High Priority
Even amongst all the craziness, this year has flown by! But, Father, not one minute of it caught You unaware. You have been in control and with us all along! Praise Your holy name!
Luke 19:11-27 (<<click here to read the passage)
I am familiar with the 80/20 rule but never really knew that it is based on what is known as the Pareto principle. This principle is attributed to Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto who came up with the concept way back in 1896.
I thought it pertained to 20% of the people doing 80% of the work. That may factor into the concept to some degree but at its core, the overall principle deals with how things get done.
Say that we have a list of things that need doing. If we looked at our list honestly, we’d acknowledge that some things should be a higher priority than others. Where we run into trouble is putting off the most important things because they are more difficult. Instead, we spend our time doing the things that are easier to accomplish but in the whole scope of things they are not very important and have very little impact on how we move forward. Interestingly enough, more times than naught, it breaks down to 20% of those things needing to be a priority and the other 80% really aren’t that important in the scheme of things.
In my years at Kohl’s, this concept was fleshed out many times over. We had numerous associates who could busy themselves (and I use that phrase very loosely) for an entire shift and accomplish very little. Other associates – and these were much fewer in number – were able to knock out all kinds of projects on their shift because they were able to identify important tasks, regardless of difficulty, and got them done.
As followers of Christ, it is vitally important that we identify things of high priority and take action to see those to completion. Our problem is those things are more difficult and it’s much easier to fiddle around doing little piddly things that are really not that important in the big picture of God’s Kingdom.
Jesus commanded his disciples (and that includes us!) in Matthew 28:19-20a,
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you… AMP
That’s what Jesus’ parable in today’s verses is talking about. He has given us all the tools we need to accomplish the task at hand – not just some of us…all of us. And as His followers, we must wisely use the time and resources we’ve been given. He is coming back and even if we are called home before His return, we will be held accountable for how we handled our share of the “silver” given to each of us.
May our goal be to here our King say,
“Well done! You are a good servant. You have been faithful…” Luke 19:17a NLT
Nov 1st, 2020, Sun, 7:51 pm
A Crooked Man Who Needed Straightening
“There was a crooked old man…” by illustrator Arthur Rackham (1867 – 1939)
A couple of unexpected twists to my day but regardless, You, Father, are still Sovereign and it all is in Your hands. May I never forget or take it for granted. Amen.
Luke 19:1-10 (<<click here to read the passage)
I am certain for many of us that if there were an option to do so, would gladly choose to go back in time and right some wrong of which we were guilty.
In doing a little research on a line of thought regarding today’s passage, I came across a very interesting take on a passage from King Solomon’s book of Ecclesiastes. First, here is the verse,
What is crooked cannot be straightened and what is defective and lacking cannot be counted. Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 AMP
When Solomon wrote these words he was referring, not to anything material like a piece of steel, but rather to the circumstances and events of communal life. An obvious example is that the past cannot be changed. An injustice might be resolved, or an apology given, but many lasting effects remain.
We must remember, though, that God has the power to straighten out what is twisted and to supply what is lacking, yet even He will not change the past. However, He can change the way the past affects us…
You can tell by the crowd’s reaction that when Jesus sees Zacchaeus up the sycamore tree and calls him down to go to his home that he had quite the reputation. He wasn’t just any tax collector; he was the chief tax collector to whom others reported… v2 AMP
It sounds like he was so bad that he gave a whole new twist to the idea of being crooked. And as Solomon said, what is crooked cannot be straightened…right? There is no way Zacchaeus could go back in time and right the innumerable wrongs of which he was guilty. But then…he met Jesus! He met the One who did have the power to straighten him out!
By giving to the poor and making restitution-with generous interest—to those he had cheated, Zacchaeus demonstrated inner change by outward action.*
Lord Jesus, my past has too many instances to count of when I too have been crooked in my heart and mindsets. I realize now that just following You in my head or heart alone is not enough. Though it might be easier for me to go back and “fix” things, the best way to fix things is to live out my faith by changing my behavior. I must repent, turn the other way – towards You and Your directives – and be the follower You need me to be. May I too demonstrate my inner change – it is an ongoing part of my life in You – by my outward action. May I love You enough to do what Your love for me calls me to. Amen.
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
Oct 29th, 2020, Thurs, 1:06 pm
Go the Distance
It has been a full day, Father, yet here I am. I wanted to begin this earlier in the day, but I allowed other things to crowd our time out. May our time together be full and Your word sustaining. Amen.
********
Yesterday on my morning walk I saw wedge of geese flew overhead and it got me to thinking. Many Canada geese migrate to warmer climes in the fall. One source (American Expedition) shared the following tidbits of information.
Canada geese fly at an average speed of about 40 miles per hour when migrating but may increase their speed to 70 miles per hour if they catch a strong tailwind. Migrations can be as long as 2,000 to 3,000 miles, and the geese are capable of flying up to 1,500 miles in a single day if the weather is good.
It’s awesome to realize that their Creator-God gave them what it takes to go the distance! And what is even more awesome is that he gave us the same gift!
Some days we are hard-pressed to acknowledge that we, too, can go the distance!
In an attempt to take care of myself, I have been making time in my morning routine for a 30-minute brisk walk – quite often it is on the school’s track. That is where the geese flew over yesterday. The nice thing about the track is that it is level and clear which helps me maintain a consistent speed.
I missed my walk Monday in that a couple of errands needed taken care of, so I added about 10 minutes to yesterday’s walk. I find that it takes me about 5 minutes to make one loop. I set the Google Fit on my phone to track my steps, etc. but I enjoy walking each lap in one of the eight lanes on the track. Normally, I walk 6 laps but because I wanted to add more time, I walked all eight.
I admit I am out of shape and I had to push myself on the last two laps to maintain roughly the same speed. And boy was I feeling it in my legs. (You in-shape people are probably chuckling, but I do what I can do!)
Oft times in life going the distance can be a challenge. How many times have we wanted to throw in the towel and give up? And then how many times have we stuck it out and been so grateful that we did?
The Apostle Paul encouraged young Timothy by saying to him,
Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:12 NLT
To my knowledge, I have no spectators of my efforts on the track, minimal though they may be, but for a good part of life, that is not the case. I am acutely aware that my efforts each and every day are being keenly observed by those around me. Some people pay absolutely no attention to anything I do…but some watch my reactions and listen to my words. My prayer is that I am true to my word and that my words and actions reflect the Savior to whom I have dedicated my life.
I pray that I have not misled anyone, that I have not been such a poor reflection on Jesus that it has caused people to turn away from Him. We can proclaim our association with Him all we want, but if we don’t live it out in the nitty-gritty of life, we have failed. May we all, as followers of Christ, be determined to go the distance, whatever it takes. Amen.
Oct 28th, 2020, Wed, 7:52 pm
To See the Truth
Father, I am so grateful to be in the middle of a new norm in my life. I have striven for a life with You at the center, but I seem to always throw a wrench in it somewhere along the line. I am far from perfect, but I am blessed to have You dead center in who and what I am. All praise goes to You for keeping me in the center of Your hand!
Luke 18:35-43 (<<click here to read the passage)
(This is one of those passages out of which I can take another bite!)
I recently read an article on Live Science that talked about research that claims that people born blind or blinded at a very young age really do have enhanced abilities in their other senses. The research used detailed brain scans to show that these individuals had heightened senses of hearing, smell, and touch compared to the people in the study who were not blind. The scans also revealed that people who are blind also experienced enhancements in other areas, including in their memory and language abilities.
The blind man in this passage from Luke 18 “saw” and understood things to which the religious leaders of his day were blinded. Individuals like him were not necessarily well educated, but what does he call out when trying to get Jesus’ attention?
…he began shouting, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” v38
The title “Son of David” is a title for the Messiah, and it means that he understood Jesus to be the long-awaited Messiah.
In the throng were men trained in all the nitty-gritty details of the Law and God’s word to Israel. Yet, though they “saw” Jesus’ miracles they were blinded to His identity and refused to recognize him as the Messiah. *
The blind man saw Jesus for who He was and the seeing religious professionals were blind to it!
There were a couple who reached out and believed (Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea – and probably others of which we are not aware) but most of them rejected the truth before their very eyes. Jesus didn’t fit what they thought the Messiah would look like. He didn’t act like they thought He would act. Probably the biggest problem of all was that He didn’t acknowledge their religious “superiority”. He called them out on their self-righteous, pompous attitudes undermining all that had been building upon for generations. Jesus cut their legs out from under them! How dare He!
But, once again, are we any different? Many of us have preconceived notions of what it means to be a Christian. We have most of our thoughts neatly arranged in little boxes and we dare not think outside those boxes…that would just mess everything up!
What we truly need, is to examine the things we hold so tenaciously to as “truth” to see if they are true…or not.
In my later years, many of the hardline truths that I have held for so long have come under scrutiny and some of those things have not held up so well. Maybe at their core, there is truth, but the trappings found upon them were put there by man – not God. It has not been an easy journey and I am most certainly still traveling but maybe we all need to do some scrutinizing to see the truth at the core of our beliefs and in so doing we will be strengthened to go forth to change the world as Jesus has called us to do!
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
Oct 27th, 2020, Tues, 6:30 pm
The Only Way this Beggar Got Out
Sleep was elusive toward morning, Father, so as the day has progressed, I am a little less motivated. Help me to clearly hear Your word for this day. Amen.
Luke 18:35-43 (<<click here to read the passage)
It’s fascinating how where I am in Luke’s Gospel lines up so well with what I’ve been speaking on at church. When I read for my blog I don’t jump ahead, I read the portion for that day and that is all. Now there are times when a portion is substantial, and I break it down into bite-size pieces. But that isn’t the norm.
As the quote goes “God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform…” (and a little FYI, this is not in the Bible, it is the first line of a hymn written in 1773 by William Cowper).
In my message Sunday I spoke about how we are called to grieve over evil and injustice in our world. Truly we are in no better position than the people of Jesus’ day. God’s Laws specifically address our responsibility in meeting the needs of those less fortunate than we are. In Leviticus 25:35 it says,
‘Now if your fellow countryman becomes poor and his hand falters with you [that is, he has trouble repaying you for something], then you are to help and sustain him, [with courtesy and consideration] like [you would] a stranger or a temporary resident [without property], so that he may live among you. AMP
In this Biblical account shared by Luke, God’s command was not being lived out.
…a blind man was sitting beside the road begging. Luke 18:35 NLT
My study Bible* says,
Beggars often would wait along the roads near cities because that was where they could contact the most people. Usually disabled in some way, beggars were unable to earn a living. Medical help was not available for their problems, and people tended to ignore their obligation to care for the needy. Thus, beggars had little hope of escaping their degrading way of life.
When was the last time we took care to help and sustain someone, [with courtesy and consideration] so that they may live among us?
I must admit I struggle here myself. When I see panhandlers (beggars) at intersections I have an awful habit of looking the other way. My mind goes to “There are jobs literally everywhere! Why don’t they get a job?” Now admittedly some are probably very capable, but we (and that includes me!) don’t really know!
Some have mental issues. Some have drug addictions that control their lives. We are not in their shoes. We have no idea what they are going through! Who are we to judge? But for the grace of God where would we be? The life of addiction is a slippery slope. They get so far up out of the hole they find themselves in and it doesn’t take much to knock them back down to the bottom. Some continually try to get out of the hole, while others have resigned themselves to believe there is no getting out.
Jesus is the only way this beggar got out. Now I typed that thinking of the blind man in today’s passage, but it aptly applies to me, too. I was incapable of getting myself out of the hole of sin and all of its trappings, but Jesus made a way for me to do so and I am so grateful He did…
Lord Jesus, help us to fulfill Your commands. Help us to realize that we have been saved from the impossible circumstances and we are to be Your hands and feet in the world around us for those in need. Amen.
*Life Application Study Bible Living Translation
Oct 26th, 2020, Mon, 1:11 pm