the Week of Christ the King / Proper 29 / Ordinary 34
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Daily Devotionals
Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life
When George Orwel wrote the novel, 1984, he coined a phrase that has stuck with American parlance. "Big Brother is watching you," has been a standard quip for government over-involvement since Rowel's novel became popular. Businesses today have security cameras in place to watch their stores and business concerns. As one owner put it, "We don't just watch the bad guys we watch our own to make sure they stay good."
Satellite technology has improved by such measures that areas of the earth can be watched from outer space and movements monitored on the other side of the world from right here at home. Movies have been made which play up this technology to the limit and add the possibility of phone and computer taps. As a society we Americans are aware that we may be watched more than makes us comfortable. However, consider the plight of the golfers at the Birdsfoot Golf Club near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The club was named after the bird's foot trefoil, a lush green ground cover with yellow flowers, that covers the areas of the rough. However, golfers have noticed that some of the other local flora doesn't just adorn, but actually looks back. A Pittsburgh area artist has sculpted glowering bearded faces into five of the trees growing at different points on the course. A ball stroked into the woods may be met with a disapproving glare. These big brothers really seem to be watching with a sense of judgment.
How do we feel about being watched? How do we feel when we enter a bank or a convenience store that has surveillance cameras posted at various angles to monitor and record every movement in the place? How would you like it if they were able to actually read your thoughts while you were there? Might make us think twice about the thoughts we have about the people who serve us. God is there watching and listening and even monitoring our hearts for their intent.
"For the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." Hebrews 4:12, 13 Big Brother may be watching, but God is also listening to our thoughts to hear what's on our hearts so He can help us live for Him.
'Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life' Copyright 2010 © Tom Kelley. 'Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life' articles may be reproduced in whole under the following provisions: 1) A proper credit must be given to the author at the end of each story, along with their complete bio and a link to https://www.studylight.org/ 2) 'Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life' content may not be arranged or "mirrored" as a competitive online service.
