Fly the Kite…Anchor the string!
(This week’s devotions are based on Sunday’s message: Win the Day…Fly the Kite – LISTEN HERE)
Imagine the feeling that Homan Walsh had at age 16 when his kite spanned the river gorge and an individual on the other side of the river was able to catch his kite and secure the string to a tree. Mission accomplished! What maybe seemed like a simple contest and simple task was not your usual kite flying outing.
Did he think he could do it? I would guess so or a) he wouldn’t have entered the competition and b) he would have given up after the first failure.
Believing you can do something is important.
I was listening to a reel by Tom Brady indicating his path to NFL stardom was not a constant success. He was a back up quarterback on a 0-8 high school team. He was a late recruit to college and drafted in the 6th round of the NFL draft with skepticism if he would even make the team.
He indicated that in order to be a quarterback you have to believe in yourself. You don’t want to step into a huddle and exude a lack of confidence. You need the other 10 players to believe, “You can get the job done.”
This is true in life and can be left to just the secular component. However, as God’s people we have an even greater reason to have confidence…not just in ourselves…but in God who raised Jesus from the dead.
We truly can expect the incredible to happen.
We may not always know what it will be or how it will show up, but as we are connected to the God of all power, our confidence and expectations can be great. Mark Batterson wrote in his book Win the Day, “God wants do things in you that are beyond your ability, beyond your resources, beyond your imagination.”
Do we limit God? Do we keep God’s ability in the realm of our abilities and awareness? I have to admit that I too often do.
So what’s the cure? How do we keep a perspective that God can do incredible things beyond our own ability?
I don’t know if Homan Walsh had a vision for what his kite string would start, but in order for the contest to be won, his string had to be secured on both sides to a tree. Later solid anchors would hold the cable that would become the suspension bridge across the gorge. We may think the string or the bridge is the incredible thing, but rather what makes that string significant is what it is anchored to.
So in our lives, what our confidence and hope is anchored to is so important. The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 3:14-22: For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
We cannot grasp the fullness of God’s power until we appreciate the fullness of his love. For his power is exhibited best in his acts of love on our behalf. The power of God created the world in which we live. The power of God orchestrated history to carry out his plan. The power of God brought Jesus into the world to live. The power of God held Jesus to the cross. The power of God brought Jesus out of the tomb alive. And why did he do all this and more? Because he LOVES you!
The width, length, height and depth of God’s love is hard to grasp, but we get glimpses of it as he acts in power to secure our eternity with him in heaven.
If this is where our hearts are anchored and we marvel at his incredible love, we can more expect the incredible work of God to show itself!
Apply: What will help today to anchor your day in the love of Christ? List five things that you know and experience as God’s love for you today?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for showing the greatness of your power by showing how much you love me. AMEN.
Fly the Kite…Be Faithful in the little things!
(This week’s devotions are based on Sunday’s message: Win the Day…Fly the Kite – LISTEN HERE)
Other than the kite flying contest in 1848, we don’t know much about Homan Walsh other than he moved to Nebraska and died in 1899.
Once in a while opportunity comes that provide a opportunity for notoriety and fame. The proverbial “15 minutes of fame” can come to us and then its significance fades into oblivion. Fame and notoriety might be fun for the moment and linger for a while, but life is not so much about the moments of fame, but the faithfulness in the moments of each day.
In two parts of the new testament, Jesus teaches about faithfulness and trustworthiness in the little things of life. In Luke 19:10 Jesus teaches, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?
Mark Batterson, author of the book Win the Day, writes: “How you do anything is how you will do everything.”
True isn’t it? How we handle the little things of life will determine how we handle the big things of life. If we are dishonest in little things, it will be easier to be dishonest in the big things. If we are trustworthy in the little things, it will be easier to be trusted in the larger things.
Jesus used the parable of the bags of gold (parable of the talents) to encourage the same.
Matthew 25:19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’
21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
The servants were given bags based on their ability. They had a track record with the master and he entrusted to them with what he understood their level of trustworthiness to be. The ones with five and two bags did not disappoint. As they had done in the past, they put the masters’ money to work…even when the master wasn’t looking, even when the master was gone, they handled his money in a trustworthy way.
The result? They were rewarded with more trust.
Faithfulness in the little builds trust.
It’s why the servant who received one bag of gold and buried it was harshly reprimanded. He continued his track record of unfaithfulness. He hid the bag instead of putting it to work.
I don’t know if you will have 15 minutes of fame today, but I know the Lord will give you opportunities to be faithful in the little things…and how you do the little things will build trust in your ability to handle the bigger things.
Apply: What does faithfulness in the little things look like for you today?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for trusting me with what I have. Help me to be faithful and trustworthy with what you have given to me so that there might be a return for your glory and your kingdom. AMEN.
Fly the Kite…Win the Prize!
(This week’s devotions are based on Sunday’s message: Win the Day…Fly the Kite – LISTEN HERE)
What’s the prize?
The motivation for Homan Walsh was to win the $10 prize with his kite. The money didn’t come easily, as he had to retrieve his kite after the string broke and navigate back and forth across the river in the dead of winter (See yesterday’s devotion).
But he didn’t give up. While no one else was watching he was focused on accomplishing the challenge to get his kite across the river.
Are you one that sticks with a task or easily gives up?
Even in today’s money, the prize for getting the kite across the Niagara River was not that much. $10 in 1848 would be about $400 in today’s money. Would you have braved the cold, navigated the river twice, fixed a broken kite and obtained another length of string?
I would hardly seem worth giving up a week of school or a week of work for that reward.
But Homan didn’t give up. He was determined to fly the kite.
Sometimes we can evaluate what we are doing at work, at school, in the home, etc. and determine that what we are doing doesn’t matter. Homan didn’t get recognition from the other kite fliers. No one was necessarily cheering him on. He went about the contest with the resolve to win the prize.
Every day we get to fly the kite, but the question is, what is the prize you are working for?
Sometimes we make the prize the affirmation of our boss. We do a good job at work and work hard as long as someone acknowledges and praises us for our work. Sometimes our motivation is the financial gain. If a bonus is offered, we work hard. If not, our work slips to the minimum required to not get fired. Sometimes our motivation is the athletic win. We practice and play hard when we believe we can win, but if the win seems elusive, our effort dwindles with it. Sometimes our motivation is a hug and affection from the ones we love. Our effort around the house is stellar until no one affirms or acknowledges it.
To be sure, encouragement and appreciation for jobs well done are important, but consider this as a deep down, always constant motivation for what you do today and every day.
Colossians 3:22 22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
It would have been easy as a slave to be resentful of their position in society and the work load that was demanded of them. It would have been easy to be motivated by the approval of the master and unmotivated when the master was gone. The Apostle Paul reframes it not just for the slaves of the first century, but for every Christian. You are working for the Lord…not men. Your prize is not the affirmation of men, it is the inheritance promised from the Lord.
People may never notice. A bonus may never come. You may never get the championship trophy. But you will win prize.
Because each day you are engaging in life for one purpose: to serve the Lord Christ.
Apply: What is on your agenda for today? What changes about your engagement and enthusiasm for that task when you see it as an opportunity to serve the Lord?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for not only giving us life to live, but noticing and in your grace rewarding a life lived for you AMEN.
Fly the Kite…It starts small!
(This week’s devotions are based on Sunday’s message: Win the Day…Fly the Kite – LISTEN HERE)
The challenge was clear.
How do we get a bridge across the Niagara River near Niagara Falls? The span at the narrowest point was 800 feet. The rapids above and below the falls was treacherous. The cable needed to be substantial to support the weight of foot traffic and later buggy and railroad traffic.
The year was 1847 and the challenge was awarded to an engineer by the name of Charles Ellet, Jr. While the vision was clear to have a safer and more accessible way to cross the river from the United States to Canada and vice versa, the feasibility of getting a strong cable across was formidable. The place where the bridge was to be located has significant rapids and crossing by boat was impossible. So the idea was presented to have a kite flying contest and a prize of $10 to whomever could fly a kite across the rapids to the other side.
While accounts vary on the details, the winner is affirmed as Homan Walsh. 16 at the time, he is said to have crossed the river on the ferry and walked 2 miles down river to the place where the bridge was to be built. His first attempt failed as his string broke and the kite blew across to the U.S. side. He had to wait a few days to get back to the U.S. side as the winter cold prevented the ferry to cross. Finally he got back to his home side and found his kite, repaired it, and went back across to try again. On January 30, 1848, he was successful and his effort earned him the $10 prize.
However, the kite string was not strong enough, but by tying a little heavier strength rope to the kite string, the larger rope was pulled across with the kite string. After multiple times of fully rope, each successively bigger and stronger, eventually the 36 strand of 9 gauge wire cable was pulled as the beginning tether for the foot and buggy suspension bridge.
It all started with the flying of a kite.
This interesting piece of history reminds us that big things are accomplished with small beginnings. One might look at the bridge and marvel at the wonderful accomplishment this was to span the raging river. However, the bridge and its impact would never have materialized if the string of a kite was not first successfully flown across the river.
The Lord loves to work in the small things to create bigger impact. However, if we are always looking and expecting the big impact, we may miss the importance of starting small with the little things.
The prophet Zechariah didn’t celebrate a kite flying across the Niagara River, but he was encouraged to celebrate the string that held a plumb bomb, a measuring device used to ensure a walls of a building were straight.
Zechariah was a prophet to God’s people as the captivity in Babylon was coming to an end. Individuals were returning to Jerusalem to find the temple destroyed and the prospect of rebuilding it looming large.
People were distracted at getting their own homes built and God uses the prophet Zechariah to get the people focused on a priority – rebuilding the temple. He affirms the reality that the temple would be rebuilt, but it would take small steps along the way.
Small steps that were not to be spurned, but to be celebrated because through the small steps, the large structure of the temple would again rise to honor the Lord and serve his people.
Zechariah wrote this:
Zechariah 4:10 “Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the Lord that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel?”
The Lord is doing and going to do great things in your life – as he determines best. However those large realities come as we faithfully fly the kite, take the small things and celebrate when we see God at work.
Apply: What “little thing” is on your agenda today that you internally despise having to do? What might be God’s possible “big thing” he might work in your life as you faithfully engage in the little things?
Prayer: Lord, forgive me for despising the day of small things. Help me to see you at work in the little things as the steps you use to carry out your bigger plan. AMEN.
If interested in a video recap of the kite that connected two countries, click here:
Eat the Frog…Win the Day!
(This week’s devotions are based on Sunday’s message: Win the Day…Eat the Frog – LISTEN HERE)
Cinco de Mayo
I was curious. I’ve heard of “Cinco de Mayo” and it seems to be a significant holiday in the Mexican culture. Some have labeled it “Mexican Independence Day” (which is incorrect.) So is it just an excuse for a party, mariachi music and margaritas? Perhaps.
The day marks a battle between French forces and the Mexican resistance army. Napoleon in France saw an opportunity to gain a foothold in Mexico and pushed the Mexican emperor and forces to Puebla de los Angeles. A French force of 5000 met a rag tag 2000 Mexican fighters on May 5, 1862. By the end of the day the French retreated after losing 500 men and the Mexican fighters claimed victory with a loss of 100 men. The day marked a win and momentum for the resistance against France. (More info HERE)
Every win is worth celebrating. So if this works for a party on May 5th for you, go for it.
Winning the day can seem like insurmountable odds. Perhaps there are days where our emotions are heavy, the tasks in front of us difficult, and the heart do do them is minimal. Days come when we feel like giving up and giving in.
What makes a difference in battles where one army is outnumbered? Sometimes strategy, but often times heart. The one who has the greater to lose will fight the hardest to keep it.
Why eat the frog? Why put the Lord first?
We don’t want to lose. We want to stay engaged in the spiritual battle and know that we need strength each and every day to stay in the fight. We know our energy gets sapped, our soul gets tested and our mind gets drained. So what’s the answer? Every day “eat the frog.” Allow the Lord to begin your day.
2 Corinthians 4:13 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. 15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. 16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
We need the inner renewal and we need the strength to stand amidst the waves of life that come crashing. Jesus encouraged:
Matthew 7:24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
The word of God is the strength for your faith and the guidance for your life. The spiritual enemies will be ready to fight today…with the power of the living Jesus, be ready to fight back…confident of victory through Jesus!
Apply: What battle is before you today? What promise of God gives you confidence to engage in that battle?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for renewing our hearts and strengthening our faith to engage and win the spiritual battles each day. AMEN.