Jesus calls for the kind of conviction that is seen in the following story:
" In England a farmer saw a group of hunters riding around his farm, He did not want them in a certain field because they would damage the crop, so he sent his son to close the gate so they couldn't enter.
The hunters on their horses wanted in the field in the worse way. They tried bribing the boy, threatened him, but he would not open the gate.
One of the men on horseback said to the boy, "Do you know who I am? "I am the Duke of Wellington and I am not accustomed to be treated in this way "
The boy took off his hat as a sign of respect for the Duke and said, "I am sure the Duke of Wellington would not wish me to disobey orders.I must keep this gate shut,"
The Duke astonished at the conviction of this boy, tipped his hat and said, "I honor you because you can be neither bribed nor threaten nor intimidated by authority into doing wrong. With an army of such soldiers, I could conquer not only the French, but the world. "
Dr. Louis Evans, a minister of a Presbyterian.church, tells the story of a Hindu man who asked his American hostess what she thought of Jesus Christ. " We don' t talk about that at the dinner table, she politely answered.
The next day he asked a business man the same question. Embarrassed the business man said, "Let us go out on, the balcony to talk about this."
The Hindu later gave this sad statement: "This is the first nation I've been in where people are ashamed of their God."
Said Zorba the Greek: "In order to really be alive, you have to have a touch of madness." Many of us are so uptight, so folded away inside, so afraid of what people will say, that we have no "touch of madness," even in our love affair with God.
One of the modern persons who symbolizes this "touch of madness" most is the late Albert Schweitzer. The word "waste" has often been used by people speaking about his life. Dr. Schweitzer had a Doctorate in Philosophy, a Doctorate in Theology, a Doctorate in Music, and, of course, a Doctorate in Medicine&emdash;all earned. He went to Africa, and when people asked him why, he said, "I was obedient to Christ." He didn't go for a short Peace Corps term; he went tor his whole life. This brilliant man who could have enjoyed world recognition in any of his fields, simply went out to Africa and made himself available&emdash;full time&emdash; to those who were hurting and for whom there was inadequate medical care.
"A farmer raised sheep, but next to him was one who raised wheat, children and large dogs. The dogs were always scaring the sheep and sometimes even eating the baby lamb s.
The sheep farmer did not know what to do. He could shoot the dogs, or poison them, be nasty to his neighbor, or even take him to court.
He prayed about it. As soon as some new lambs were born, he gave one of the lambs to each of his neighbors children as a pet. They were thrilled.
Their father could not longer allow the dogs to run free or they would kill the lambs, so the dogs were tied up. The two farmers became friends. Kindness and love made them winners."
"When there was an USFL football league a long time ago the following happened on live TV. The game was tied in the 4th quarter, so the captains met at the middle of the field to flip a coin to see who would get tie ball first in the over time, which was very important, for the first one to score in the over-time period is the winner.
The official tossing the coin had a mike around his neck. The victors called tails. The official flipped the coin and it landed with the heads up. The official forgot what the visitors had called so he said' "What did you call?''
Seeing the coin said heads, one of the captains said,"We called heads." The other team tried to convince the official that the visitors had lied, and one of them turned to the team running off the field claiming they had the ball and screamed, "But I thought you were Christians. "
For the evening before, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes held a banquet and many from that visiting team were in attendance and many gave a witness about Christ. But I guess in sports Christ is not as important as the saying of Vince Lombardi when he said' "Winning is everything."
Sir Thomas More (1478 1535) faced death with cheerfulness because he knew he was doing the right thing. Rather than endorse Henry the Eighth's divorce, he quit his post and returned to his home penniless. The King threw him in the Tower of London but he stood firm. He smiled on the scaffold, kissed the executioner, gave him a gold coin, and quipped with a grin, "Don't be afraid, my good man. Take care to do it well, for I have a short neck, and you mustn't ruin your reputation."
"Some Christians end up as backsliders because they are conquered by a sinful habit that is inconsistent with their Christian discipleship. Instead of giving up the habit, they give up their church and faith."
- W. Werning
"I never go to church," boasted a wandering member. "Perhaps you have noticed that pastor?"
"Yes, I have noticed that," said the pastor.
"Well, the reason I don't go is because there are so many hypocrites there."
"Oh, don't let that keep you away," replied the pastor with a smile. "There's always room for one more."
A little boy was riding his tricycle furiously around the block, over and over again. Finally a policeman stopped and asked him why he was going around and around. The boy said that he was running away form home. The policeman asked why he kept going around the block. The boy responded,
"Because my mom said that I'm not allowed to cross the street."
The point is clear--obedience will keep you close to those you love.