Some of you are tired, weary, and ready to go home, but God isn’t through with you–press on! Some of you are hurting and fearful of what might lie ahead, but you don’t know the future, so –press on! Some of you feel discouraged because you can no longer do what you used to do, but you can do something, so –press on, even if it is at a snail’s pace. Some of you feel your efforts are in vain and a waste of time, but it is God who gives the increase–press on! Keep sowing and watering, and leave the results with God. Some of you feel defeated, as though you have failed, because there is yet so much to do, but –press on! You never know what yet might happen– press on! It’s always too soon to quit. The fact that you are still here is evidence that you are needed. Press on! If you can’t do anything else, be a cheer leader urging others to press on! He is no failure who can say he has faithfully finished his course. God demands no more from us. —HDS

Many people have planned their own funeral, but perhaps the most notable was Winston Churchill, who gave clear instructions for what he wantd. There were stately hymns in St. Paul’s Cathedral and an impressive liturgy. When they said the benediction, he had arranged for a bugler high in the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral on one side to play Taps, the universal signal that the day is over.

“…choose you this day whom ye will serve….as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. ”—Joshua 24: 15 ( read vs.22- 28)

John Henry Jowett wrote, Here was a definite decision. Our peril is that we spend our life in wavering and we never decide. We are like a jury which is always hearing evidence and never gives a verdict. We do much thinking, but we never make up our minds. We let our eyes wander over many things, but we make no choice. Life has no crisis, no culmination.

Now people who never decide spend their days in hoping to do so. But this kind of life becomes a vagrancy and not a noble and illumined crusade. We drift through our days, we do not steer, and we never arrive at any rich and stately haven.

It is therefore vitally wise to “make a vow unto the Lord.” It is good to pull our loose thinkings together and to “gird up the loins of the mind.” Let a man, at some definite place, and at some definite moment, make the supreme choice of his life.”

James 1:8 says, “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”  He is like the Missouri Mule that starved to death while standing between two hay stacks–because he couldn’t make up his mind which one to eat from! I’ve met people like that. Many year ago a young married man surrendered to preach under my ministry in Missouri and his excitement was evident, but he could never settle on exactly what to do. One week he was going to be the next Billy Graham, the next week a pastor, and the next a missionary,etc. He seemed to have a new idea every week. That went on and on until finally he ended up getting a divorce and wasting his life. Dear friend there is great peace in knowing what you ought to do and deciding to do it. It’s time to act. As Joshua said, “choose you this day whom ye will serve“.— HDS

Keep in mind that distractions are not, in and of themselves, bad things. The city lights serve a good and useful purpose, but they can also hide the stars. Even so, sinless things can become sinful if we allow them to distract us from the more important things in life. The greatest enemy of the best is usually something good rather than something bad. Things that, in and of themselves, are not sinful can nevertheless become a weight that slows us down, holds us back, and keeps us from our goal. They become distractions that are deadly! Just as many accidents are caused by “rubber-necking” many lives are ruined by being focured on the wrong things. A. W. Tozer wrote, “Among the enemies to devotion none is so harmful as distractions. ….Distractions must be conquered or they will conquer us.”  To be safe we must turn our eyes upon Jesus and keep them there.–HDS

Naturally we all have question. Death is something we’ve never experienced before, plus there is the concern for others factor. We wonder about their welfare. Even when we know our loved ones are saved and that we shall be reunited it doesn’t always take away the anxiety. I doubt that any of us knows exactly how we would deal with the news that we are about to die. But if you are truly saved I suspect that you will do better than you think. I say that because God’s grace is sufficient for any situation. So while we might mourn, let us never murmur! The best is yet to come! Until that day comes let us believe, as Paul, that “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Phil. 4:13)– HDS