Devotion: Fall-Out

“Whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.”  Col. 3:17

Flipping through the channels the other week, I stumbled upon a show about the nuclear disaster in Chernobyl.  As they talked about the ramifications of nuclear fall-out, they mentioned that the area near the reactors would not be inhabitable for 200 years.  Then they said that the actual reactor would not be deemed “clean” for another 20,000 years.

That length of time is startlingly to consider:  the ramifications of human action can have an effect for 20,000 years.  One thing, I believe we fail to consider when is what the long-term ramifications can be upon us and the one’s we love. 

We are so accustomed to addressing our immediate desires, needs and wishes that we frequently fail to consider the long-term impact.  What we say and what actions we take have a direct impact on our life’s journey (and those around us).

      As Christians we believe that what we do not only has long-term ramifications but also has eternal implications.  While Chernobyl will one day (eons from now) be cleaned up, God has also allowed us to participate in his eternal kingdom.  Paul says that the church is the body of Christ, because each of us become his active agents in the world.  Therefore, scripture routinely reminds us to be careful about what we say, and to be careful about our actions, because we are representatives of God to the world.

     

Have you experienced unexpected fall-out from your words and actions?  What prevents us from considering these long-term effects?  How would we act differently today if we believed that we were representatives of the Lord Jesus?