Audio Version here
Luke 12:25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? (NIV)
“So much to do, so little time to do it in.”
Do you ever have the feeling that time is running out and all the things that you have planned are never going to be accomplished? I guess I’m at that stage in my life right now, when I have to decide what I am going to specialize in for the rest of my days. I love writing, painting, singing, song-writing, doing crafts, fishing, going places, reading books, planning lessons, leading studies, telling stories to kids, watching movies, etc, etc, etc. The list is endless and I’ve only so much time to cram it all in.
I’m sure that we’re all like that. We want our lives to make a difference in the world, so we hope that what we choose to do will make an impact in our churches, community, and world. We want to make the best use of our allotted days, but Time is like a river, it moves on regardless of how much we try to slow it down or extend our lives. As Robert Burns, Scotland’s greatest poet once wrote, “Time and tide wait for no man.”
Jesus reminds us that we are all finite creatures. We can’t add anything to our years, not even a single hour. We come and go as God wills, and that is sometimes pretty hard to accept. We all want to live forever, but our times are in God’s hands, so no matter what we do, there will be a moment when we leave earth and enter into eternity.
That’s where making good use of our lives is very important. We all want to make a difference, we all want to make an impact – but is that only for ourselves or is it to glorify Christ? Our lives are in His hands, but our choices are our own. Do we choose Christ and eternal bliss, or do we choose ourselves with no everlasting hope?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to weigh our lives in eternal terms and to understand that the choices we make here on earth affect our future in eternity. Grant us the courage to reach out to You and take You into our hearts. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.
Short daily devotions for busy Christians and Church meetings
Showing posts with label choices. Show all posts
Showing posts with label choices. Show all posts
Monday, October 15, 2007
Monday, September 17, 2007
Impartiality - or How the socially and politically correct thing is not Biblically correct
Audio version here
Leviticus 19:15 Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly. (NIV)
I am terrible about judging competitions. I tend to root for the underdog, instead of dealing with things fairly. In the past I’ve judged Halloween costume contests, cutest pet awards, and cake tasting competitions. A couple of years ago, I even judged a Senior High speech contest and found it difficult not to give higher marks to the kids from rural schools. I wanted to be impartial, but I couldn’t disconnect the kids from their backgrounds. I wanted to make up for the deprivations and disadvantages that the poorer kids had. Instead of judging the presentation and content of the speeches, I gave points for effort. When my marks were compared with the rest of the judges, mine’s were entirely different. I was never asked back to judge the competition again.
The Bible warns us about showing partiality or favoritism. If we decide issues between different parties because of who they are and not what the issue is, then we’re guilty of playing favorites. This is anathema to God and something that we need to really learn. In God’s eyes, there are no favorites – all have sinned and are in need of salvation. He deals with people equitably – on an equal footing – and He expects us to do the same. It may not be socially or politically correct, it is theologically sound. God judges us the way in which we judge others. And if our judgments are poor, slanted, or suspect, then He will deal with us according to our own standards, which could mean that mercy and grace are set aside.
Prayer: Lord God, help us to make better choices, decisions, and judgments in all of our lives. Convict us to be fair and to give everyone, rich or poor, wealthy or working class, impartiality. Teach us the practical wisdom behind such ideals. In Your Holy name, we pray. Amen.
Leviticus 19:15 Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly. (NIV)
I am terrible about judging competitions. I tend to root for the underdog, instead of dealing with things fairly. In the past I’ve judged Halloween costume contests, cutest pet awards, and cake tasting competitions. A couple of years ago, I even judged a Senior High speech contest and found it difficult not to give higher marks to the kids from rural schools. I wanted to be impartial, but I couldn’t disconnect the kids from their backgrounds. I wanted to make up for the deprivations and disadvantages that the poorer kids had. Instead of judging the presentation and content of the speeches, I gave points for effort. When my marks were compared with the rest of the judges, mine’s were entirely different. I was never asked back to judge the competition again.
The Bible warns us about showing partiality or favoritism. If we decide issues between different parties because of who they are and not what the issue is, then we’re guilty of playing favorites. This is anathema to God and something that we need to really learn. In God’s eyes, there are no favorites – all have sinned and are in need of salvation. He deals with people equitably – on an equal footing – and He expects us to do the same. It may not be socially or politically correct, it is theologically sound. God judges us the way in which we judge others. And if our judgments are poor, slanted, or suspect, then He will deal with us according to our own standards, which could mean that mercy and grace are set aside.
Prayer: Lord God, help us to make better choices, decisions, and judgments in all of our lives. Convict us to be fair and to give everyone, rich or poor, wealthy or working class, impartiality. Teach us the practical wisdom behind such ideals. In Your Holy name, we pray. Amen.
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