1. Awakening – Everyday Christian Devotionals

Hi, this is Gabe from Deltona Aluminum. Shortly after my father started this business over 30 years ago, he began believing that we exist to serve Jesus Christ through all that we do and say. Admittedly, there are times where business becomes business and I, myself, lose focus on what’s important. So I wanted to take the time and invite you to join me as we align our focus and intentions on the God of the universe, through whom we live and have our being.

This is the first video of six short devotionals that will hopefully encourage you as we start or end our work days. These six videos will be six different themes to represent six parts of the day:

Awakening, Journey, Work, Family, Reflection, and Rest.

Today, we are going to talk about our Awakening.

I’d like to begin our time by reading this passage:

Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed is Your name.
Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins and we forgive those who sin against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, Amen.

As we begin our days, I think it’s helpful to look at the Jewish ritual of aligning their perspective as they first wake up. For centuries, this traditional prayer is said in the morning to thank God for a new day… for the chance to draw breath… for the opportunity to serve him. It goes like this:

“I am thankful before You, living and enduring King, for you have mercifully restored my soul within me. Great is Your faithfulness.”

As we begin our days, it is so easy to immediately immerse ourselves in the challenges that are before us. We have to make coffee; we have to get the kids to school; we have to beat the traffic to get to work. Before we know it, we have missed the beautiful reality that God is present and is with us.

We have an opportunity join God in what He is already at work doing. And the beautiful thing is that we don’t need to travel far to find Him; He is working within us to produce good things in order to bless those around us. We find that, even though we greet God with this prayer, we discover that He has greeted us first and invited us to be with Him.

So as we awake and begin our day, let’s first think about God and His faithfulness. This will help us seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness as we remember that this day is a day that God has given us. As you make your coffee… drop your kids off at school… punch in at work… Jesus is already with you and working through you.

Grace and peace.