20 August 2007 Devotion for Today "The Straw that Broke the Camel's Back" 2 Corinthians 10:13

20 August 2007  Devotion for Today  “The Straw that Broke the Camel’s Back”  2 Corinthians 10:13

           

Have you ever experienced overload?  You have all seen it! In Germany the standard electrical current there is 240volts, instead of 110 like we have here.  That means that the Americans who live over there who want to operate their American appliances have to use a voltage transformer.  But you have to be careful that you don’t overload those things.  I once attempted to operate a powersaw with one of those things.  At the same time, the refrigerator was plugged into the same transformer.  I thought, its not going to hurt anything… Boom!  Not only did the fuse in the transformer blow- so did the main circuit breaker!

           

Overload occurs whenever the requirements upon us exceed that which we are able to bear. The next thing you know, it caves in, blows up, disintegrates, or collapses because it just could not bear up under it.  We all saw the news two weeks ago where a very busy interstate highway bridge collapsed with several cars on it, sending about 20 people to their deaths in the Mississippi River. 

           

Overload can not only wear us out- it can be dangerous.  There’s a spontaneous tendency of our culture to inexorably add detail to our live:  one more option, one more commitment, one more expectation, one more purchase, one more debt, one more job, one more decision.  You get the idea.  What we fail to realize is that one can comfortably handle only so many details in his or her life.  Exceeding this threshold will deplete the margins in our lives.   You have no doubt heard of the proverbial straw which broke the camel’s back.  The camels of the desert are able to carry great loads.  If, however, a straw is placed on a camel that is already weighted down beyond its capacity, its back will be broken.  The back is not broken by the straw; it was broken by the overload.

           

Here in our text the Apostle Paul speaks to us about some things that most people easily miss or dismiss about the overload in our lives. Paul has discussing his missionary journeys and the problem that he has had with the early Christians accepting his apostleship in the church.  There were some who believed, for example, that since Paul wasn’t one of the original disciples of Jesus Christ, that he wasn’t qualified to be an apostle, much less the teacher and preacher of God’s word that he was.  Christ called and appointed Paul to be an apostle some time after Christ’s resurrection.  In this passage, Paul doesn’t defend himself, rather he transforms the conversation by pointing out the fact that no matter what expectations we place on ourselves or upon others- we all have limitations.  He says in v. 13: “We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us—a sphere which especially includes you.”  I’m not going to exalt myself or take credit for anything, or boast in anything.  But I do recognize the limits wherein God appointed us and that also includes you- the church in Corinth.   I find it interesting that as far reaching as Paul was in his missionary journeys, his depth of knowledge and understand, his prolific ability to write (He wrote more material than all the other apostles put together), he was still able to acknowledge that he had limitations.

           

What are your limitations?  This week I want us to see that instead of grieving over the things we cannot do, that we might view limitations as gifts that God has given us instead of barriers.  There are limits that we strive to overcome, but there are other limits that define who we are and that we can even glorify God in them.  I will talk more about these next time.  Until then, be careful not to break the camel’s back!

           

Have a blessed day! 

 

Rev. Jeffery C. Russell
Salem Baptist Church
Elizabeth City, NC
jefferyrussell@embarqmail.com

jcrussell@liberty.edu

 

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