Devotionals for Pastors - Don't Let It Get Away From You
By Ed Wrather
Day 28
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. - 1 Corinthians 15:58.
In 1997, we moved from one side of town to the other (We were living at that time in Weatherford, Oklahoma.); from a duplex to a small house. My parents had just bought a new pickup truck, and so I asked my Dad if I could borrow it for the move. He agreed, and gave me this word of advice, "Don't let it get away from you." After I had driven the pickup some, I understood what he meant. Just a little pressure on the accelerator would make the truck take off as if you had pushed the accelerator to the floor on many vehicles. If you were unprepared for the sudden thrust of acceleration, you could lose control. Thankfully, I never let the pickup get away from me! Now since my parents have both passed away I still drive the pickup some and frequently remember my Dad's words of advice about driving that old truck.
As I was thinking about this phrase, about not letting it get away from me, I used a search engine to see how often the phrase had been used. Surprisingly, there were more than two and half million results! Apparently, a lot of us have been letting a lot of stuff get away from us. Aretha Franklin even has a song with the phrase in it. Here, are a three lines from the song:
Gotta be strong, gotta be strong, gotta be strong
Don't let it get away from you
Do whatcha gotta do
A couple of other lines in the song seem to be so very true:
Taking care of home and family
Sometimes it's hard to keep your sanity
Just living life, making a living, raising children, keeping a marriage strong, and holding a family together can be enough to push some over the edge, or I guess we could say, let life "get away from us."
How do we keep from losing it? How do we keep from letting life "get away from us?" I love this verse in 1 Corinthians 15:58, just reading the verse you receive a sense of strength, power, and determination. We as Christians are able to keep it together and prevent life from getting "away from us" by keeping first things first. How can we be steadfast in the Lord? Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:33, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."
If life has gotten away from you, if one thing after another keeps going wrong, God has the answer for how you can keep things together and be "steadfast" and "immovable". What is the answer? The answer is Jesus! Listen to God's Word:
Isaiah 26:3, "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You."
Hebrews 12:3, "For consider Him (Jesus) who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls."
Philippians 4:6-7, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
So, before life gets away from you, put Jesus first in your life. Every morning, before you do anything else, pray (Mark 1:35) and read God's Word (Matthew 4:4). Every week allow time, give the time necessary for your family to assemble with other believers (Hebrews 10:24-25). Give a part of what God has blessed you with (Proverbs 3:9-10; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7), and be the servant of God serving others by following the example of Jesus (Mark 10:45).
Don't let it get away from you!
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