Craig Clouston

 Shocked to His Senses

July 8

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Psalm 90:12

Jim regained consciousness. He was dazed and confused but alive. He’d been filling the grain silos. With one silo full, he was moving the boom of the elevator over to the next silo. 

As the boom swung, it came in contact with a bare power line. Thousands of volts of electricity shot through his body, discharging through his toes into the ground. The resulting shock knocked him unconscious. 

Awakening, Jim crawled to his neighbor’s. He was transported to the county hospital where he received treatment and was later released.

The following week, Jim received a visit from a local pastor. He had come to invite Jim to church. “I can talk to God anytime I want right out there in the fields,” Jim said, swinging his arm expansively.

The pastor asked, “But do you? If you had died that day, do you know if your soul would be in heaven?”

Jim had to admit he didn’t. As for talking to God while out in the fields …

He took the pastor up on his offer.

†

Jim’s true relationship with God began the day he was introduced to his own mortality. That relationship grew over time as he came to know the One Who saved his life. He eventually became the pastor of a local church.

Instead of harvesting grain, Jim began to reap souls for the kingdom. And though now with the Lord, Jim’s legacy of harvest continues through his family and parishioners.

One significant moment can bring change to our lives and the lives of countless others. Today’s text says that we have the ability to gain wisdom by our actions, the act of learning from God what He has in store for our lives. Do we continue on in false ignorance?

Prayer

“Lord, teach us to number our days according to Your Word. And to walk uprightly in relationship with You. Guide us into wisdom that is pertinent in our lives and Your kingdom. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”