I think Winston Churchill’s “Never Give in” speech was a great shot in the arm for the students at Harrow School–and for many who heard or read it later.  It was back in 1941 that he delivered it.  So there were 3 more years of hard fighting and being bombed on a regular basis before there was any real hope of victory over the Nazis in WWII.  In it he said:

“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. We stood all alone a year ago, and to many countries it seemed that our account was closed, we were finished. All this tradition of ours, our songs, our School history, this part of the history of this country, were gone and finished and liquidated.

“Very different is the mood today. Britain, other nations thought, had drawn a sponge across her slate. But instead our country stood in the gap. There was no flinching and no thought of giving in; and by what seemed almost a miracle to those outside these Islands, though we ourselves never doubted it, we now find ourselves in a position where I say that we can be sure that we have only to persevere to conquer.”

As Christians, we live in a world of sinful people and the pain and hardships that are a result of sin.  So take a note from Churchill, my brothers and sisters, and remain strong in your faith.  Never give up.  Never give in.  Remain strong in the Lord, and you will find victory in your perseverance!

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It seems like Christianity is becoming less and less popular in pop culture and mass media.  So maybe all of us Christians should just give up and become atheists. They’re even killing off our brothers and sisters in Africa and the Middle East.  Now’s maybe a good time to get out before it gets that bad in the U.S.  Then again, Jesus did warn us that following him wouldn’t be easy.  Maybe we should take him at his word, count the cost, and live out our faith with some real commitment.  Just an idea.

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I like at the end of the movie Saving Private Ryan how the main Characters have sacrificed so much to save and protect the life of Private Ryan.  Several have died in the course of finding Ryan, including Captain Miller–whose dying words to Ryan were “Earn this.”  In other words, people have given their lives to save yours, so honor their sacrifice by how you live your life.

The same goes for anybody whose life has been saved by Jesus Christ.  So much has been sacrificed to save people from an eternity in Hell.  And that gracious gift should be honored by the way we live our lives every day.  All true Christians should be living completely pure and dedicated lives, and do everything we can to bless God because he has blessed us so much!

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Have you ever driven by somebody’s house and seen something they had put at the end of the driveway to throw away and thought that would be something you’d like to have?  Or maybe you’re a garage sale pro.  Isn’t it amazing how many things some people want to get rid of, and how many others see a treasure in that item?

What’s even more amazing is how that happens in so many people’s lives.  They do things to mess up their lives, and they end up thinking they’ve become no better than garbage.  In fact, some people have even ended their own lives because they’ve lost all hope in themselves.  But the good news is that there is a potential treasure in every life.  It doesn’t matter how much we have fouled things up or wrecked our own lives with sin, God can turn any life around and make something wonderful out of what was once worthless…including you!

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There was a book written almost 10 years ago called “The Purpose Driven Life” by a guy named Rick Warren.  And it was a best seller.  Millions of people flocked to buy the book.  And unlike so many other “self help” books, it starts off by telling the reader that the purpose of life isn’t all about you.

There’s something bigger in life than just you.  There is purpose that goes beyond our own wants and needs.  There are things much bigger then our own lives at stake here.  But there’s a really interesting twist involved in dealing with that truth.  You can spend your life trying to find self actualization and fulfillment and wind up completely lost and empty.  But if you devote yourself to the purpose that you were created for, you will gain fulfillment and a contentment as a natural byproduct of focusing on what is most important–in fact that’s the only way to find true life.

Jesus put it this way “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.  If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.  And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your soul in the process?”

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Have you ever noticed that when you run into problems that it’s a whole lot easier to look down than it is to look up?  We all get thrown some curve balls in life.  And when the going gets tough, we like to feel sorry for ourselves and wish things were easier.  But when you come to the place where you hit bottom, you finally look up and see the direction that you should have been going all along.  It takes work to climb out of a hole.  And the truth is, it’s a whole lot easier to climb out before you hit bottom.  But regardless of how deep you sink in your sorrows, it’s not until you look up, that you can start climbing in the right direction.

Some people will look at this world and see all the evil that people do, and be hopeless because of it.  But if you look up, and turn your eyes upon Jesus, there is always hope.

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I think it’s funny how people portray Heaven as a white cloudy kind of place where people dress in robes and have halos and play harps.  And then people look at that made up idea and say it’s boring, so they’re not all that interested in going.

Of course the reality of Heaven is beyond our imagination.  The Bible says it’s massive and full of color and lights and trees and flowing water.  But it’s also a place of worship.  It will be like church 24/7.  And people will be singing praises to God and worshiping him non-stop.  Of course that idea doesn’t appeal to anyone who doesn’t believe in or like God.  So they probably wouldn’t be interested in Heaven anyway.

of course everybody who admits the truth, understands how great God is and how worthy he is of our worship and obedience, and how limitless the blessings of a relationship with God is.  But they like to hold on to the idea that Heaven is like winning the lottery and doing whatever you want without interaction with God.  Many people think they can con God into letting them into Heaven in spite of their sinful hearts and lives and that somehow their hearts and minds will magically change when they die.  But the scary truth is, your heart and mind are judged for what they are and if you’re not purified before you kick the bucket, you’ll be pitched out and burned with all the other impurities that aren’t worthy of entering God’s presence.

What do you think of that thought?

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They say that the only sure things in life are death and taxes.  What a crazy thought!  You were born into this world, and all you can really count on is that the government will take your money and you will die.  Sounds pretty hopeful.  Doesn’t it?

What if I told you that you can be sure of something in life that really is hopeful?  Would you be interested?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 37:57 — 17.4MB)

CHAPTER TEN – Rock On

What is your life built on?  Do you base your beliefs on anything solid, or is it just the way you feel?  Would you like to be sure about who you are and where you’re going in life, and what the purpose of all this is?

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I recently heard someone say that Christianity isn’t about self improvement, it’s about self surrender.  I can see that.  We could try to improve our lives on our own and completely miss the point.  God doesn’t just want people who are improved.  He want people who love him back.  And so we aren’t called to apply self-help techniques to our lives, we’re called to surrender our lives to God and submit to his will for us.  We might not always understand what his plans are or what the end result of our labors will bring about.  But we can know, if we trust and obey Jesus, that he will help us do whatever he wants us  accomplish.  And Jesus can do a lot more in the heart and through the life of a humble, willing servant than he can do for someone who already thinks they’re good enough.

Having Jesus in charge of our lives will definitely improve us–more than we can imagine.  But the point isn’t to attain a goal in order to find God’s grace.  It’s to find God’s grace so that we can attain every goal set for us.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:07 — 24.3MB)