Do-over's

I pray everyone had a great Thanksgiving Day and got enough under their belt to carry them through till the end of December, when we can do it all over again. And speaking of do-over’s, I’ll be going into surgery again to work on my vocal cords this Tuesday, December 1st. I have a growth that keeps coming back and a different surgeon is going to load up a different laser gun to zap this sucker hoping to discourage it from coming back again. Only time will tell but we can’t wait and let it get a foothold. Hopefully everything will go as well as it normally does and retain my voice.

“The Fellowship of the Unashamed” by David Guinn. “I am a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight-walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame vision, mundane talking, chintzy giving and dwarfed goals. I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by presence, learn by faith, love by patience, lift by prayer and labor by power. My pace is set, my gate is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the face of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won’t give up, back up, let up, or shut up until I’ve preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up and stayed up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until He returns, give until I drop, preach until all know and work until He comes. And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear.” There’s no time for do-over’s.

[Matthew 25:31-46; Romans 12:1-3] Can Jesus pick you out of a crowd? James A. Garfield, 20th President of the United States, took office on March 4, 1881. On his first Sunday in Washington following his inauguration, a member of his Cabinet insisted that a meeting must be called to discuss a matter that purportedly threatened a national crisis. The President refused, stating that he was already committed to another appointment. The cabinet member insisted, telling the President that the national matter was of grave importance and that he should break his prior engagement. Still, Mr. Garfield refused to do so. Obviously appalled, the Cabinet member remarked, “I would be interested to know with whom you have an engagement so important that it cannot be broken.” Mr. Garfield replied, “I will be as frank as you are. My engagement is with the Lord, to meet Him at His house, at His table, at 10 o’clock tomorrow morning – and I shall be there.” What an example! May we, too, be so dedicated to the worship of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, that we shall not forget that we have a standing “prior appointment” every Sunday morning, the first day of the week, the Lord’s day. In obedience to God’s Word we have a standing appointment to serve one another each and every day with the love of God. Missed appointments rarely come with do-over’s.