Camarillo, California from the Grimes Grade Thursday night, May 2nd.
Recently my hometown has been under siege. Unseasonable winds, record high temperatures, drought-level rainfall, and one spark from a cigarette butt or a backfiring engine have combined to burn 28,000 acres so far, and send flames racing across 43 square miles from a populated suburban hillside to the sands of the Pacific. Over a thousand firefighters, grimy and sweaty, have left their homes to camp on out in the open, working cycling shifts with short rest breaks, never going home, never getting really clean, never giving up.
Last night, as I came home over a nearby canyon road, just as I crested the hill I could look down over the darkened city. There was a deep orange glow over everything as the flames reflected up into the smoke clouds above. In clusters and groups all over the area, I could see dozens of trucks with lights going – evidence that though most people were safe in their homes, hundreds and thousands of men and women struggled on through the night.
What causes someone to give up safety and comfort to fight someone else’s fight? What causes these men and women to risk their own lives for the preservation of others’? I have to believe that it is because they realize that there is something bigger than themselves, something worth fighting for. They are people of action, and knowing they can do something to help, they just can’t NOT do it. God bless them every one. We are mighty grateful for them.
As Christians, do we take our call as seriously as these firefighters take theirs? I know I have not – to my shame. We are called to be the hands and feet and heart of Jesus in this desperate, dying world. Do I run towards the needy, or away from them? How much of my own comfort am I willing to sacrifice to bring a cup of cold water in Jesus’ name? How tirelessly, how fervently, how sacrificially am I willing to work to bring the good news of Jesus’ love and compassion to bear in the lives of my neighbors?
I’m reminded of Luke 10:29-37, “ But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Compassionate sentiments are fine, my Papa once said, but emotions that do not drive the wheels of action and kindness of a tangible character are purposeless. As I gaze out across the smoky sky today, and hear the thud-thud-thud of the helicopters flying into the smoke, I feel the call on my heart to be salt and light in this dark world. God help me be tireless, fervent, sacrificial in taking your love into this world. The cause is worth fighting for.
For His Glory!
Cara and Patti!
Classic Christianity, A Year of Timeless Devotions
Last night, as I came home over a nearby canyon road, just as I crested the hill I could look down over the darkened city. There was a deep orange glow over everything as the flames reflected up into the smoke clouds above. In clusters and groups all over the area, I could see dozens of trucks with lights going – evidence that though most people were safe in their homes, hundreds and thousands of men and women struggled on through the night.
What causes someone to give up safety and comfort to fight someone else’s fight? What causes these men and women to risk their own lives for the preservation of others’? I have to believe that it is because they realize that there is something bigger than themselves, something worth fighting for. They are people of action, and knowing they can do something to help, they just can’t NOT do it. God bless them every one. We are mighty grateful for them.
As Christians, do we take our call as seriously as these firefighters take theirs? I know I have not – to my shame. We are called to be the hands and feet and heart of Jesus in this desperate, dying world. Do I run towards the needy, or away from them? How much of my own comfort am I willing to sacrifice to bring a cup of cold water in Jesus’ name? How tirelessly, how fervently, how sacrificially am I willing to work to bring the good news of Jesus’ love and compassion to bear in the lives of my neighbors?
I’m reminded of Luke 10:29-37, “ But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Compassionate sentiments are fine, my Papa once said, but emotions that do not drive the wheels of action and kindness of a tangible character are purposeless. As I gaze out across the smoky sky today, and hear the thud-thud-thud of the helicopters flying into the smoke, I feel the call on my heart to be salt and light in this dark world. God help me be tireless, fervent, sacrificial in taking your love into this world. The cause is worth fighting for.
For His Glory!
Cara and Patti!
Classic Christianity, A Year of Timeless Devotions
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