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INTRODUCTION
At a recent retreat for leaders and members for
our tri-state network, City Covenant Coalition (see report below), I was
impressed with the down-to-earth wisdom of one of our leaders, Pastor
Victor Nazario, who said, "You have two ends, your head and your tail.
You will be successful depending on which end you use. Heads you win, tails you lose!"
Sometimes the complexity of life can be broken down to just a few simple
words. However, Victor was obviously not referring to the outcome of
life being determined by a toss of the dice or the flip of a coin!
Although fate and fortune may play a hand, we can proactively influence
life's outcome according to our efforts.
STACKING THE DICE
For workaholics, hard work is its own reward, but
surely a balanced life should have equal amounts of work and play.
Successful people, over the long haul and in every field, are not driven
so hard that they burn out after a couple of years. They know how to
'stack the dice' in their favor by progressively advancing their cause
and pacing themselves for the long run.
THE CRUCIBLE OF DISCOMFORT
We've all heard the saying "it's not how you
start, but how you finish" that counts! In ministry, there is no shortage
of sprinters, but few long distance runners. Ecclesiastes 9:11 puts it
this way, "...the race is not to the swift...." A shooting star persists
for an instant, but longevity demands another quality of persistence
that can only be forged in the crucible of discomfort! Growth can only
happen when we are stretched, which is never comfortable. If we are
going to complete our race, then we ourselves must be complete. As it
says in James 1:2-4, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall
into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces
patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be
perfect and complete, lacking nothing." In other words, completeness
means maturity!
A GREAT CLOUD OF WITNESSES
Maturity and character go together like keyboard
and computer
- you can't have one without the other! Only strength of
character can give us the perseverance and persistence we need for the
long haul! Character is the difference between resisting or falling for
the things that would make us fall short of the mark of God's
destination for our lives. And although life is not a game, our progress
is observed by a great cloud of witnesses, as it says in Hebrews
1:1-2, "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a
cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so
easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set
before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who
for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the
shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
LEADING BY EXAMPLE
Leaders must lead by example, and by nature they
are defined by being out in front, seeking an eternal 'gold medal'!
"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives
the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who
competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to
obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I
run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the
air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I
have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified" (1
Cor. 9:24-27).
FINISHING THE RACE
Sometimes, the church on earth lifts up as heroes
those whose lives have ended in disrepute or obscurity. Evan Roberts was
used by God for a short time to spark off the Welsh Revival, which
touched the world in the early 20th century, but he lived as a recluse
for most of the rest of his life. A. A. Allen was used mightily by God
in the great healing revivals in the mid 20th century but ended up an
alcoholic.
The real heroes are those who go the distance,
demonstrate longevity, stay faithful to the cause, and who can testify
like Paul, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I
have kept the faith" (2 Tim. 4:7).
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