Martinton Church of Christ

“ And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the Lord be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath, And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills, And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush, let the blessings come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren. (Deuteronomy 33:13-16, KJV) It is so easy, living in a culture of plenty, to fail to appreciate the gifts that God has given us. I must admit, I get rather tired of hearing from people how bad they have it. Most of us live in far better conditions than the vast majority of the world’s population. For example, 2.7 billion people live on less than $2 a day. About 25,000 people die every day of hunger or hunger-related causes, when there is actually plenty of food available to feed the world. Think abouth that number for just a second, if it is not too painful. One person dies every three and a half seconds, and unfortunately it is the children who die most often. In fact, six million children die of hunger every year – that is 17,000 every day! Maybe if we would find ourselves in a position of having truly little in our possession we would notice how God does provide. Many have found justifiable reasons to criticize the movie The Book of Eli. Yes, there was explicit violence and offensive, crude language. However, there were also some very thought provoking scenes. For example, the main character of the movie Eli (Denzel Washington) has survived a nuclear holocaust and is grateful for the gift of life. This is evidenced by the fact that, even amidst the most trying of circumstances, Eli pauses to pray – to express his attitude of gratitude for food and water that has been placed before them. He is a representative of a past way of living – a time when ‘the Book’ (that he read every day) was still available. Solara (Mila Kunis) is intrigued. She is caught off guard by Eli’s surprising values system. She doesn’t understand why, when given the opportunity, he rejects the opportunity to exploit her. Though they are living in a world that has sunk to the level where everything has a price, Eli holds him¬self (and Solara) to a higher standard. She begins to wonder, “What was it like?” That is, what was life like before the nuclear meltdown? In the words of Eli, “People had more than they needed.” He explains how it was a time and culture of abundance. Unfortunately, Eli adds, “We had no idea what was precious.” What is it that you view as precious? Do we understand the word? Or is it possible that we are out of touch with God’s values? It is not often that I quote from the King James Version, but in the passage above I like the repetition of that word. Note out how God uses the word “precious” to bless Joseph! Do you have a precious view of the world in which we live? Do you have a precious view of the people that God has brought into your life? Do you have a precious view of the provisions and protection that you enjoy because of the hand of God? OR, are you sulking in the midst of relative wealth and abundance? (If you doubt what I am saying, just go get on a scale! Go into the major cities and see the homeless! Find out how many are actually ‘homeless’ and living beneath the poverty level in Iroquois County – or your county.) Father, forgive us! Let’s join in worshipping and praising God for all that He has done for us, seeking to share from our abundance with those in need.