Devotional - June 26, 2004

It's been said that everything is good when it leaves the Creator's hands; everything degenerates in the hands of man. (1) While some might argue that conclusion is too general and negative, I'm afraid history has revealed the fact to be irrefutable.

In his Psalm, David goes on to say that man is like a breath and his days like a fleeting shadow. There's no doubt the number of a our days on earth are but a speck in God's eyes. Some men struggle with their mortality, moving from disaster to disaster, but others accept their brief existence as an opportunity to do something of value that will glorify God and remain long after they die.

In the Old Testament we read of many whose legacy is one of little redeeming value. But then there are a few men and women who made a difference in the world around them.

Have you considered that God gives every one of us certain things at birth, by which we can either cultivate or exterminate on our way to growing old? When we recall the processional of kings over God's people in the Bible, it's clear that the majority of them were a disappointment to God and bad news for God's people. Ahaziah is a good example of a bad king.

Twenty-two when he took office from his father, Ahaziah reigned for one year but was rotten to the core like those God removed from the throne before him. The legacy of his life can be summed up in a few words used over and over in the Old Testament, "he did evil in the eyes of the Lord." (2Ki 8:27)

What are you that God is mindful of you, Christian friend? Are you using the time afforded you to make a difference for God and His people, or wasting your life away by spending your time moving from disaster to disaster and blaming your troubles on God?

How has God's work prospered as a result of having lived here on earth? I hope you'll consider the amount of time and resources God has vested in your life and understand there is an end to His patience. If you're going to make a difference, today might be the last opportunity you have to do it.

1. Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-78) French philosopher. Attrib
2. Developed from Read the Bible Thru ( 2 Ki. 9:15b-10:31 Ac. 17:1-34 Ps. 144:1-15 Pr. 17:27-28 )
3. Scripture comes from the Holy Bible, New International Version; (c)1978 by New York International Bible Society