Accomplished or Sidetracked?

Imagine being able to heal people with just a touch—or even a word. Think of the good you could do! For starters, you could cure everyone of cancer. Then you could wipe out tuberculosis, Ebola, and AIDS. You could help war victims. You could heal the blind, deaf, and paralyzed. You’d have the cure for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, mad cow disease, arthritis, diabetes, and all the other diseases that plague the inhabitants of Earth.

If you had such power, the world would flock to your door. You could name your price, and people would be happy to pay it. Time, Newsweek, and U.S. News would feature you on their covers, and Oprah and the other talk show hosts would beg you to be on their programs. It probably wouldn’t be very long before you wouldn’t have much time to help the common people, because all the rich and famous would be pestering you to help them get rid of their acne, wrinkles, and excess weight. And how would you ever have time to share the gospel, when so many people were clamoring to be helped?

How did Jesus avoid falling into such a trap? He knew the dangers that came with being rich, famous, and popular, and He chose to avoid them through a life of poverty and service. He never lost His focus. After all, what good would it do to gain the attention and admiration of the whole world, if He didn’t do the work His Father sent Him to do?

God has a special work for you and me, too. Will we accomplish it—or will we be sidetracked by the things of this world? The choice is ours!