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Values

by Jerry Ousley  
8/16/2008 / Christian Living

The story is told of a lady on the sinking Titanic. She had been chosen as a passenger on one of the few remaining lifeboats. But before climbing on she thought of something and asked if she would be allowed to return to her cabin to get it before leaving. The person in charge of the lifeboat told her that if she left she had to be back before the lifeboat was launched or she would forfeit her place on the craft.

She ran as best she could down the dangerously slanted deck of the sinking ship, through the casino where money had spilled in piles on the floor. She arrived to her cabin, dashed in and began digging through her belongings. She threw jewels and diamond studded necklaces on the floor looking for a specific item. Finally she found what she had been looking for three oranges. Putting them in her pockets she rushed back to the lifeboat and climbed aboard just as it was launching.

She realized that suddenly all the money, precious jewels and diamonds were worthless compared to the food she would need on that lifeboat until they were rescued. It's funny how our values change depending on what is needed the most. In our modern day of living we price things according to need. It's called supply and demand. While I strongly disagree with raising the price of something that is worth a certain amount just because a lot of people want it, still it happens every day. We're willing to pay more for something when we need it.

In the Ohio Valley region of the United States we get snow but not a lot of it compared to other areas in the country. When reports of a snow storm are coming people flock to the stores to buy the groceries and other necessities they need. You'd be surprised how valuable a snow shovel becomes when the threat of a big storm is predicted.

We have another prediction of a coming storm that looms in the horizon. It has been called many things such as the end of time, the Day of the Lord, and a host of other names. According to world events, if you are looking closely enough you can see the dark clouds way out in the distance. If you watch for a while you may even see the sky flashing with lightning. It's coming just as surely as I'm speaking to you today.

In light of this coming world-wide storm, what kind of preparations are you making? Are you getting ready for it? What has suddenly shifted value for you? Do you still go on with your daily activities of making money, fulfilling desires and pleasures, or are you filling your heart with the Word of God and seeking a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?

There are those who scoff at such an idea but it doesn't nullify it or make it any less true. That day is surely coming. I don't know if it will happen in a week, a month, a year or another century. Really know one knows that for sure. But it could begin tomorrow or even perhaps before the end of this day.

Regardless of when it begins we aren't promised another day on this planet. As strong as we think we are, we're really very fragile creatures. As we drive down the highways our lives depend on the nuts and bolts that hold our vehicles together; or on the cautious driving of another person. We operate machinery that could suddenly become faulty and fly apart. We suspend ourselves from cables that we have made trusting that they won't break apart and let us fall. Yet those things happen daily and someone abruptly leaves this world.

While I really don't like painting such a picture of gloom and doom and I hope you live a rich long and happy life, many of us won't. So where are our values? If we have placed ourselves into the hands of our loving Heavenly Father then when that day comes we can know that we are ready to be with Him. It is a choice we all have to make. What's your choice? What are your values?

Jerry D. Ousley is the author of ?Soul Challenge?, ?Soul Journey?, ?Ordeal?, ?The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel ?The Shoe Tree.? Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge.

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