Working Before the Storm

John 9:4 I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.

Right now, as I pen these words, over millions of Americans are under an unprecedented severe winter advisory. Meteorologists are anticipating records to be broken in this historic storm.

All this talk of snow reminded me of when I was growing up in Baltimore, Maryland during the winter.

I always wished for a snow day so that I didn’t have to go to school the following day. I would anxiously watch the news late into the evening for any hint of snow.  Just a ½ inch was usually enough for schools to close!

Aside from the weather report, there was one sign that almost always meant freedom the next day: if Mom and Dad rushed to the grocery store because on the East Coast, the slightest hint of snow sends everyone running for milk, eggs, and bread to be sure they’re ready for the storm.

Anyone with their eyes half-open can see the clouds on the horizon, and we ought to be watching and preparing as carefully as I used to do growing up in Baltimore.

We need to be carefully watching, and at the same time, actively working for the Kingdom, because the day is rapidly approaching when no more work can be done!  So take it to heart, continue to press through, press on, and by all means, do not grow weary in well doing — for you shall truly reap if you do not faint!

Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy Devotions. This devotional was originally published on Worthy Devotions and was reproduced with permission.

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I suppose one of the hardest questions to answer is: “Why do I have to deal with so much adversity?!”

New Year’s Eve celebrations have come and gone. Now the reality is settling in — it’s 2025 and we’ve entered into a new decade!! Some of us are wondering where in the world the time went… the Lord knows I am.

Anyone who has traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland has probably seen the Edinburgh castle. It is a tower of seemingly insurmountable strength. However, long ago that castle was attacked and seized.

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In December 1903, after many attempts, the Wright brothers were successful in getting their “flying machine” off the ground. Thrilled, they telegraphed this message to their sister Katherine: “We have actually flown 120 feet. Will be home for Christmas.” Katherine hurried to the editor of the local newspaper and showed him the message. He glanced at it and said, “How nice. The boys will be home for Christmas.”

During World War I, in the winter of 1914, on the battlefields of Flanders, one of the most unusual events in history took place. The Germans had been in a fierce battle with the British and French. Both sides were dug in, safe in muddy man-made trenches six to eight feet deep that seemed to stretch forever… but it was Christmas, and what happened next was astonishing, writes Stanley Weintraub, author of the book, Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce.

While Chanukah is not a Biblical feast mentioned in the Old Testament, it is an important one. Chanukah commemorates the story of small group of men with much courage — enough courage to defeat even the greatest of the world’s empires.