VERB, ADVERB, PROVERB
1Corinthians 2:16
“…But we have the mind of Christ.”
1Corinthians 2:16
“…But we have the mind of Christ.”
Liam felt bad about starting the paper ball war when Mr. Graham returned to his 6th grade classroom. He gulped hard after watching Mr. Graham toss the stack of papers into the trashcan. He remembered the thrill of tossing his ball onto Wendy’s desk, thinking, Teacher’s gone, time to play before he returns; surely we can complete our papers by then. (See Heaven’s Account devotion.)
Liam’s desire inspired a thought, which quickly morphed into a decision—made in the time that it took him to wad up a single piece of paper into a ball. Tossing it was the sin of disobedience. All the other students caught that desire for fun out of thin air. Their restriction, Mr. Graham, was away—no problem, what’s the harm? Mr. Graham heard their boisterous play in the principal’s office at the other end of the hallway. Before shutting the classroom door, didn’t he instruct the students to quietly finish their papers?
Most times, we don’t see the entire picture so fast. But desires form thoughts, that congeal very quickly into decisions when pursuing pleasure. Before we know it, we’ve sinned—departing from what we’ve been taught.
Desire. Decision. Disobedience.
Liam knew what he had to do. His hand shot straight up.
“What is it, Liam?” Mr. Graham sighed, shaking his head.
“uh, um, I am sorry, Mr. Graham” Liam admitted. “It was my fault. I figured that we could get our papers done and have a little fun while you were out.”
Liam certainly didn’t recognize that his admission came from Christ. But he knew immediately that he’d done the right thing. Dull routine often sparks activity. But human activity can also be a form of worship. That truth can guide everything we do.
The Puritans have a saying: “God loveth; and careth (Verbs) not how good, but how well.” (Adverb). Pleasing God isn’t just worshipping in His house, but spills out into the ordinary things we do every day.
Liam admitted his fault honestly. God was well-pleased.
admitted=verb. honestly= adverb. Well-pleased illustrates the proverb.
admitted=verb. honestly= adverb. Well-pleased illustrates the proverb.
Take Home Nugget
Mr. Graham froze, looking into Liam’s eyes. Then he looked at his students, and swallowed. His decision made, he retrieved the stack of papers from the trashcan. “Well…I appreciate your ‘fessing up', Liam. Does anyone want to go on a field trip to a museum, breaking up the winter doldrums?”
The world prizes success, but God prizes faithfulness.
J.D. Griffith
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