35,000
This past Sunday was a very busy day for me. I missed most of you at WCCC as I had the privilege of preaching at the West Los Angeles Holiness Church, one of our sister churches. It was a blessing to worship with a part of God's family that I don't see very often! After I finished up at West LA, I then drove to the South Bay and attended the ordination ceremony for two of our Holiness Conference pastors. It was a wonderful time to celebrate their calling and see other pastors and members of the South Bay Holiness Church. From there, I went to meet a couple of friends for dinner in Gardena. I've known both of them for many years, though I hadn't seen one in probably twenty years or so. That was also a great time of getting reacquainted. So it was a long day when I finally got back home to Pasadena that night.
35,000 is the estimated number of conscious decisions the average adult makes EACH DAY according to researchers at Cornell University. 35,000! Can you believe that? They say we make 227 decisions on food alone: when to eat, what to eat, where to eat, etc. Actually 227 sounds low . . . doesn't it? Well I'm sure on Sunday - between preaching, eating, driving, socializing, etc. - I made more than 35,000 decisions during my day. How about you? It makes me think: how do we negotiate all the voices, all the messages, all the decisions the world throws at us each day? In other words, how do we navigate life? What is our guiding light?
On Sunday, I preached on Acts 27 about the Apostle Paul's journey at sea from Judea to Rome. The entire chapter is about Paul, the ship, and its crew struggling to survive a great storm in the Mediterranean. After battling the storm for many days, there was one point when the crew nearly gave up all hope because they could no longer see the sun and stars. Celestial navigation, the position of the sun during the day and the constellations at night (the North Star in particular), was what guided ancient sailors as to where they were and where they needed to go. Without it, and not being able to see land, they were completely lost. Thus is life.
What is your North Star? How do you navigate life and its 35,000 daily decisions? Are you adrift on the open sea? Rather than listening to the many voices in the world or simply floating along, direct your attention to God who holds all things in His hands (Col. 1:16-17). Talk to Him about the important decisions you have to make. Look to Him when you're at a crossroads. Do not neglect our loving and faithful God. Psalm 32:8 says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you."
God bless your week.
Pastor Darren
