Scripture:
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. (Psalm 1:1-2)
Thought for the day:
Tim Sanders, who is former chief solutions officer at Yahoo!, and author of Love Is the Killer App wrote:
“Take your life and all the things that you think are important, and put them in one of three categories. Three items represent these three categories: glass, metal, and rubber.
The things that are made of rubber, when you drop them, will bounce back. Nothing really happens when these kinds of things get dropped. So, for instance (and I enjoy sporting events, so don't take me wrong here), if I miss a Steelers game, my life will bounce along real fine. It doesn't change anything and nothing is lost—my missing a game or even a season of football will not alter my marriage or my spiritual life. I can take 'em or leave 'em.
Things that are made of metal, when they get dropped, create a lot of noise. But you can recover from the drop. You miss a meeting at work, you can get the cliff notes. Or if you forget to balance your checkbook and lose track of how much you have in your account, and the bank notifies you that you have been spending more than you have—that's going to create a little bit of noise in your life, but you can recover from it.
Then there are things made of glass. And when you drop one of these, it will shatter into pieces and never be the same. Even though you can piece it back together, it will still be missing some pieces. It certainly won't look the same, and I doubt that you could actually fill it up with water, because the consequences of it be being broken will forever affect how it's used.
The thing is, you're the only person who knows what those things are that you can't afford to drop. More than likely, they have a lot to do with your relationships, your marriage, your family, your friends, and your faith.”
Have you ever found yourself in knee deep in life? Have you ever found yourself skipping devotions, postponing obligations or interests, and then wasting time when you found some because you needed to shut down for a while? Have was living life reactive to what is happening around you?
If God were a reactive god the flood would have ended humanity. If God were a reactive god, the death of Christ would have warranted retribution rather than redemption. If God were a reactive god the frustration of giving life to an ungrateful people would be more than the author of love could bear. I praise the Lord that our God is not a reactive but proactive. God spoke and a world came into being. God came and those who believe are forgiven. God loved and people were made whole.
To be like Jesus, Christians cannot live life reactively and expect to make a difference in the world. We can’t allow the world to set our agenda for living. We can’t wait for others to love us before we show the world what love is about. Yes, there will always be situations that that require us to react, however, if we know our priorities before hand everyday issues will be less likely to impact our ability to live a balanced life in the presence of God.
Prayer for the day:
Dear Lord, allow me the privilege knowing that which is most important to my life and faith. Allow me to make a difference in the world by knowing the priorities that come from a relationship with you. Amen.