ODB: treasure hunt
January 1, 2010
READ: Proverbs 2:1-9
If you seek [wisdom] as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord. —Proverbs 2:4-5
On January 1, 2008, Keith Severin and his 7-year-old son, Adrien, agreed that they would spend at least 15 minutes every day that year searching together for treasure. Carlos Alcalá’s article in the Sacramento Bee described how they went out each day in every kind of weather to see what they could find. A year later their collection of coins, golf balls, recyclable bottles and cans, and various other items had yielded more than $1,000. In the process, they enjoyed many hours of companionship and fun.
If we decided to spend 15 minutes a day searching for treasure in the Bible, what would we find? Solomon wrote: “If you seek [wisdom] as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. . . . Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path” (Prov. 2:4-5,9).
Growth won’t happen all at once. But gradually, day by day, we will be changed through reading God’s Word and obeying Him. And think of the privilege and pleasure of spending time with our heavenly Father.
It begins with a willing commitment, continues with exciting discoveries, and leads to the treasure of wisdom and life. — David C. McCasland
Rich treasures of God’s truth are waiting to be discovered.
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...ODJ: destruction from small places
A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire (v.5).
READ: James 3:1-12
In March of last year, an oil tanker from Hong Kong named the Pacific Adventurer ran headlong into a tropical storm. The results were disastrous. From a leak in the ailing vessel, almost 250 tons of oil oozed across a 37-mile stretch of Australia’s Sunshine Coast. What’s more, 31 containers of ammonium nitrate broke loose and punctured the ship’s hull. The BBC reported how “environmental experts fear [that] the nutrient-rich fertilizer could cause [damage to] algal blooms, suffocate fish, and kill natural habitats.” What a wide swath of mayhem from one ship being tossed in a tempest!
Scripture often warns of the vast destruction that comes from small and overlooked places. We might think that ruin comes only from the sins that get the most attention: adultery, murder, injustice. For most of us, however, the temptations that undo us will emerge from more subtle corners. As James says, “We all make many mistakes” (3:2).
The writer goes on to state that a small bit in a horse’s mouth will make it “go wherever we want”; and mammoth ships are turned by “a small rudder” (vv.3-4). Nearer to James’ concern was the tongue, that small (usually hidden out of sight) piece of flesh that has the capacity to do great good or great harm. The tongue “praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God” (v.9).
Wise pastors and Bible teachers have taught us that blatant, abhorrent sins rarely arrive all at once out of nowhere. Usually, sins take root after we’ve given ourselves over to long patterns of disobedience as we harbor a heart chilled to God’s voice. Supposed “small” sins do destroy us and others. As we start this new year, let’s make sure we don’t miss the little things that can bring us down.
—Winn Collier
What small sins have you allowed to go unchecked? How might these “small” sins lead to destruction? What small sins have you allowed to go unchecked? How might these small sins lead to destruction?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...
Latest Comments