Saving Everything

TITLE: Saving Everything
DATE: June 7, 2019
TEXT: Psalm 136 – ESV - Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Give thanks to the God of gods,  for his steadfast love endures forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords,  for his steadfast love endures forever;
Yesterday the local news carried the story of the estate sale of a lady who was a saver.
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Now they might have said the lady was a hoarder, but the collections and groupings of things she cherished, and there were many of them,  were organized and well kept. Her home was clean, albeit every room was considerably cluttered and over-stuffed. All of which explains why the news seemed amused when they shared that the sale was scheduled to run for three full days.   

The truth is, this lady is not unique. There are a lot of people who like to save.

• Some of us like to save money because it makes us feel secure.
• Others like to save food to be ready for nuclear war or the zombie apocalypse.
• Naturally there are those who save special items which stir their memories and take them back in time.

There are even a few people who would like to save everything. Which, of course is something you just  can’t do. You see, some things are unsavable.

What kind of things? Well, things like air. You can't save air. You can't save enough air in your lungs to last you for a week or two.  If you doubt me, try it. Take a deep breath and hold it for as long as you can. You might last a minute. Not many of us can manage three minutes. Somewhere before the five minute mark, all of us would be panting for breath. And air isn’t the only thing we can’t save. Food fits into that category. You can't eat enough food today to hold you for the next six months.

You can’t save everything. Some things need to be supplied regularly or you die.

Which may be the Lord’s way of reminding us that we need Him.

If we could eat enough food and breathe enough air and save enough money to hold ourselves for six months, we just might decide that we were totally independent of God. But we can’t do those things.

The fact of the matter is that just as a healthy person needs a continuous supply of air, and a regular supply of food, so a healthy soul needs continuing fellowship with God.

Thankfully, although good air is increasingly rare, there is an abundant supply of the Lord's love to go around. Today, I encourage you to breathe deeply of God's love.

You can't exhaust the supply. There is always more for you.

PRAYER: Father, thank you for reminding us that we need You for the food we eat, the air we breathe, the salvation we are given. Keep us from pride and a self-assured independency which says, “we don’t need You.” This is my prayer which is offered up in the Savior’s Name. Amen.

The music which introduces and concludes our devotions was written by Guy Baumann. He along with three of his brothers perform on the album: The Baumann Brothers which may be ordered here: http://thebaumannbrothers.com/index.html