Justin Tucker, LHBC Worship Pastor
1 Corinthians 10:31-33
So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Don’t give offense to Jews or Gentiles or the church of God. I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved.
Wilson Bentley was a rather odd fellow. At a young age he developed a fascination with snowflakes. Living in Vermont, he got to see quite a bit more snow than we do in Tennessee. Most people want to grab a cup of hot chocolate and stay in pajamas and look through the windows at snow from the warmth and comfort of their homes, not Wilson Bentley. When the snow would begin to fall Wilson would run outside, catch the snowflakes on black velvet, look at them under a microscope, and then photograph them before they melted. His first photomicrograph of a snowflake was taken on January 15, 1885. This is what Wilson said about the snowflakes that he took pictures of, “Under the microscope, I found that snowflakes were miracles of beauty; and it seemed a shame that this beauty should not be seen and appreciated by others. Every crystal was a masterpiece of design and no one design was ever repeated. When a snowflake melted, that design was forever lost. Just that much beauty was gone, without leaving any record behind.”
This quote reminded me that God created all of humanity and called us His masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10) and that we all have an expiration date. In Paul’s letters to the New Testament churches he urges us to live on mission. He encourages us to live lives for the spread and advancement of the Gospel. To devote ourselves to the mission of sharing the life-altering truth of Jesus to people that will one day die “without leaving any record behind.” Paul doesn’t just teach us how to live though, he teaches us how to die. He teaches us to die with the God-ordained passion of reaching our fellow man for Christ. Ultimately, Paul dies a martyr’s death in Rome for his faith.
Passionate people will always pursue what they are passionate about until the end. Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley died on December 23,1931 from pneumonia after walking six miles through a severe snowstorm. He was the first known photographer of snowflakes. After 50 years of taking pictures he had amassed a collection of 5,381 of photographs that were published into a book called Snow Crystals.
If you’re not pursuing a God-ordained passion today, I want to encourage you to do so. Live a life that impacts others and that impacts the Kingdom of Heaven. Life is too precious to settle for anything less.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Father, stir in me a passion that impacts the world for You. Put me into situations and places that I can share the life-altering message of Jesus. Holy Spirit, give me discernment and manifest Yourself in me and equip me to share with others the Good News of Jesus. Stir a love in me that can only come from You that I can give to others. Jesus, thank you for saving me through your death, burial, and resurrection. It is in Your name I pray, amen.
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
Psalm 118:1
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!