“Two natures beat within my breast
The one is foul, the one is blessed
The one I love, the one I hate.
The one I feed will dominate.”
-Anonymous-
A Meaningful Life
“Life is not meaningful to us unless serving an end beyond itself, unless it is of value to someone else.”
— Abraham J. Herschel –
Felicity
Life affords no higher pleasure than that of surmounting difficulties, passing from one step of success to another, forming new wishes, and seeing them gratified. He that labors in any great or laudable undertaking has his fatigues first supported by hope, and afterwards rewarded by joy…
To strive with difficulties, and to conquer them, is the highest human felicity
Samuel Johnson
Take a Stand and Set Your Standard
He will be a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment, a source of strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
Isaiah 28:6
How can I expect God’s strength if I do not embrace God’s standard. How can we expect God to give our nation unity if we do not embrace His standard of equality? He will be a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment. When we allow inequality, prejudice, stereotypes and oppression to go unchecked and then ask God to make us one we are violating the very principle that will create unity.
Then we come up on a weekend where we celebrate Dr. King, rightfully, but we celebrate him at the wrong level, because we celebrate his speeches, but Dr. King’s life was not about speeches, it was about standards. We want God to be our mascot. Kind of like a stuffed animal that produces quotes or a cute saying when we pull the string. Quotes like, “love your neighbor”, and “love your enemy”, but we don’t want His standards we just want His sayings.
We listen to speeches like “I Have a Dream”, but a dream without action, a dream without process, and a dream without justice is a delusion, so we’ve got to raise the standard and declare that some things are not alright. There has to be a standard that we as people of God must set. We can’t wait for the world to set our standards. We are the church. We are the light of the world. We are the ones in the gate.
God can’t be the source of our strength if He is not the source of our standards. We can’t poison the well and complain about the water. We’ve got to stop it (racism) at the source. We have to draw a blood line in the name of Jesus and say, “This stops here.” These are my standards. I may not always live up to them, but I am pressing towards the mark for the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus. I will not live with low standards.
God is looking for somebody to turn back the battle at the gate. We have to get in the gate strong and take ownership and responsibility for our attitudes. He will be the spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment, a source of strength to the one who turns back the battle at the gate. The gates of change start with our standards.
Who set our standard of what it means for you to be a Christian? Pray once in a while; show up to church when it’s convenient; try not to cuss too much. The devil is a liar. There’s a higher standard. This thing (walk of faith) is meant to consume all of our life. The way we see, the way we speak, the way we think, the way we treat your brother and sister.
God is looking for people to raise the standard. He’s not asking us to reach the standard, He’s just asking us to raise it and He will give us the grace to draw a line in the sand and say, “This stops here”.
(Excerpt from sermon Save Your Strength by Pastor Steven Furtick)
True Nobility
Who does his task from day to day
And meets whatever comes his way,
Believing God has willed it so.
Has found real greatness here below.
Who guards his post, no matter where,
Believing god must need him there,
Although but lowly toil it be,
Has risen to nobility.
For great and low there’s but one test:
`Tis that each man shall do his best.
Who works with all the strength he can
Shall never die in debt to man.
Edgar Albert Guest