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Wednesday, March 6, 2024 Give Yourself Away Scripture: Psalms 90:17 (NIV) – “May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us – yes, establish the work of our hands.” Message: The dilemma of our lives – we're tainted by sin, we're in danger of living and dying without making a noticeable impact, our lives are potentially meaningless – is resolved when our lives join God's life. That's why Moses asked God to establish the work of our hands. Jesus mirrored His Father in the best way – through service, and by giving Himself away. He did this constantly, and was exalted above every name. Two effective characteristics we can have, in living a life in which we give ourselves away, are courage and confidence. Both are evident in this story: A skinny guy carrying a big axe showed up at a Canadian lumber camp to answer an advertisement for a lumberjack. The boss looked at the man, said he didn't think he could handle the job, and told him to leave. “Just give me a chance to show you what I can do,” the little guy pleaded. “OK,” said the boss. “See that giant redwood over there? Go cut it down.” In five minutes, the man was back at the boss's desk. “OK, I cut your tree down,” he said. The boss looked out to where the big redwood had stood for generations, and couldn't believe his eyes. “Where did you get the ability to chop down trees like that?” he asked. “In the Sahara Forest,” the man said. “You mean the Sahara Desert,” the boss said. “Oh, sure,” said the little guy. “That's what they call it now.” We need more confidence like that as Christians – confidence, and the courage to persist and be faithful to a just cause. Sometimes our lives don't seem to have much meaning. But despair and desperation will give way to perspective when we reflect God by giving ourselves away. We can do this because Jesus did it. He served us, and He gave His life for us. Because He did, we can live our lives in His image, lives filled with love and genuine meaning. Through Jesus Christ, we can give ourselves away. Prayer: Father God, we offer our lives to You. Make us worthy of living them. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen. Charlie Row |
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