Good morning, everyone.
Our verse for today comes from Acts 9:31, “So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.”
All Drowned But 868. In 1912, this headline would have captured the attention of everyone who saw it, announcing that the majestic Titanic had sunk on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic. Almost thirty years later, the headline Japs Bomb Hawaii declared the unprovoked attack on the US that ushered us into World War II. Black Tuesday was the headline that referred to the stock market crash of 1929 that marked the beginning of the Great Depression. Nixon Resigns said it all from the White House back in August of 1974. And tragedy was reported in 1866 as Lincoln Shot told the sad news of a fallen hero. As iconic as these headlines were, their primary purpose was to draw the attention of the reader such that they purchased the newspaper and read the article. The bold print grabbed their attention, and the reader was almost helpless in trying not to find out more. Likewise, the same strategy is used, even when news of a far less global import is the topic. For instance, one headline read 5 Ways Stores Use Science to Trick You Into Buying Crap. Clearly, one who is about to get tricked into buying this useless article should know the science behind their senseless purchase.
Most of us live lives that are completely void of headlines. We grow up, we get a job, we have a family, we get old, and then we’re gone. We don’t make a huge splash and we don’t warrant national attention. But we do write a story. For some, it will be found mostly on the sports page, as they spent a majority of their energy striving and following and cheering. For others, it’s the op-ed page, where they made sure everyone knew their opinion. Some might get a blurb in the local section, having thrown their hat into the public sector. And most will just get a line in the obituaries, stating the date of birth and death and little else. But in God’s eyes, those with the small write-up could deserve the biggest headlines. They could be the ones praying and serving, refusing to complain and seeing the good where others do not. Their story would look a lot like the early church, that craved no limelight but simply had peace, was built up, walked with the Lord and Spirit, and multiplied. It wasn’t flashy, and Luke doesn’t put it in bold letters, but it was as critical as it was basic. So skip the headlines and write your story for eternal glory.
As we seek Him today, live a life that tells a story worth reading.
Have a fabulous Tuesday.
#4 Rich Holt
Dad of Ripken, Koy, TrishaJean, Samantha, Kakie Holiday and Raleigh
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them.
