Day 1535

Thrive!

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, May 30.

The familiar historical account of the Donner Party has struck fear into the hearts of American history students for generations. In the winter of 1846-47, a caravan of Midwestern migrants became stranded in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, where, in their fear and desperation, they resorted to the heinous act of cannibalism to survive. What are we to think when decent people turn to desperate measures?

Lamentations 4:9-10 capture the painful reality of the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem, “Better are those slain with the sword than those slain with hunger; for they pine away, being stricken for lack of the fruits of the field. The hands of compassionate women boiled their own children; they became food for them because of the destruction of the daughter of my people.” Such historical accounts are not for the faint of heart, but they serve as reminders of what people can do. Are you aware of your own depths of depravity?

Take time to contemplate your innate survival instinct: What are you capable of doing in the name of survival? When people scoff at the idea that they could do such a heinous act themselves, and start talking about how civilized we have become, I not so subtlety suggest that there has been no progress made in the human condition. We are still self-centered sinners in need of a Savior! Remove a community’s clean water source and within a few days, hours even, you will see how much progress has been made. None! Whether it’s the horrors of Lamentations 4, or that of the Donner Party, we must learn from Jesus’ example at the Cross, until we have faced our own death, we cannot live wholeheartedly in this life (Romans 8:35-39).

Seize the moment and seek to do more than survive your circumstances, thrive! It’s two competing mindsets, so choose today whom you will serve – God or your own life!

If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.