Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Friday, January 2, 2015

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."¹

You may have read about the teenage boy who lost a contact lens while playing basketball in his driveway. After a fruitless search, he told his mother the lens was nowhere to be found. Undaunted, she went outside and in a few minutes returned with the eyepiece in her hand.

"How did you manage to find it, Mom?" the teenager asked.

"We weren't looking for the same thing," she replied. "You were looking for a small piece of plastic. I was looking for $150."²

What we look for and see in life is largely determined by our values. More often than not when kids inherit a small fortune which cost them nothing and for which they did nothing to earn it, they pretty much blow it within two years. Also, if suffering people don't have any value to us, we will largely ignore them and not do anything to help them. Furthermore, if I don't see people the way God sees themâ€"lost sinners in need of a Savior and of such infinite value to God that He gave His Son, Jesus, to come to earth and die on a cruel Roman cross to pay the penalty for all theirs and our sinsâ€"I won't do anything to seek to influence them for Jesus nor do anything to help win them to Him.

What we value is what we seek after and find.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to set priorities for what I value most in life and give of my best to seek, find, and fulfill what these values implyâ€"and help me to ensure that these values are in direct harmony with Your eternal values. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Colossians 3:1-2 (NIV).
2. Alan Smith, TFTD (Thought for the Day)
    http://www.tftd-online.com

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