September 20, 2006

Number 38

 VIEWPOINT

September 11 will be for coming generations what December 7 was for our parents’ generation.  The date will “live in infamy.”  It will most often be spoken rather softly and with unavoidable sadness. “9/11” is not the sort of anniversary we “celebrate.”  We just remember what happened then.  We feel some of the same emotions we felt that day. They are not so jumbled now for some of us, but they are even more confused for others.

As I read the editorials, listened to the speeches, and observed ceremonies, I noticed a theme.  Many commentators were asking, “Will we ever be as secure as we were before the attack?”  Journalists and television personalities agreed:  we’ve increased our “security” many times over, but we still don’t feel “safe” like we did before 9/11.

Thinking about that concept from a spiritual perspective, I wonder if we should ever feel “safe” on this side of eternity.  I wonder if our previous state of “security” was misplaced.  Perhaps it was merely an illusion, for human life has always been quite fragile and easily snuffed out. 

“Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble.

He springs up like a flower and withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure” (Job 14:1, 2).

Likewise, the New Testament is filled with warnings about putting too much stock in the present life:  “You do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What Is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that’” (James 4:14, 15).  Maybe we should worry a little less about national security and a little more about eternal security.

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I look forward to seeing you Sunday with a Bible, a smile, and a positive word!                                                                                                                 RA 

STAY A LITTLE LONGER

We have no control over most outcomes in life.  We do our best to influence them: eat right to stay healthy; drive carefully to avoid an accident; invest wisely to accumulate a net worth — we try to influence outcomes, but we can’t control them. Sometimes we get sick anyway, sometimes the car wreck isn’t our fault, sometimes seemingly good investments go south.

Several years ago I realized that I couldn’t control outcomes, but I could control one thing that is biblically guaranteed to work in my favor every time. What is it? Perseverance.  Stick-to-it-iveness.  The habit of getting back up and trying one more time.  I can’t control results, but I can control whether or not I quit. No one else can make that decision for me.  It’s mine alone.

This is how Johann von Goethe said it:  “Perseverance lies within the affordings of everyone; its power increases with its progress, and it but rarely misses its aim.”

Here’s what he’s saying:  Persevering is something anyone can do.  The longer you do it, the stronger you get, and the more likely you are to succeed.

Every minister, missionary, church leader and Christian disciple needs to understand this.  You’ll have a chance, and sometimes many, to give up before you really get going.  A greener pasture and a wider path will tempt you from time to time.  Sometimes quitting just seems to make sense:  it’s easy and appears to be painless.  But deciding to stay when leaving is easier is often the key that opens the door to God’s abundant blessing.

Napoleon Hill said, “Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.”  I believe he was speaking from both observation and experience; this principle has certainly been true in my life.  Babe Ruth’s take on it was, “You just can’t beat the man who won’t give up.” (Even the devil understands this; when you resist him, he flees – James 4:7.)

Paul challenges us: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).

Let’s begin this week determined to keep doing good. Let it not make us weary.  There’s a harvest waiting if we don’t give up. (Steve May)