24HOB::Donation Game

Devotion: Details Matter

This past month, a man set the record off the coast of North Carolina catching a 883lb Blue Marlin during a tournament.  He was awarded $912,825 in prize money for this accomplishment.  However, the officials discovered that one of the mates on the boat had forgotten to purchase a $15 fishing license, thereby disqualifying the catch and loosing all the prize money.

When I heard this story on the news, it was a vivid reminder to me that often times we overlook the littlest details in life and become enamored with the prize.  Yet, it is these little things that can have huge ramifications if we are not careful.

In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders: 

 

⁴⁶"Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I tell you?  ⁴⁷ I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them.  ⁴⁸ That one is like a man building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when a flood arose, the river burst against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built.  ⁴⁹ But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against it, immediately it fell, and great was the ruin of that house."

 

Jesus challenges those who are focused on the “prize”—calling Jesus their Lord—without paying attention to the details—putting his words into action.  He tells them that when calamity hits, they will loose everything because their faith has not been grounded.  Instead, he encourages us to root our faith upon him; to pay attention to the details of our life and see how they align with our faith beliefs.

When you heard the story of the fisherman, did you think that was “fair”?  Why or why not?  How can you build your faith on a strong foundation?  What flood waters are rising in your life and challenging you?  What seemingly insignificant details of your day may you be overlooking?

 

Barry Vacation

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?

 

 

What are you doing this weekend?

1550 miles
3 days
Family of 6
1 mini-van