You’ve heard the old sayings, ” You can’t make an omelet without breaking an egg”, “You can’t walk a mile until you take the first step”, “He who labors long will break a sweat”, etc. And it is surely evident that he who is afraid of hard work never achieves anything worthwhile. Success requires effort. But, sadly, evidently not everyone understands that. There are many who, as the old preacher said, ” Sit on the stool of do-nothing and whittle on the stick of do-less”. However, those of noble character and notable contributions do difficult things– things others are unwilling to do. They are willing to tackle the hard projects rather than take the easy route. They don’t expect something for nothing. They aren’t looking for a handout, but are always ready to lend a helping hand. They are doers rather than dreamers. For them living and labor go hand in hand. They don’t expect a crown without a cross. They have no sense of entitlement. They are willing to pay their own way and earn their bread by the sweat of their brow. They are givers rather than takers, doers rather than viewers. They do their part and then some. They do their duty and then go the extra mile. These are the people who make a difference, who make things better.

These are the kind of folks that made America great– simple, hard-working, God-fearing men and women. They put wood on the hearth, food on the table, clothes on their children, and callouses on their hands. They build things, fix things, save things, and make life better for all. They provide for themselves, pay their taxes, donate to causes, help the needy, and make it possible for others to survive, even to survive by taking advantage of their industry—and they know it. Yet out of love they labor on. These hard working men and women deserve a tip of the hat, a pat on the back, and a helping hand. Let us pray that their tribe will increase. We need more people like that! May we not only pray, may we each be what we desire others to be. Whether you consider this in the context of our country, the family, the church, or the work place, if we each did our part there would be a marked improvement. We’ve all benefited greatly from the hard work and kindness of others, let us then be willing to contribute our fair share. Think about it!

Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.–Prov. 4:26
Having spent countless hours wade fishing in the Ozarks, I know how easy it is to get in over your head in a hurry. Just one step is all it takes to go from ankle deep water into a deep hole that you will have to swim out of. I have also spent a lot of time climbing the rocky bluffs while hunting, where just one wrong step can cause a nasty fall. You’ve got to be careful!

I also had another experience that taught me this lesson. I probably hold a world record. Really! I suspect that I have walked more miles between Springfield and Branson, Mo. than anyone on earth. I say that because I was part of the original survey crew that laid the highway out before construction started, one of the inspectors that over saw the project during construction, and a foreman for the last contractor that finished the job. And I’m not just talking about walking a straight line distance from Springfield to Branson, about 50 miles. I’m talking about taking a cross-section from one right-a-way line to the other every 50′, every 25′ in some cases–from beginning to end, before, during, and after construction. To do that we had to walk over rough and rugged terrain, high and steep hills, and deep valleys. For me, the worst was walking across the steel beams that supported the bridges. That was scary! One misstep and you could fall a 100′ feet in some places. It was dangerous work.

Since that adventure I’ve learned that life is very much like that. As beautiful as this world is in some ways it is just as dangerous in others. One wrong step can lead to disaster. Danger is always near, and recognizing its presence is our best safeguard against it. You can’t walk through life with your head in the clouds, paying no attention without getting hurt. One wrong step can lead to great harm and a life of regret. As Christians our best protection is to walk in the light of God’s Word— “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee”–Psalm 119:11; “I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies”–Psalm 119:59; “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”–Psalm 119:105. The safest place on earth is in the center of God’s will, but to get there you must acquaint yourself with His Word. Think about it!

Over the years I’ve heard many foolish statements. Here’s one you might have heard–“Becoming a Christian is the solution to all your problems”. Really? Are you sure about that? How did you arrive at that conclusion? A lot of well-intentioned people have given some people bad information and false hopes. And a false hope can be worse than no hope. Contrary to what you might have heard, becoming a Christian isn’t the solution to all your problems. The fact of the matter is that becoming a Christian might be the source, not the solution, for some problems. Isn’t that what Jesus had in mind when He warned His followers that they would be hated, despised, persecuted and killed as a result of following Him. Did He not warn them that they would have to give up certain creature comforts and subject themselves to great hardships, even forsake all, to follow Him?

Any true follower of Christ will tell you that although saved they are forced to face rough roads, difficult days, fierce fights, tough temptations, and scary storms– just like anyone else. That’s life in an imperfect world. There is no way out of it until we get out of it. While we rejoice that the best is yet to come, until then we can expect the worst to happen.

Maybe you’re thinking, “If I just do God’s will I can avoid these trials”. How is that working for you? The truth is, doing God’s will might keep you out of one storm, but it also might put you in a storm. Sometimes we find ourselves in the center of God’s will and a storm at the same time. The important thing is for us to maintain a good attitude. Our best chance of coming out of safe is to maintain a sweet spirit. The best way to make matters worse is to get bitter.

Some of the best people have the worst problems, but those “worst problems” can help make them some of the best people. It is often the case that it is their godly character that causes others to do them harm. Paul was just such a person, and I doubt that you know anyone who is such a gentle soul or has such a sweet spirit. If faithful service could have earned anyone exemption from trials Paul would have surely escaped them, but he didn’t. Neither will you.

As Christians we must practice what we preach. If all things work together for good as the Bible says, why do we complain about them? A bad disposition puts you in a bad position. It not only robs you of peace and joy, it stunts your growth and ruins your testimony. The antidote for our discontent, murmuring and complaining is to realize that all we have is the result of grace and “Giving thanks always for all things”. Think about it!

I just received a phone call from Bro. Ron (our Business Administrator) telling me that, due to the bad weather, he didn’t go to the office today. I agreed wholeheartedly that he made a good choice. But that simple phone call got the wheels of my mind to turning and I can’t get them to stop. So, I decided to write and share some thoughts to get your wheels to turning.

That simple phone call actually speaks volumes. It was not required, requested, nor even desired. It came as an expression of respect and concern. I trust Bro. Ron. I do not demand that he report to me about every minor issue, nor inform me of every detail. As I said, I trust him. I know him well enough to know that if he should or could do something he would. I’m not looking over his shoulder. Yet he called. While that might seem like a “little” thing to some folks, it’s a big thing to me, and an important thing about his character.

We live in a day when “common courtesies” are not so common. It is a rare thing to see now days. A lot of people are downright rude and inconsiderate. They come and go and do as they please, without any sense of accountability toward or consideration of others. That is a bad trait for anyone, but especially unbecoming for a Christian. We ought to do better than that! Whether on the job, at home, or in the church we ought to be respectful of one another. It’s the right thing to do.

The strange thing is, you can make all the rules you want, but there will be no respect if character is lacking. Every staff member, officer, teacher, worker, and ministry leader knows that they should contact someone if they can’t be on time, present, or able to fulfill their duties, yet some are not so respectful as to make a simple phone call. They wouldn’t do that at their place of employment, but think nothing of it when it comes to church related matters. Why?

Although this article is focused on a simple phone call it isn’t limited to that. The point is that “little” things are of great importance. They might be small, but they are significant. Courtesy toward others speaks volumes about our character. Whether you are a Sunday School teacher, a choir member, an officer, or whatever you do, attention should be given to the “little” things, the common courtesies. After all. this makes up the fabric of our character. Think about it!

Do you remember the signs that said, “Public Enemy Number One”? The F. B. I. made an all out attempt to get the person who occupied that place, and for good reason. They were dangerous! But, so are a lot of other things in life.

We hear a lot of talk about enemies and harmful things. We talk about enemies to our health, relationships, environment, nation, etc., but we hear little or nothing about our worst enemy–PRIDE. Is there anything that has been a greater scourge to society? Has anything been more harmful to humanity? Yet few feel threatened by it. To the contrary, some are proud of their pride– some even carry signs that say so. They play with pride as though it is a pet kitten rather than fear it as a roaring lion. Even those who admit to it usually see it as a mere fault rather than a serious sin. They love what God hates. They treat as a friend their deadliest foe.

This awful adversary does terrible things. Every sin, crime, and injustice can, in some way, be attributed to pride. And considering that we have nothing to be proud of, pride is as foolish as anything could be. Yet telling a proud person he is foolish won’t change him. It is not until he sees the danger and the destructiveness of pride that you might be able to get his attention. Explaining that, however, usually isn’t enough. He needs an experience rather than an explanation. He has to get hurt before he gets help.

If we would humble ourselves before God, as He commands, we not only would escape harm, we would experience great blessings. And the only thing that prevents us from doing that is pride. Think about it!