Friday, April 22, 2011

Sunday's Coming

It's Friday but Sunday's coming. That ought to be the  mantra of the Christian. Jesus was dead on Friday, but it's only Friday. Resurrection Sunday is the hope in every dark night that a Christian faces. All suffering, despair and tragedy should be viewed in the light of Easter. There it looks totally different. Wow, I can't wait to celebrate this. Think I'll start now.

If you haven't seen this clip of "It's Friday" by S.M. Lockridge, or even if you've seen it before, watch it again and get some hope.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

No commitment?

What is friendship without commitment? Just an acquaintance. What happens to a marriage without commitment? Divorce. What are team members without commitment? Losers. Not much can be accomplished without commitment.

Some friends of mine have marked their calendars for a sprint triathlon which is a shorter version of the swim, bike, run competition. But without "commitment to training" they will not finish. They will pass out, fall short or permanently impair their body. Marking your calendar for a competition is useless if you don't commit to training.

How many marriages don't go the distance simply because there is no "renewed commitment" daily, weekly, monthly?
How many churches close their doors because there is no commitment to the next generation of leaders? The church dies because there is only a commitment to "now."
How many jobs are lost simply because there is little commitment to excellence, but rather simply a commitment to "get my check"?

If you want to finish the race, you must commit to training. I found a quote attributed to marathoner Frank Shorter. Frank finished second in the Montreal Olympics in 1976. Moments after, a reporter asked him, "I know you must be disappointed...Do you plan to go for the gold medal again in 1980?" The Olympian calmly looked back at the reporter and said, "Well, of course I wanted to win the gold medal. But the question I have to ask myself now is, "Will I commit myself to running 10 miles per day, every day, for the next 4 years?"

Jesus said, "A wise man hears my words and puts them into practice." (Matthew 7:24)