An interesting day of worship, Father. As we are beginning to transition back to in-person worship, help us continue to be wise and compassionate throughout the process. Thank You for the privilege of touching lives with Your message of love and hope in so many ways!

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There is a home we pass going to and coming from Karen’s parent’s place. For the almost 30 years that we have driven by it, it has been a beautiful spread. The house sits on a generous lot with a good-sized pond occupying roughly a third of it. There are numerous trees of various types spread throughout. It was always so meticulously maintained. The pond was clear of scum. The grass was regularly and neatly trimmed. Fallen branches from the many trees we gathered in a timely manner. …but no more…
The gentleman of the estate died a couple of years ago and to my knowledge, his wife died just recently. Someone is doing their best to keep up with the mowing, but it is not a place where a quick job can be done. It takes an investment of time and energy, and I am guessing those things are just not available right now.
I spoke with the gentleman some years back and you could tell, even then, that though it was becoming more than he could handle, he was too proud to accept an offering of help. He took pride in his home and the land around it.
All the time invested. All the sweat that he had exuded. The money for gas and flowers and equipment and whatever else was needed to maintain was good for those years passed but there is really nothing to show for it now. Many of us do the same. I do the same… We love investing time and effort into our home and yard.
Now it’s one thing to invest in this world. But it is another thing altogether to invest in eternity. All I know of this man was that he was a pretty good baseball player in the day when he played against my father-in-law. So, he may have also very well been a devout man after God’s own heart. He may have given his attention to the Word and to service for God and His kingdom and I pray it was so!
…but what if he didn’t…
In what do you invest? What takes your time and energy and resources? Is it something that when you are gone, it will fall away amongst the dust of time, to not be remembered but maybe for a generation or two?
Or will your investment in the way of God and His kingdom continue to multiply many times over as people you have touched for Him, touch others, and they, in turn, touch others? Now that is an investment worth storing up!

Therefore if you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, sharing in His resurrection from the dead], keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the things above [the heavenly things], not on things that are on the earth [which have only temporal value]. For you died [to this world], and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, [a]appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Colossians 3:1-4 (AMP)

June 28th, 2020, Sun, 7:25 pm