I must give you praise today, Father, for Your sheltering arms and Your prevenient grace! You set things in motion so that we would be protected in our own home last night. A carbon monoxide detector woke us so that we were able to get out of the house with only headaches and a bit of nausea. Death could have prevailed…but not under Your watchful eye!
Luke 10:17-20 (<<click to read the passage)
My mom strives to be conscientious with regard to her health. For the most part, she works very hard at being as active as she can be with her physical limitations and choosing healthy alternatives whenever possible when she eats (much to Dad’s chagrin!) But…one of her favorite things to eat would not be considered healthy by most. She loves hotdogs! She doesn’t consume them regularly but enjoys them on occasion.
I like hotdogs, too, but another kind of hot dog can be very obnoxious!
Have you ever witnessed a “hot dog” on a sports team? Merriam-Webster defines a hot dog as someone who performs in a conspicuous or often ostentatious manner. Ostentatious? Now that is a fun word! It’s basically someone who is good at what they do but knows they are good and are not afraid to show off their talents, not necessarily for the good of their teams but to stoke their own egos! They are showoffs who are out to impress others and attract attention for themselves.
Hot dogs are not just limited to sports. Even in the Body of Christ, we have to be on our guard to not get so wrapped up in what we do that we forget what He has done for us. We have been given authority and power to accomplish much in God’s kingdom but Jesus makes it very clear that we aren’t to “rejoice” at what we can accomplish in His service, but we are to “rejoice that [our] names are recorded in heaven.”
There is no room for a hot dog in the Body of Christ. Humility is the goal for us all.
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6 (NLT)
Every day we must endeavor to accomplish God’s will in the world around us. We are His ambassadors. We are His representatives. We are His hands and feet in a world that so desperately needs to see Him do what only He can do. But we must never forget that we are who we are because He is who He is. Amen.
May 21st, 2020, Thurs, 8:06 pm
