The 12 Days of LCC – A Year-End Devotional Series

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Action Figures -The First Day of LCC

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. – James 1:27

Remember Stretch Armstrong, the action figure (a doll for boys) that was popular back in the 90’s? Whatever they used to make that doll was truly amazing. It would stretch and stretch without breaking and then snap back to its original shape. Have you ever felt like that... like you were being stretched beyond any imaginable limit?

2011 was a record breaking year for disasters in the United States. There were more disasters topping one billion dollars in losses than any other year in recorded history. Talk about stretching! Those who know that faith is an action word were seemingly on call constantly. Ready at a moment’s notice to bring comfort and aid to the hurting in the name of Christ.

But there’s nothing in scripture that tells us we must wait for disaster to strike before leaping into action. No, it is God’s desire, expressed in His Word, that those who know him are the physical expression of his love and mercy. Our faith is a call to action. God’s call stretches us, often beyond the limits we place on ourselves. That should not be a surprise as we read Paul’s words to the Ephesians, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us...” If God can do immeasurably more than we can imagine it stands to reason that, when we answer his call in faith we will be stretched. And that stretching has a result that we see in the conclusion of Paul’s thought, “...to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”-Ephesians 3:20-21

How exciting it is, this Christmas Day, to be an action figure in the hands of God!

Prayer
Lord, thank you for calling me to action in your name. Thank you for stretching me beyond my limits and giving me the strength by your Spirit to do far more than I could ever imagine. Amen!

In 2011 Lutheran Church Charities managed the deployment of more direct volunteers (over 2000 people) in response to disasters and ongoing recovery work than in any year in our history. Click here to learn more.