Topic(s): Prayer

Lord, help me build a life that’s clean,
A heart that’s righteous, strong, and pure;
And help that I shall not be mean,
But always sweet, and kind, and sure.

Help me with courage strong to stand,
Where every faithful Christian ought;
And lead me by thy gracious hand
Into the paths I should have sought.

Help me to dedicate my all,
My life, to do thy precious will;
Lord, help me answer when you call,
And let thy love my poor heart fill. —J. T. Bolding

Four Good Working Habits

Topic(s): Wisdom

1. Clear your desk of all papers except those relating to the immediate problem at hand.
2. Do things in the order of their importance.
3. When you face a problem, solve it then and there if you have the facts to make a decision.
4. Learn to organize, deputize, and supervise. —From Dale Carnegie

What’s Your Purpose?

Topic(s): Priorities

Josh McDowell explains that, “an executive recruiter, a ‘head-hunter’ who goes out and hires corporation executives for other firms, once told me, ‘When I get an executive that I’m trying to hire for someone else, I like to disarm him. I . . . take my coat off, then my vest, undo my tie, throw up my feet and talk about baseball, football, family, whatever, until he’s all relaxed. Then, when I think I’ve got him relaxed, I lean over, look him square in the eye and say, “What’s your purpose in life?”’ It’s amazing how top executives fall apart at that question.

“Well, I was interviewing this fellow the other day, had him all disarmed, with my feet up on his desk, talking about football. Then I leaned up and said, ‘What’s your purpose in life, Bob?’ And he said, without blinking an eye, ‘To go to heaven and take as many people with me as I can.’ For the first time in my career I was speechless.”

“For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven . . .” —Colossians 1:5

Choose Your Hills Carefully

Topic(s): Christian Life

One of the most decisive factors in any battle is relative position to the enemy. The position usually most coveted is the higher ground, as it provides a better position than having to fight uphill. Some of the more famous battles were decided by the ones owning control of the high ground, from Causeway Heights in the battle of the Crimean War Tennyson made famous to Marye’s Heights and Little Round Top in the Civil War to San Juan Hill (see also Messines Ridge, Gergovia, Pork Chop Hill). Many times these hills are taken, defended, lost, and unsuccessfully attempted at great loss of life and resources. Much deliberation is often given to engaging the enemy on these sites, while at other times it seems no forethought is involved.

In so many areas of life, we will find ourselves facing some pretty intense conflict or potential conflict. How we handle that makes such a big difference! There is a saying that essentially goes, “Choose carefully the hill on which you choose to die.” Akin to it is the question, “Is this the hill you wish to die on?” The origin of the saying is unclear, being attributed to Marines in Vietnam, the U.S. Army at Normandy Beach in World War II, and even the events at Bunker Hill (Breed’s Hill) to start heavy fighting during the Revolutionary War. The saying means that great care should be given not to waste your assets—money, time, reputation, passion for unimportant causes.

We need this reminder frequently. How many marriages could be not only saved, but greatly enhanced, by this principle? How much more unity would exist in the body of Christ if we took this principle to heart? How many friendships could be made and saved by realizing the sagacity of that saying?

The idiom reminds us that there are hills upon which we may have to make this choice. Defending our Savior, our faith, our family, and our standard of truth means that there are times when we must be willing to take a stand. This can be a frightening prospect, but these times will come in all of these areas of life. Yet how many times have we seen people “go to the wall” (or up the hill) for causes unworthy of such expense? Pride, sinful anger, presumption, oversensitivity, envy, and like motives can propel us up what wind up being molehills rather than mountains. Let us be careful and prayerful about the hills of battle we choose in life, making sure they are indeed that important. Otherwise, let us control whatever motivates us to want such a battle. —Neal Pollard, Denver, Colorado

“I am set for the defence of the gospel.” —Philippians 1:17

The Finish Line

Topic(s): Eternity & Judgment

A friend of mine is one of those crazy runners. You know the type—fifteen miles a day, marathons, pilgrimages to his favorite running routes all over the country, an obsession with breaking personal records, or in fanatical running lingo, his ‘PRs’...

But don’t you want to know why anyone would want to do this to his body? I asked my friend recently what he likes about running.

"The finish line," he said.

And there you have it. He runs because he has the finish line in sight. It motivates him to keep putting one blistered foot in front of the other. I guess we can all understand that to some degree. If we can remember our purpose, we can be motivated to improve our practice.” —Kindred Spirit, Spring 2007

“Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.” —1 Corinthians 9:24