Got Commitment?
The Bible says, “Then took Jeremiah
another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah; who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words
of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire: and there were added besides unto them many like words.” Jeremiah 36:32 (KJV)
King Jehoiakim followed the reading of a roll which Jeremiah had dictated to Baruch by using his penknife to cut that
roll and burning it in the fire. What did Jeremiah and Baruch proceed then to do? Our text tells us.
As a young man, film director Robert Flaherty spent many months in the far north looking for iron ore and gold. He
found neither, but he did shoot 70,000 feet of film in his travels. Someone encouraged him to edit the film and make a documentary,
which Flaherty spent weeks doing. But just as he finished, a match from his cigarette dropped among the celluloid, consuming
the entire film and burning Flaherty badly. His response to the disaster was a determination to return to the far north and
make a film of Eskimo life “that people will never forget.” He did just that, and the result was the classic 1922
documentary, Nanook of the North.
Yesterday I was informed by the surgeon’s PA that instead
of getting back to using my right hand and doing daily chores like mowing (something most are sick of this year), lifting
our grandson while helping my bride, and a host of other endeavors, I am only allowed to pick up my coffee cup. Thus, I have
to use my left hand exclusively to write, type, wipe, swipe, reach, preach, hold, mold and each and every day chore in between.
In my bellyaching about this frustrating situation the Lord led me to the story
of Robert Flaherty which brought to my mind Jeremiah and Baruch. That was received with a spiritual slap in the face. I hope
this spiritual slap in the face will make my bride and our loved ones much easier for me to interact with for they
have all been rather crusty to live with. Isn’t it amazing how God patiently deals with us?
We never have to look far to see others dealing with so much more than we are dealing with!
Daily Chronological Bible Reading: Nehemiah 11-13; Psalms 126
