“Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”–Proverbs 27:17   The following quote by Phillip Brooks reminds us of how greatly we affect others–let it then be for the good:   Certainly, in our own little sphere it is not the most active people to whom we owe the most. Among the common people whom we know, it is not necessarily those who are busiest, not those who, meteor-like, are ever on the rush after some visible charge and work. It is the lives, like the stars, which simply pour down on us the calm light of their bright and faithful being, up to which we look and out of which we gather the deepest calm and courage. It seems to me that there is reassurance here for many of us who seem to have no chance for active usefulness. We can do nothing for our fellow-men. But still it is good to know that we can be something for them; to know (and this we may know surely) that no man or woman of the humblest sort can really be strong, gentle, pure, and good, without the world being better for it, without somebody being helped and comforted by the very existence of that goodness.

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept th faith:”(2 Timothy 4:7)

I’ve been around long enough to know some men and women whose lives were totally sold out to God a few years ago but who have since walked off the track in the middle of the race. They’ve given up. They’ve lost their longing for God and all He is. They’re AWOL from the Christian life . . .

The fear of following in their footsteps haunts me. It should you, too. The possibility is real for all of us unless we allow our hearts to be completely gripped by God . . . today- now. The faithfulness of my walk with God in the next year and the next decades depends on my willingness to stay current with God. In a word-to stay in relationship with Him.

I never want to lose the grip God’s greatness has on my life and the supreme privilege it is to be in relationship with Him and to serve Him faithfully till the day I am welcomed into His presence. That passion compels me. It keeps me very honest and very humble before God.

The last thing I want to do is crawl across the finish line a defeated, derailed Christian or worse-give up the race before my life is over. I want to break that tape with arms high and my face to the sun and say with the apostle Paul, “I have finished the course; I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 3:7).

So what can we do now to ensure that finish line victory? We can get back to basics: Honestly answer these seven questions:

Do I hunger after God?
Does God’s Word govern my life?
Do I grieve over sin?
How quickly do I repent when I see my wrong?
Am I sensitive to the Spirit’s prompting me?
Do I obey?
Is my faith growing?

Return to these questions regularly and ask God to help you every morning to run the race.(James MacDonald)

“And be not weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.”(Galatians 6:9)   In the leaflet Keep on Keeping On, Leslie B. Flynn tells of a man who handed out gospel tracts on a street corner. After years of not seeing anyone trust Christ as Savior, he quit.

Two years later he happened to pass that same familiar corner and saw a person handing out tracts. He walked over to the stranger and struck up a conversation. He learned that a little more than 2 years earlier the man had become a Christian after reading a tract he had received at that corner.

“Many a time I’ve come back here to find the man to thank him,” said the stranger, “but he never came back. So I decided he must have died and gone to his reward. That’s why I’ve taken his place!”

If you have trusted Christ as your Savior, God will give you by His Spirit the power to persevere. Don’t give up. Keep up the good work!

Never forget–“your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”(1 Cor. 15:58)

Many years ago Sir Isaac Newton had an exact replica of our solar system made in miniature. At its center was a large golden ball representing the sun, and revolving around it were small spheres attached at the ends of rods of varying lengths. They represented Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, and the other planets. These were all geared together by cogs and belts to make them move around the “sun” in perfect harmony.

One day as Newton was studying the model, a friend who did not believe in the biblical account of creation stopped by for a visit. Marveling at the device and watching as the scientist made the heavenly bodies move on their orbits, the man exclaimed, “My, Newton, what an exquisite thing! Who made it for you?” Without looking up, Sir Isaac replied, “Nobody.” “Nobody?” his friend asked. “That’s right! I said nobody! All of these balls and cogs and belts and gears just happened to come together, and wonder of wonders, by chance they began revolving in their set orbits and with perfect timing.”

The unbeliever got the message! It was foolish to suppose that the model merely happened. But it was even more senseless to accept the theory that the earth and the vast universe came into being by chance. How much more logical to believe what the Bible says, “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.” The Word also declares, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God”

The power of God is that ability and strength whereby
He can bring to pass whatever He pleases, whatever His
infinite wisdom may direct, and whatever the infinite purity
of His will may resolve. As holiness is the beauty of all God’s
attributes; so power is that which gives life and action to all
the perfections of the divine nature. How vain would be the
eternal decrees, if power did not step in to execute them.
Without power–
His mercy would be but feeble pity,
His promises an empty sound,
His threatenings a mere scarecrow.
God’s power is like Himself–infinite, eternal,
incomprehensible; it can neither be checked,
restrained, nor frustrated by the creature.

As His essence . . .
is immense–not to be confined in place;
as it is eternal–not to be measured in time;
so it is almighty–not to be limited in regard of action. (Stephen Charnock, 1628-1680) Think about that dear friend! What ever problem you are facing today, God is more than able to help you. As Paul said, He “able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think–“(Eph. 3:20). Rest your weary soul upon that great truth! (HDS)