Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
"The Windfall of Persistence"
Jun. 21, 2018
(Jesus said) "Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many."
~ Matthew 20:28 (ESV)
Some people are incredibly good-looking, and other people are less so.
No matter how you look, a guilty conscience can spoil the view when you look into the mirror. That is not just my opinion, it is also shared by Andy Patel.
Here's his story: last March a long-term customer came into the gas station in Salina, Kansas, where Patel works. The man asked Patel to check three lottery tickets he had brought with him. Patel checked the first two, but not the third.
Something happened, the customer left, and the third ticket was forgotten. Only later did Patel remember to check the ticket. His scan showed it was worth $1 million.
So, Patel has a big-dollar ticket, but he has no one to give it to. He said, "They didn't know they had the winning ticket, so they never would have known if I hadn't found them. But then you'd have to live through the guilt of that all your life."
Patel checked with his boss, and they decided to track down the owner. But where to begin?
Eventually, they thought they had discovered the man's neighborhood, but they had no idea which house was his. They drove around hoping to identify his car. Once again, it was a dead end. But then the searchers got lucky; they spotted the man's vehicle leaving the neighborhood.
They followed him, flagged him down, and told the man the good news.
And for their trouble, Patel and his boss received $1,200 from a local firm, which awards cash for folks with "helping hands."
Now my question to you is this: how far would you go to do the right thing? Would you, like Patel and his boss, try to seek out the lottery ticket's owner? Would you invest your own time driving through neighborhoods, trying to spot his car? How many hours would you invest before you threw up your hands and said, "Well, I've tried. I can't do anymore."
There are times when I wonder if Jesus ever felt that way about His mission and ministry here on earth.
* Did he want to say, "I've tried; I can't do anymore," when His hometown comrades rejected Him and tried to kill Him?
* Did He want to say, "I've had enough" when nine of the lepers didn't bother to come back and thank Him?
* Did He want to throw in the towel when His disciples deserted Him, betrayed Him, and denied ever knowing Him?
You know the answers to those questions. The Savior continued, doing everything that was necessary, so we might be rescued and redeemed. It was an incredibly thankless task, but it is one He accepted so that we might hear the Good News of forgiveness.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I give thanks for Your Son who gave His life so that our lives might be changed. For the times we are unappreciative or take His sacrifice for granted, we are heartily sorry. Grant that we may do our best to share the Good News which has been given to us at such a high cost. In the Savior's Name, I pray. Amen.
The above devotion was inspired by a number of sources, including one written by Lindsay Kimble for People Magazine on June 8, 2018. Those who wish to reference that article may do so at the following link, which was fully functional at the time this devotion was written: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/good-news/man-finds-dollar1-million-winning-lottery-ticket---and-tracks-down-the-lucky-owner-it-felt-good/ar-AAymdv7?ocid=se
Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
Some people are incredibly good-looking, and other people are less so.
No comments:
Post a Comment