The Right Prize

Wednesday, ‎March 1, ‎2023

Good morning, Lord

Verse of the Day: You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe....—1 Thessalonians 2:10

Memory of the Month: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Today's reading: NUMBERS 20-22 MARK 7:1-13

The Right Prize...

I had a small dappled-gray saddle horse my Dad got for me to ride around town my 7th grade year. He was a stout little pony and very quick. At the old Jones barn was a buck-out(bare back and bull riding and 'bull-doggin'-Steer wrestling) every Sunday afternoon. So all of us local riders would ride down and watch-mostly the girls-and show off as much as we could.

The big pasture bordered the deep rock creek and, unknown to me, deep ravines that had been filled in with junk-mostly, old car battery boxes-old batteries broken by junkers to rob the lead and sell. Then the hundreds of old boxes were hauled off to any convenient spot-the landfills of the time.

I caught some cute girl looking at me and took off in a dead run beside the creek to impress her. The horse saw jagged edges sticking up and 'shied' off to the right-about 30 degrees and immediate-inertia carried me in a straight line off the horse into the old dump full of broken, car battery boxes.(It took much longer for my pride to heal than the multiple injuries). I thought, "Dumb animal"-but, then I was the one shamed and injured-not the horse.

Balam's donkey, Numbers 22:21-33, saw something that Balam could not. Balam was not looking with the right mind. The donkey saw the angry angel of the Lord standing in the way and 'shied' away twice and then laid down on the ground and each time Balam thought, "Dumb animal' and beat the donkey. Finally, God gave the donkey a voice and it spoke-not so dumb after all.

Sometimes, we have to have our eyes opened because we are too focused on the wrong thing-to see the really important.

The only focus that will give us real sight is focusing on the Lord. The rest is just small stuff.

I have wound up in the dump many times since that fall off the horse and every time, I was looking at the wrong prize. Thank you Lord for grace...

...because He loves us...

Father in Heaven,

Train my focus as I take every thought captive as I follow You. I want to see what You want me to see for Your glory and not my own.

Merciful God!

In Jesus' name,

Amen