calvary updates 10/31

George Winfrey
Oct 31
2 min read

When I was a kid at Halloween we tried to get to as many houses as possible to get the biggest haul of candy. What are you running after this week? What has occupied your time and focus? Some of the more mundane issues in the Winfrey household were finding a solution to a roof leak and completing a bathroom remodel project. These needs are not part of my ultimate life purpose, but protecting our biggest investment does consistently occupy a place on my "to do list." When you stop for a moment to contemplate your life's ultimate pursuits will you say they were a "trick or a treat?" Did that time investment consistently yield what you hoped for?

I was watching a YouTube video on winterizing our camper and the presenter delighted to share a tip to save some time and money during the process. He made an off the cuff comment, "If I save a little more money here, I can buy some more toys." Of course I am not saying that was a summary of his entire life focus, but it does give us a glimpse of part of his life perspective, i.e. the one with the most toys wins! The problem with toys (like our camper) is that they require maintenance tasks I never had before the purchase. How we prioritize our time, is a window to our priorities.

Here are a couple of biblical instructions to help us answer the "trick or treat" question. Both are from a sermon of Jesus, the first one is from Matthew 16:26, "What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?" The second one that came to my mind is Matthew 6:24, "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." If we, who say we are passionate to reflect the heart of God, examine one life pursuit at a time would we conclude it was a "trick or treat?"