Friday November 1
was it worth it?
In the movie Field of Dreams, miraculous things start to happen after Ray Kinsella builds a baseball field in the middle of his Iowa cornfield. One by one, major league baseball players from years past begin miraculously emerging from the surrounding cornstalks and begin to “play ball.”
Ray, who risked everything to build the field, eventually wondered if it was worth it. Frustrated, he finally told one of the players, “I did it all. I listened to the voices. I did what they told me, and not once did I ask, ‘What’s in it for me?’ ” The player asked, “What are you saying, Ray?” Kinsella replied, “I’m saying, what’s in it for me?”
In Psalm 73, Asaph asked a similar question. For years, Asaph had faithfully served as King David’s music director (1 Chronicles 16:4-7). He helped put music to the words of David’s psalms and even authored several psalms of his own. He was alive when God promised David that the Messiah would come through David’s family and reign forever. He likely witnessed David’s death, the rise of Solomon, and the building of the temple. As best as we can tell, he thought he was about to witness the golden era God had promised for Israel. But Solomon turned away from God. As a result, God split Israel into two kingdoms, and it was “all downhill from there.”
As with all of us, life didn’t turn out exactly as Asaph expected. He wondered if he had served all those years for nothing (Psalm 73:13). But when He entered God’s sanctuary, he realized that he possessed the greatest treasure of all—the very presence of God (vv.17-26).
Our greatest doubts can be resolved only as we draw near to God. —Jeff Olson
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Psalm 73:17-26
Did I keep my heart pure for nothing? Did I keep myself innocent for no reason? (v.13).
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Read 2 Timothy 4:7-8 to see what Paul says about how he had lived for Jesus and why it was worth it.
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What can we gain from serving and sacrificing for Jesus? How was God’s supreme sacrifice worth it from His perspective?
Beautiful Sacrifice - 4 Boyfriends Lay Down Their Lives For Their Girlfriends in the Movie Shooting from sharethemessage on GodTube.
