Day 318 "How to Save a Life"

 

Passage: Acts 20:10

 

Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. "Don't be alarmed," he said. "He's alive!"

 

Devotion:

 

Paul wasn't passive when he saw a problem; he was a man of action. As evidenced in our passage today, when Paul learned that Eutychus had fallen three stories from a window to his death while listening to him preach he went down and "threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him." By doing so Paul saved his life. We don't know precisely how these actions saved Eutychus -- just that they did.

 

When my middle daughter Natalie was in elementary school, she came home one day with the "Firefighter's Safety Handbook". With "wide-eyed" enthusiasm she shared with me the do's and don'ts of fire safety as related by (in her words), "A real life fireman!" (Who had not only the hat, badge, and overalls, but a bright red fire truck as well.) It was quite an experience. She asked me, "Daddy, what would you if you saw someone running out of a burning building with their clothes on fire?" Without pausing for me to answer, she proceeded to tell me, "If a person keeps running they burn up; so you have to tackle them and roll them on the ground to put out the flames." I asked if she would be brave enough to do that, with all the seriousness of an eight year old she nodded "Yes!"

 

Sometimes, when someone's in trouble, nothing short of a tackling, or rather throwing yourself into a situation and getting your arms around that person will work -- kind of like what Paul did. ?A single mom (who is a friend of my wife), told me recently that her eighteen year old son moved out of the house a few days ago, doesn't have a place to live, and is starting to hang around with some kids that aren't a good influence upon him. He doesn't have a place to live so he might end up on the street. I know him pretty well, so I asked her if she would like me to call him. In this situation I had two choices, the first: watch with detachment from the sidelines and hope that things work out okay; and the second: use Paul's example and instead have the courage and compassion to throw myself into and upon the problem while allowing the Lord to lead my words and actions. In other words, become an instrument of saving. Which choice would you make -- passively hopeful or involved and proactive?

 

Questions to Ponder:

 

Sometimes, like the young man, we can all lose our way. I thank God for the people in my life who cared about me and were courageous enough to get involved when I was off course -- who saved my life. Have you been passing up opportunities to get involved? Is there anyone in your life who needs your saving hand?? Do you have the courage (and the time) to reach out and assist them?? The next time the Lord touches your heart with a situation, yield to His call and you too may save a life.

 

 

 

 

?