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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion February 10, 2005 SQUEEZE |
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Frontline Devotion for Thursday, February 10, 2005 By
Penny Risen
Matthew
6: 25-34
"If you decide for God, living a
life of God-worship, it follows that you
don't fuss about what's on the
table at mealtimes or whether the
clothes in your closet are in
fashion. There is far more to your life …
Look at the birds, free and
unfettered, not tied down to a job description,
careless in the care of God.
And you count far more to Him than birds …
What I'm trying to do here is
to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied
with getting, so you can
respond to God's giving. People who don't know
God and the way He works fuss
over these things, but you know both God and
how He works. Steep your life
in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions.
Don't worry about missing out.
You'll find all your everyday human concerns
will be met.”
- The Message Bible
This guy in the left lane clearly didn’t get The Message.
Driving what automobile retailers call a “midlife crisis car,” this fella
was
crisscrossing and squeezing his white Jaguar through early morning traffic like
a chess piece into this spot and that. He seemed determined to win the commuting
battle by inches, with his zoom-break-zoom-break routine, and to stress out his
day even before it had begun. You could almost sense his blood pressure rising
as his taillights lit up.
The rest of us drivers were taking the backup in stride, and at least tolerating the slowdown that had been handed to us, safely and calmly. After watching the aggressive Mr. Lane Squeezer for a few minutes, I started worrying about him: What was making him so driven? Was he indeed late, or was this tension-filled dance part of his morning routine? Was he trying to reach a loved one in a hospital or something worse? I suspected that he probably lived his life just like this: Preoccupied with the getting, as Jesus put it in Matthew’s Gospel.
We all know people like my left lane friend. Do we admire their determination
and aggressive approach to life, or do we wish they would slow down and stop
trying to squeeze more stress and more clutter into their world? Our lives can
take very busy turns, and taking time to focus on God and the good things in
life take a back seat.
God does and will provide for us. And when we need to find peace in our day, we
can call to Him silently in prayer to help us slow down. When we’re in this
place, we finally can respond to God’s giving too. His love and care are so
abundant, and we feel silly when we see how selfish our striving and rushing can
be.
When Mr. Lane Squeezer finally hit his exit and zoomed off, the next turn brought a beautiful surprise that he’d missed. As traffic picked up pace, drivers were greeting with a glorious, rosy sunrise ahead in our commute. We were treated to a “God-reality“ moment, “God’s giving” dawn for our day.
Prayer for the Day: Dear Lord, help me to catch my breath and say thanks for all Your gifts, instead of squeezing more “getting” into my day. Amen.
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All are welcome to join and share in our Devotional Ministry on the "Frontlines" of the world. Frontline Devotions are sent via email daily. Sign up by clicking on the box to the left. Pastor Dave welcomes feedback. Contact him at pastordave@goodshepherdonline.org. |
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