Day 331 "The Personal Cost of Saving Lives"

 

Passage: Acts 20:23

 

"I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me."

 

Devotion:

 

Following are lyrics to The Fray song, How to Save a Life, written by singer/pianist Isaac Slade based on his experiences while working as a mentor at a camp for troubled teenage males:

 

Step one you say we need to talk

He walks you say sit down it's just a talk

He smiles politely back at you

You stare politely right on through

Some sort of window to your right

As he goes left and you stay right

Between the lines of fear and blame

And you begin to wonder why you came

 

Refrain:

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend?

Somewhere along in the bitterness

And I would have stayed up with you all night

Had I known how to save a life

 

Many of us who have lost a family member, friend or loved one can relate to the feelings of frustration, emptiness, and guilt expressed by the songwriter, "Where did I go wrong; Somewhere along in the bitterness; I would have stayed up with you all night; Had I known--how to save a life."

 

In our passage today, Paul didn't wonder how to save a life, he knew--Jesus.  The only problem was it came with greater and greater personal sacrifice. Many times we feel guilty because of things we know we should have said or done, yet didn't make the effort or take the time to do. Paul's love for the Lord was so great that despite the fact he knew "prison and hardships" awaited him, he continued on. In other words, Paul was fully committed to saving lives even if it meant losing his own.

 

Questions to Ponder:

 

Hopefully none of us will ever have to make the choice to sacrifice our life for another; but what about another precious commodity--time? Why not offer your golf day when a young man in trouble needs some guidance? Or sleep time early in the morning to help a friend work on a marriage problem? You see we all have opportunities to make a difference and save lives every day--if we choose to. Whose life will you save?

 

 

Day 330 "What is Your Life Worth?"

 

Passage: Acts 20:24

 

"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace."

 

Devotion:

 

In the fifties one of the most popular magazines in the United States was LIFE. In the sixties it was PEOPLE; in the seventies US; and in the eighties it was SELF. Enter the internet age and the nineties and it is no longer a magazine--we have graduated to AOL which is both a news and information service, as well as a means of communication with others ("you've got mail"). Finally in the last couple of years--both MY SPACE ("a place for friends") and YOU TUBE ("broadcast yourself") have topped the charts in terms of popularity especially among our young people. Another recent entry is FACE BOOK which after only two years of operation already has gross revenues and net operating profits that dwarf the venerable FORD Motor Company. And what, you might ask does FACE BOOK sell that makes their product so valuable? As the company states: "A social utility that connects you with the people around you."

 

I for one have difficulty reconciling Paul's statement, "I consider my life worth nothing to me" with the last fifty years of so-called progress, which has culminated in the statement: "A social utility that connects you with the people around you." It would seem that in our current times our lives have become so valuable to us that we have created multi-billion dollar businesses around making us seem more and more significant to each other. In an effort to stand apart from the crowd, we've lost the grace and honor of self-sacrifice. Paul wasn't concerned with his own identity, popularity or what others thought of him. There was only one race Paul wanted to win--the task of completing what the Lord had given him to do.

 

Questions to Ponder:

 

Businesses don't define how we are to think, they only reflect our interests--what are yours? Multi-billion dollar companies have been built because they have provided the opportunity for us to create our own self-defined personal profiles for the world to see. Be honest--where is your focus: on the task the Lord has given you to do, or on what others may think of you? What reward do you seek, a heavenly one or will the world's be enough? What needs to change?