by Kelly Moran
for 4 October 1995
Sometime in 1993, I added the "LifeWire." This is essentially the same text, delivered by e-mail rather than fax. The "LifeWire" quickly became international, and is now sent weekly to 56 e-mail addresses.
This week, check out the new LifeWire World Wide Web page. It contains the text of the current LifeWire as well as back issues for the past couple months. When Prodigy allows it, I'll have some graphics there. Set your browser to http://pages.prodigy.com/IL/lifewire.
One more item: Surely you know someone who shares your interest in the Christian life, and would like to be on this list. Send them this page and they may subscribe. (Subscription is already free, or I would offer you a "finder's fee.")
On to the news:
A fire broke out in a two-story townhouse in the small town of Seat Pleasant, Maryland. Some food cooking on the stove burned and the fire spread.
The firefighters arrived. Some were paid and some were volunteers from the county fire department. As the hoses were unraveled from the truck, someone grabbed a hose to run it inside the building.
That's really when the trouble started. Another firefighter thought that they should be the first one in the building. Then, someone else wanted to go in. In the shadow of a burning building, a fight broke out.
Get this: County police actually had to separate the fighting firefighters. The brawl involved two paid firefighters and six volunteers, all of whom were eventually suspended.
Luckily, the house was not damaged and the fire was extinguished within 20 minutes.
Isn't it amazing how people can be distracted from the important things? It's amazing to me that people can fight in the shadow of a burning building, especially when these are the very people charged with extinguishing the fire. How easily we forget our priorities.
But what kind of priorities do we use in our Spiritual life? Isn't it every bit as important (and eternally, much more important) that we prioritize Spiritual matters?
What things do you consider vitally important to your Spiritual life? Prayer? Scripture? Christian relationships?
Joshua once confronted the followers of God with this challenge: "But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul." (Joshua 22:5)
Here are the things that are important: Your love for God, your obedience, and your service. A lot of other things can distract you from this, but this is really what matters.
So, why do we fight in the shadow of the burning building? We are charged with nurturing a personal relationship with God. This is the most important item on our to-do list! And yet, it is all-to-often relegated to the bottom of the list.
Instead of trying to demonstrate our own love for God, we spend way too much time judging others. We are firefighters, charged with the responsibility of putting out the fires in our own soul, but we lose sight of the important matters.
Here's the thing: Do you have your to-do list on your desk today? Mark it with a little cross to show what's most important in your life.
Then live it today!
God, You are Supreme... and Sufficient!
Published weekly for 4 years.
This text is available at no cost by E-mail, (send request or comments to LifeWire@ripco.com), and by FAX: (708) 358-8171.
Check the index of recent back issues.
All Scripture references are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version (unless otherwise noted).
Copyright 1995 by Kelly Moran.