As I walked into the store on Monday morning, I was greeted by the owners and immediately called into a meeting. Jack, a local artist and good friend of the owners, needed their help. He was devasted, lost, and didn’t know what to do.

Over the weekend, Jack made a trip to the gas station to refuel his car. On his way back home, he noticed a long white pillar of smoke coming from his home. Immediately seeing the danger, he ran into the house to warn his wife. Barley mobile, he assisted his elderly wife slowly out of the house. After helping her out, he went back in and grabbed the fire extinguisher, but it was empty.

Afterward, he immediately called the fire department and watched as the fire grew and overtook his home. Helpless, he witnessed all of his possessions burn up. Not only did he lose his recent paintings and childhood work, but also his extensive collection of renowned works from other artists such as Picasso and his livelihood. Sadly, what took him decades to build turned to ashes within a matter of minutes.

“My life, our life was wrapped up in this home. I don’t know what we’re going to do now,” he said with a sobering and tearful look. “What hurts the most is I feel an overwhelming sense of responsibility for the loss because I consider myself a caretaker of this work. Other people entrusted me with their work, a part of them. I feel terrible beyond words.”

Jack’s story reminds me how all of us are responsible for someone else’s’ invaluable work…God’s. If we’re married, have children, or influence someone’s life, God calls us to care and show them the very best he has to offer through us. We’re to be loving, vigilant, and protective of what matters most to him. We’re to be godly men.

Daily Directive:

Answer and Journal the Following

Read:

Read and meditate on Titus 1:6-9. 

Pray:

What if there was a fire in your life today? What would you lose, and what of value would remain? Be real; be honest.

Meditate / Make It Real:

Pray and ask God to guide you on how to responsibly steward and protect what’s most valuable to him. Be specific.

Share / Show:

Share this with a fellow brother and have them hold you accountable.