Thought of the Day:
Some of you now that I used to send out a daily devotion titled, “Thought of the Day” when we lived in the states. This morning I spent time in my devotion reading Jeremiah 12 and also from H. Norman Wright’s Book: The Perfect Catch. I want to share with you today a verse from Jeremiah and a story from Norman. Thanks for being an encouragement to our family. I pray that this devotion encourages and challenges you, as it did me.
Jeremiah 12:5 (HCSB) If you have raced with runners and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses?
1 Corinthians 15:58 (RSV) Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord you labor is not in vain.
Matthew 10:38 Anyone who does not take his cross and follow me in not worthy of me.
The Story!
There is a story of two hunters who, while walking through the woods looking for deer, stumbled across an old farmyard. At first glance the two thought it was deserted. There were old car parts and tractor parts pieces lying about. The barn was in great disrepair, the fences needed mending, and the house was a little more than a shack. The only evidence that it was still a working farm were the few chickens and a goat wandering about nearby. As they continued to walking they came to a well near the middle of the property. Looking down the old well they noticed that they couldn’t see the bottom and this started a conversation about just how deep that old well might be.
“I reckon there’s only one way to find out how deep this well is,” said one hunter. “We’ll throw something down it, and then we’ll listen for the splash.”
“Good idea,” replied the other, “What shall we send down the shaft?”
They looked around them, and the closest thing they saw was an old transmission lying on the ground nearby. Both men lifted the transmission over the edge of the well, dropped it, and listened. Although it was only a matter of seconds, it seemed like a long time to the men until they heard the “sploosh” of the transmission hitting the water below.
“That certainly is a deep one, “commented one of the hunters. “Sure is,” replied the other.
As they turned to leave, the men were suddenly confronted with the goat they had seen earlier. The goat was charging right at them! Its head was down and it was running so fast that its feet barely touched the ground. At the last possible moment both men jumped aside and the goat charged right past them, bleating loudly, and fell straight down the well.
The men stared at each other, then at the well, then at each other again. They had never seen anything like that before in their lives. They walked away from the well, shaking their heads in amazement at what they had just witnessed. They hadn’t gone very far when they were approached by the farmer who owned the property. They chatted for a time, and the farmer gave them permission to hunt on his property. As they were about to leave the farmer asked, “By the way, have either of you fellows seen my goat?”
“Have we seen your goat?! Your fool goat tried to kill us. He charged at us and we barely had time to jump aside before he hit us. Luckily he missed—but he was going so fast that he ran right into the old well. That was a crazy old goat. You should have tied him up.”
The farmer scratched his head and looked around him. “I thought I did have him tied up. In fact, I’m sure I had him tied up. I tied him to an old transmission.”
The moral of the story is a simple, yet profound one: You will follow what you’re tied to!
Well, what are you tied to? Think about it, and remember who called us to follow Him. Several times Jesus said to others, “Follow me.”
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If any one wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24 NASB)
It’s a good thing to be tied to Jesus.
Be careful on who are what you run with……….you just might become tied to it!
Thanks for holding the rope!
