Monday, January 27, 2020

The Greatest Rescue Story


“The Greatest Rescue Story”
Psalm 13:5-6 NLT
But I trust in your unfailing love.  I will rejoice because you have rescued me.  I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me.

We all enjoy hearing stories of people who are rescued from different situations.  Whether it’s stories we hear from people directly, read about online or see on the news, we like to listen to stories of people who went from a bad situation to being rescued and their lives being saved.

When I was a kid, I remember watching “Rescue 911” on TV and I really enjoyed the stories of the extreme situations people were involved in and how they were helped.  We are often so drawn to stories of people being rescued, no matter what the situation involves.  Often times these stories involve much drama and pull our emotional heart strings to leave us teary-eyed or with tears streaming down our faces. 

Through the years, I have found myself drawn to stories of people being rescued and the extremity of those situations.  Some of them leave us with a gasp as we listen or watch the story unfold.  It can really take our breath away as we enjoy hearing the great end to a rescue story. 

As much as we enjoy hearing stories of great rescues, let us never forget the greatest rescue story as Jesus came to save our lives.  Do we hold tightly to this truth and cherish it in our lives more than anything?  He rescued us from a life of doom.  He gave His life in order to rescue us from the sin of our lives.  What an amazing rescue story! 

Do we rejoice each day for all that He has done for us?  Sometimes I think we tend to become more amazed at the stories we hear about earthly rescues than of the greatest rescue of Jesus.  Why do we allow ourselves to become so drawn to the other stories and so less drawn to His rescue story?

I know that I so often let myself become drawn in more to those stories and I take for granted His rescue in my life.  It can become so “commonplace” and I don’t want that to happen.  I’m sure it happens to many of us.  We become so used to this story and we tend to get drawn in to the other stories we hear more.  This is not to downgrade the severity or the triumph of these stories we hear.  They are wonderful to hear about.  But how much are we thankful of the rescue Jesus made in our lives?

The greatest rescue story is what Jesus did for us!  No other rescue story even comes close!

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Lord, Teach Us The Brevity Of Life


“Lord, Teach Us The Brevity Of Life”
Psalm 90:12 NLT
Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.

I think we would all completely agree that we want to grow in wisdom each and every day.  I think it would be safe to say that we also agree that we should realize more that our time here on earth is not guaranteed from day to day.  However, the way we live our lives often shows that we just expect each day to come like it always does. 

As this new year begins, I think about this passage and how I need for God to make me realize the precious moments of life and to understand that each day is a gift and that I’m not promised tomorrow.  I need to make the most of each day and not waste the moments God gives me. 

Lord, teach me to realize the importance of the moments with my spouse.

Lord, teach me to realize the importance of the times I have with my kids.

Lord, teach me to realize the importance of the opportunities I have with my co-workers.

Lord, teach me to realize the importance of the moments with my friends.

Lord, teach me to realize the importance of unexpected moments of witnessing to people I don’t know.

Lord, teach me to realize that life is not about me and I need to focus on blessing others.

Lord, teach me to realize that each day is a gift from you and I need to do my best to make the most of the time I have.


As this new year continues, I encourage all of us to make the most of the opportunities each day that God gives us.  It is easy to get busy with our schedules and forget about the fact that we are not promised tomorrow.  God has given us today and He wants us to grow in wisdom as we learn to take advantage of the moments He gives us to bless others. 

I know that I definitely need to realize the brevity of life!  I get so focused on my own agenda often and forget that I need to stop and make the most of the moments God gives me with other people. 

Lord, teach us the brevity of life.