30 Jan What are the odds?
Recently everyone was talking about the big lottery that was up for grabs. On Facebook people were commenting about what they would do with the money and it got me thinking about “chances” and “odds.”
Ever wonder what your chances are? Ever wonder how likely it is that something might happen to you? Here are some interesting odds to consider, according to the laws of probability:
- Getting the flu this year: 1 in 10
- Catching a ball at a major league ballgame: 1 in 563
- Bowling a 300 game: 1 in 11,500
- Being struck by lightning: 1 in 576 thousand
- Winning the lottery: 1 in 13 million
- Meteor landing on your house: 1 in 182.14 trillion
As I look at the 2016 calendar I am so excited because I can only imagine what will happen. I believe it will be a year of beating the odds. The Bible speaks of a man named Shamgar in Judges 3:31. He isn’t a main character and only a few verses in the whole Bible mention his name. However, his story made it into the Bible because it is the ultimate defying the odds story!
Shamgar rescued Israel single-handedly by using an ox goad (a long stick with a pointed end used to lead farm animals in the right direction). Shamgar had the odds against him; the situation was not in his favor. However, he decided to stand up and use what was available to him and act. Shamgar didn’t wait on an army to join him: he used the tools available and leaned on God to guide him. The story has a remarkable ending…he alone defeated 600 men and rescued Israel! He beat the odds! He changed history!
God loves to defy the norm. He loves to shatter our expectations! Let 2016 go down in history as the moment that you stepped out and did something crazy because you knew that with God on your side the odds would be in your favor! He has already given you the tools you need this year.