MAY 8, 2023

 “Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” 

― Winston S. Churchill, Never Give In!: The Best of Winston Churchill's Speeches

1 KINGS 16-18

36At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. 37Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”38Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.39When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!” 

JOHN 1:29-51

 35The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”37When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”39“Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.40Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42And he brought him to Jesus.Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter^g ).

JOURNAL

What a scene...Elijah steps up and God comes through. God displays his power through him. The power of this must have been overwhelming. Everyone collapsed immediately and began to worship God. . 

The same is true of Jesus...there obviously was something about him that compelled them to follow. They were disciples of John and after John calls him out they immediately leave and follow. Jesus then renames Simon and gives him the name Peter. Jesus immediately knows him and knows what he is going to do through him. 

In the same way, God knows us. He knows our potential, for he is our creator. He has an intent and purpose for each of us, and that purpose is fulfilled when we go into the world and live boldly and willingly push the envelope. When we dare to accept and embrace our talents and relish the challenges that arise, we are fulfilling his calling for our lives. It is not in our passivity but rather in our boldness and willingness to step out, reject "normal" and dare to be great. 

There are times when I can delve into my own pity party. Teaching and coaching is tough, not because of the physical labor but because of the mental and emotional energy it requires to do it well. Having interaction and relationship with 200 7th and 8th graders has a way of tapping the spirit at times. Yet it's what I love and God definitely rewards me joy and purpose in the midst of the frustration...it's this joy that propels me. 

The pity party comes about when I start looking around at our culture and analyze how we value work. It's so ingrained that compensation indicates value. When the reality is that monetary compensation can never equally reward human value. I've been in the world and know the inequality quite well. I've been paid significantly more money in the past for work that was not fulfilling and was not meaningful. This didn't bring satisfaction! While it was nice in the moment, it ultimately faded and I was left dissatisfied.  

Thankfully this is where scripture always has a way of resetting my perspective. I don't work and serve because of the money...I work and serve to glorify God and be the best that I can be. That and that alone has to be my joy! Everyone has a role to play in this world. I must never allow a paycheck to rob me of that joy, or cause me to envy or become bitter for my life in comparison to others. Because that creates division, isolation and becomes the opposite of the heart of God. 

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." 

JOHN 16:33