Blessed Life
A fan and a windmill -- two similar objects, similar shapes, similar parts, similar assembly. What sets them apart is the way they function.
A fan spins to produce air, while a windmill spins as a result of air blowing.
Some individuals act like fans. They produce a power and energy that brings coolness and refreshment to others. It might be in the form of uplifting words, advice, and comfort, or actions and attention directed towards those in great need. They have the heart to move and take action, influencing the people around them. Those whose lives are tapped into the love and power of God can, in turn, be a great blessing to others.
Others are like windmills.These people always wait for a push from others before moving or taking action. There is no initiative or desire to move on their own. Such people are individuals who "lack a heart" to serve. They do things out of obligation, not because of an internal drive or calling. They are "unplugged" from the source of power.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5, NIV).
Sometimes Life Is Just This Random
Sometimes life is just so random. Take for example the “accidental” good fortune ($10 million worth!) of LaQuedra Edwards of SoCal, whose random collision with a stranger resulted in the haul of a lifetime.
As UPI reports:
Edwards had just put $40 into a lottery ticket vending machine at a supermarket in Los Angeles when "some rude person" bumped into her, causing her to accidentally push the wrong number on the machine.
"He just bumped into me, didn't say a thing and just walked out the door," Edwards said.
Edwards was quire resentful at first, because she had just put nearly all her cash into the machine, and was now committed to a lotto ticket that was not of her choosing.
She usually purchases cheaper tickets, but the accidental button push meant she'd bought a $30 200X Scratchers ticket.
Her annoyance and frustration was quickly turned to exuberant disbelief as she began scratching the ticket, only to find that she just won the $10 million jackpot!
Edwards said. "I pulled over, looked at it again and again, scanned it with my (California Lottery mobile) app, and I just kept thinking this can't be right."
The fact that such a thing could happen to one means that it could just as easily happen to anyone. God's love is indiscriminate and the random nature of life is meant to drive that point home.
Today it may rain on my field but tomorrow it may rain on yours. Either way, the message is the same. God loves us all indiscriminately.
"He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Mattew 5:45b, NIV).
The Lifetime Pass That Was Never Used
The Toronto Ward Museum tells us the story of a nineteenth-century man named Isapo Muxika. He is more commonly known as Crowfoot. He was the chief of the Siksika Indian tribe. He was known for his peaceful relations with Canada during a time of great violence.
When the Canadian Pacific Railroad was being built and they needed to build part of it on his land, the Canadian government approached Crowfoot with an offer. They said, “If you will give us the land we need for the railroad, you can ride it whenever and wherever you want.”
So they made a deal. They finished the Canadian Pacific Railroad and Crowfoot received a lifetime pass. It was put in a beautiful case. Crowfoot is said to have carried that case around his neck for the rest of his life. It entitled him to go wherever he wanted where the railroad could take him.
There was just one problem. As far as we know, Crowfoot never stepped foot on that train. He had the right to travel anywhere he wanted, but he never availed himself of that right.
There are a lot of Christians like Crowfoot; they possess God’s promises; they quote them; they frame them; they hang them on their walls; they even post them on social media, but they never actually make use of them.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon once said, “God never gives us a promise he does not intend for us to use.” So what should you and I do? Read them, get to know them, and then apply those promises which speak to your current condition, whatever that condition might be.
"Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord" (Proverbs 16:20).
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock" (Matthew 7:24).