Focusing On Things That Are Truly Important

When the amazing Crystal Palace Exhibition opened in 1851, people flocked to London’s Hyde Park to behold the marvels, one of which was the use of steam. The exhibition contained steam plows, steam locomotives, steam looms, steam organs – even a steam cannon.

Out of all these impressive exhibits, the first-prize winner was a steam invention with seven thousand parts. When it was turned on, its pulleys, whistles, bells, and gears made a lot of noise, but the contraption didn’t do a thing. It made a lot of commotion, but had no practical use (source).

The above illustration reminds me of some folks in our society whose lives are somewhat like the seven thousand part machine. They seem to be running in every direction, worried about this and that — making a lot of noise, but accomplishing absolutely nothing.

Dear reader, let us stop running to and fro without any sense of direction — stop worrying about things that don’t really matter (Philippians 4:6), and focus on things that are truly important (Matthew 6:33; Colossians 3:1-3; Hebrews 12:1-2).

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets