a bad thing—too many potato chips—without filling in that gap with a good thing—like cucumbers and carrot sticks. If I eliminate without replacing, all the sensations like crunch and chew and “full” start to rebel.
Jesus talked about it when he cast out a demon. In essence, He said, “Plug the hole or nine worse ones will come in to take its place.”
I read it in the Psalms just today. “Turn away from evil and do good” (emphasis mine). God did not merely tell us to turn away from the wrong things, but to replace them with good. Turn away AND…
PRAYER: Father God, in every area of life, help me grasp how the harmful or worthless things I turn from need a counterpart of something good to take their place. Watch less TV? Spend more time in Your Word? Eliminate potato chips? Ex-er-cise.
“Turn away from evil and do good,” (Psalm 34:14a NLT).
Cynthia Ruchti tells stories of Hope-that-glows-in-the-dark through her novels and novellas, devotion collections, speaking, teaching, and a history of 33 years as a radio writer/producer. Her books have been recognized by RT Reviewers’ Choice, Retailers’ Choice, Family Fiction Readers’Choice, and other honors. Her novel When the Morning Glory Blooms (Abingdon Press Fiction) releases April 1, 2013. A nonfiction project—Ragged Hope: Surviving the Fallout of Other People’s Choices—releases July 2013 from Abingdon Press Christian Living. www.cynthiaruchti.com
Great post! Thanks! I, too, am G/F and the one thing I found I liked (chocolate covered snack bars by NuGo) became almost an obsession…and the Lord got my attention in a similar way.
So thankful for HIM!