Thoughts for Young Men

This past weekend, Dad, Jake, and I finished up a book study on J.C. Ryle's Thoughts for Young Men. This is an amazing book, filled to the brim with godly advice from one of the greatest Christian writers ever to set pen to paper. It is an absolute must-read for all young men and boys who aspire to be men with hearts for God.


That said, instead of writing a full-fledged review, I figured I would let Ryle's book speak for itself. Here is a collection of notes I gathered during the course of my study...


From Chapter 1:


"Surely none are so mad as those who are content to live unprepared to die."


"Young men, be not deceived. Think not that you can, at will, serve lusts and pleasures in your beginning, and then go and serve God with ease at your latter end. Think not you can live with Esau, and then die with Jacob. It is mockery to deal with God and your souls in such a fashion. It is an awful mockery to suppose that you can give the flower of your strength to the world and the devil, and then put off the King of Kings with the scraps and leavings of your hearts - the wreck and remnant of your powers. It is an awful mockery, and you may find to your coat the thing may not be done."


"I grant you true repentance is never late, but I warn you at the same time, late repentance is seldom true."

"The way of sin is downhill; a mam cannot stop when he would."
- Archbishop Robert Leighton

"Sin, once allowed to nestle in your bosom, will not be turned out at your bidding."

"Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn at no other."
- Benjamin Franklin

From Chapter 2:

"Pride is the oldest sin in the world. Indeed, it was before the world... pride stocked hell with it's first inhabitants."

"Two things are said to be very rare sights in the world - one is a young man humble, and the other is an old man content."

"Alas, this [humility] is a garment of which many seem not to have so much as a rag."

"Once the body was a perfect mansion of the soul - now it is all corrupt and disordered, and needs constant watching. It is a burden to the soul - not a helpmeet; a hindrance - not an assistance. It may become a useful servant, but it is always a bad master."

"Better be wise in time. Better write 'poison' on all earthly pleasures. The most lawful of them must be used in moderation. All of them are soul-destroying if you give them your heart."

"Pleasure must first have the warrant, that it be without sin - then the measure, that it be without excess."
- Adams, commenting on 2 Peter

"Imagination is the hotbed where this sin [impurity] is too often hatched. Guard your thoughts and there is little fear about your deeds."

"Believe me, this world is not a world in which we can do well without thinking, and least of all do well in the matter of our souls."

"... an unconverted heart is like a dishonest tradesman's books, it will not bear close inspection."

"I am serious; for all are serious round about me. God is serious in observing us - Christ is serious in interceding for us - the Spirit is serious in striving with us - the truths of God are serious - our spiritual enemies are serious in their endeavors to ruin us - poor lost sinners are serious on hell - and why then should not you and I be serious too?"
- Sir Francis Walsingham

"If it is worthwhile to have religion, it is worthwhile to be in earnest about it."

"'The fool hath said in his heart, 'There is no God.' The fool, and none but the fool. He has said it, but he has never proved it!"

"A bad life is the only objection to this Book."
- John Wilmot, Second Earl of Rochester, speaking of the Bible

"Men question the truth of Christianity because they hate the practice of it."
- Robert South

"Few seem to have any opinions of their own. Like dead fish, they go with the stream and tide: what others think right, they think right; and what others call wrong, they call wrong too. There are not many original thinkers on the world. Most men are like sheep, they follow a leader... in a word, the opinion of the day becomes their religion, their creed, their Bible, and their God."

"I fear God, and therefore I have none else to fear."
- Col. James Gardiner

From Chapter 3:

"Will you play with poison? Will you sport with hell? Will you take fire in your hand? Will you harbor your deadliest enemy in your bosom? Will you go on living as if it mattered nothing whether your own sins were forgiven or not - whether sin had dominion over you, or you over sin? Oh, awake to a sense of sin's sinfulness and danger!"

"It is just in proportion as we live upon Him [Christ], that we are strong Christians. It is only when self is nothing and Christ is all our confidence, it is then only that we shall do great exploits. Then only are we armed for the battle of life, and shall overcome. Then only are we prepared for the journey of life, and shall get forward."

"... your soul is the one thing worth living for."

"Remember Zeuxis, the great painter of old. When men asked him why he labored so intensely, and took such extreme pains with every picture, his simple answer was, 'I paint for eternity.' Do not be ashamed to be like him. Set your immortal soul before your minds eye, and when men ask you why you live as you do, answer them in his spirit, 'I live for my soul.'"

"Does not the Bible speak of young and old alike, without distinction? Is not sin, sin, whether committed at the age of twenty or fifty? Will it form the slightest excuse, in the day of judgment, to say, 'I know I sinned, but then I was young'? Show your common sense, I beg of you, by giving up such vain excuses. You are responsible and accountable to God from the very moment you know right and wrong."


"... when Satan says, 'You cannot be a Christian while you are young': answer him, 'Get thee behind me, Satan: by God's help, I will try.'"

"The Bible is God's merciful provision for sinful man's soul... all that we need to know, in order to make us peaceful, holy, or happy, is there richly contained."

"A man may as soon read the letter of Scripture without eyes, as understand the spirit of it without grace."
- William Beverage, Bishop of St. Asaph

"Let not newspapers, novels, and romances be read, while the prophets and apostles lie despised. Let not the exciting and licentious swallow up your attention, while the edifying and the sanctifying can find no place in your mind."

"... never make an intimate friend of anyone who is not a friend of God."

"... depend on it, bad company in the life that now is, is the sure way to procure worse company in the life to come."

From Chapter 4:

"There is nothing small between us and God, for God is an infinite God."
- William Bridge

"... there are two ways of going to hell; one is to walk into it with your eyes open - few people do that; the other is to go down by the steps of little sins - and that way, I fear, is only too common."

"First it startles him, then it becomes pleasing, then easy, then delightful, then frequent, then habitual, then confirmed! - then the man is impenitent, then obstinate, then resolves never to repent, and then he is damned."

- Jeremy Taylor, speaking of sin

"He that would be safe from the acts of evil, must widely avoid the occasions."
- Joseph Hall, Bishop of Norwich

"It is dangerous to play tricks with edged tools: it is far more dangerous to take liberties with your immortal soul."

"Never spend your time in such a way that you would not like to have God say, 'What art thou doing?'"

"The Gospel keeps many a one from the gaol and gallows,  if it does not keep him from hell."
- George Whitfield

"Once give over caring for the Sabbath, and in the end you will give over caring for your soul."

"... if your soul is to be saved, you must pray. God has no dumb children."

"... be sure no time is so well spent as that which a man spends upon his knees."

From Chapter 5:

"... each of us has a conscience. In a corner of each heart there sits a witness for God - a witness who condemns when we do wrong, and approves when we do right. To this witness I make my appeal this day..."

"Let it not be said of you at last, as it is of many, that your 'youth was a blunder, your manhood a struggle, and your old age a regret.'"

"... what might we not confidently expect, if young men in our own day would consecrate the springtime of their lives to God?"

"Whether is it better to be an idle, frivolous, useless cumberer of the ground, to live for your body, your selfishness, your lusts, and your pride... [or] a burning and shining light, an epistle of Christ, known and read of all men, the quickener of every Christian heart that comes across your path? Oh, who can doubt? Who can for one moment doubt?"

 * * *

Persevero,

"Scots! Wha Hae Wi' Wallace Bled"

Scots! wha hae wi' Wallace bled,

Scots! wham Bruce has aften led,

Welcome to your gory bed,

Or to victory!

~

Now's the day, and now's the hour;

See the front o' battle lour: 

See approach proud Edward's power;

Chains and slavery!

~

Wha will be a traitor knave?

Wha can fill a coward's grave?

Wha sae base as be a slave?

Let him turn and flee!

~

Wha for Scotland's King and law;

Freedom's sword will strongly draw,

Freeman stand, or freeman fa'?

Let him on wi' me!

~

By oppression's woes and pains!

By your sons in servile chains!

We will drain our dearest veins,

But they shall be free!

~

Lay the proud usurpers low!

Tyrants fall in every foe!

Liberty's in every blow!

Let us do or die!

Robert Burns

* * *

Persevero,

On Honor

Honor - n. on'or. True nobleness of mind; magnanimity; dignified respect for character, springing from probity, principal or moral rectitude; a distinguishing trait in the character of good men.

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

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"The difference between a moral man and a man of honor is that the latter regrets a discreditable act, even when it has worked and he has not been caught." H.L. Mencken

"But where ye feel you honor grip/ Let that aye be your border." Robert Burns

"Of men who have a sense of honor, more come through alive than are slain, but from those who flee comes neither glory nor any help." Homer

"If a man would guard his honor, let him guard his purity. And let him guard it jealously; as jealously as a man his wife, as jealously as a king his kingdom. For purity is the soul of honor,  and once it is lost, it cannot be regained." Benjamin Holmes

"And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor." The Declaration of Independence

"If peace cannot be maintained with honor, it is no longer peace." Lord John Russell

"In thy face I see/ The map of honor, truth, and loyalty." Shakespeare

"Better to die a thousand deaths than wound my honor." Joseph Addison

"If honor calls, where'er she points the way/ The sons of honor follow and obey." Winston Churchill

"We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful." C.S. Lewis

"... to uphold honor in ordinary circumstances, to be a hero in common life, that is a genuine achievement meriting our highest admiration." Booker T. Washington

"Better faithful than famous. Honor before prominence." Theodore Roosevelt

"True conscious honor is to feel no sin/ He's armed without that's innocent within." Alexander Pope

"Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Understanding is not enough; we must do. Knowing and understanding make for honor. And honor is the heart of wisdom." Johann Goethe

"His honor rooted in dishonour stood/ And faith unfaithful kept him falsely true." Alfred, Lord Tennyson

(The majority of these quotations were
taken from The Christian Almanac,

edited by George Grant & Gregory Wilbur)

* * *

Persevero,

Created for Work ~ Ch. 20 "Sidestepping Discouragement"

"We could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world."

~ Helen Keller

In this chapter, Schultz adresses one of the most successful strategies in the devil's playbook: discouragement. 

~

It's an undermining tool that's hard to beat for its simplicity and effectiveness. I imagine that if the devil were instructing one of his minions, he would say something like this: "My boy, if you want to defeat a Christian, all you have to do is get him to focus on himself instead of his God." That's the essence of discouragement. It's focusing on your own pathetic self instead of on Almighty God. And the consequence is debilitating. 

~

A Christian who constantly allows himself to be sucked into discouragement and then wallows in it will never do anything worth speaking of. He will never work the way God intends for him to work because he's too mindful of himself and too forgetful of Christ. He is allowing his selfish feelings to dictate what he will or will not do. His is a sorry state.

~

Discouragement is a thing all of us encounter it at one time or another. What matters is how we deal with it. Do we sidestep it, and go on to do what God has commanded us to do? Or do we give up, turn back, as Pliable did when he and Christian fell into the Slough of Despond? 

~

William Tyndale. John Calvin. Martin Luther. Ulrich Zwingli. These are the names of some of the greatest men of the Reformation. Can you imagine the amount of discouragement they faced? They were constantly threatened by death, prison, and all manner of ghastly persecutions. They were hated, scorned, and hunted down like beasts. Yet through all this, they persevered in the work God had given them. Imagine how history would have been affected if they had let discouragement get the better of them. 

~

Even though he was a brilliant composer, most of Scott Joplin's works were received with little or no enthusiasm. Ragtime music was considered by most people to be "lower class". Joplin became depressed and finally had a nervous breakdown from which he never recovered. In 1917, he was admitted to a mental hospital, where he died soon afterwards. Joplin met with discouragement and succumbed to it.

~

So how does one sidestep discouragement? Here's some practical advice from Schultz:

Work even when you don't feel like it. "A discouraged man doesn't have to stop living. He doesn't have to wait until he feels joyful to accomplish his work. When you are committed to a job that you don't feel like doing, do it anyway. Waiting until you feel like working promotes laziness, destroys your productivity, and clouds your mind."

Ignore the excuses. "The leaves in the yard need raking. It's your job. Your afternoon is free, but it's raining lightly. Everybody knows that human bodies don't melt when exposed to water. Still, some discouragement sneaks into your mind to announce, 'It's too wet to work outside.' Once allowed into your mind and permitted to stay, that one discouraging thought opens the door to his buddies who enter declaring, 'By all means work on any other day but not today!' Is your body able to do the job? Yes. Forget the phantoms in your mind and let your body at it! Get a coat. Slap on your hat. Walk straight for the rake and begin. Soon you'll be finished!"

Keep your eyes focused on God, not yourself. "God has not given us a spirit of fear to back down from work. He has given us a spirit of power and of a sound mind to do the tasks before us. A good worker can keep a clear mind by tackling his work, especially when he doesn't feel like it."

~

"So we built the wall; and all the wall was joined

unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work."

~ Nehemiah 4:6

* * *

Persevero,

On Courage & Cowardice

Courage - n. kur'rage. Bravery; intrepidity; that quality of mind which enables men to encounter danger and difficulties with firmness... valor; boldness; resolution.

~
Cowardice - n. Want of courage to face danger; timidity; pusillanimity; a fear of exposing one's person to danger.
Webster's 1828 Dictionary

--------------------------------------

"... be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." The Bible

"Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die." G.K. Chesterton

   

"If all the world were just, there would be no need of valor." Plutarch

"Courage is grace under pressure." Ernest Hemingway

"Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don't have the strength." Theodore Roosevelt

"Real valor consists not in being insensible to danger, but in being prompt to confront and disarm it." Sir Walter Scott

"Courage: the footstool of all virtues upon which they stand." Robert Louis Stevenson

"Among the Americans who served on Iwo Jima, uncommon valor was a common virtue." Fleet Admiral Chester. W. Nimitz

"There is a seed of courage hidden... waiting for some final and desperate danger to make it grow." J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

"Fear can keep a man out of danger, but courage can support him in it." Thomas Fuller

"In valor there is hope." Tactitus

"A coward dies a thousand deaths, the valiant dies but once." William Shakespeare

"Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point, which means, at the point of highest reality. A chastity or honesty or mercy which yields to danger will be chaste or honest or merciful only on conditions. Pilate was merciful until it became risky." C.S. Lewis

"One man with courage makes a majority." Andrew Jackson

"Chivalry is knowing what to do in a given situation and then having the courage to act without regard to the outcome." Rex Page

"A coward can fight any battle he's sure of winning; but give me the man who has the pluck to fight when he's sure of losing. That's my way, sir; and there are many victories worse than a defeat." George Eliot

"Where courage is not, no other virtue can survive except by accident." Samuel Johnson

"Tell a man he is brave, and you help him to become so." Thomas Carlyle

"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen." Sir Winston Churchill

"Courage consists not in hazarding without fear, but being resolutely minded in a just cause." Plutarch

"To see what is right and not to do it is cowardice. It is never a question of who is right but what is right." John Buchan. 

"The courage we desire and prize is not the courage to die decently but to live manfully." Thomas Carlyle

"Courage is resitance to fear, mastery of fear - not absence of fear. Except of creature be part coward, it is no compliment to say it is brave." Mark Twain

"Courage and resolution are the spirit and soul of virtue." Thomas Fuller

"I prefer to strive in bravery with the bravest, rather than in wealth with the wealthiest, or in greed with the greediest." Plutarch

"There is little extraordinary about the achievements of a genius, a prodigy, or a savant. Inevitably, a great leader is someone who overcomes tremendous obstacles and still succeeds. That is the essence of courage. It is the ability to maintain, in the face of grave perils, a kind of incognizance of the consequences of doing right. It is the ability to maintain great strength without any impulsive compulsion to use it - that strength is to be held in reserve until and unless it becomes necessary to use it for the cause of right." Tristan Gylbard

"Boldness is prudence. Couage is manliness." James Longstreet

"But screw your courage to the sticking place and we'll not fail." William Shakespeare

"A pound of pluck is worth a ton of luck." James A. Garfield

"No coward soul is mine/No trembler in the world's storm-troubled sphere/I see Heaven's glories shine/And faith shines equal, arming me from fear." Emily Bronte

"The world has no room for cowards. We must all be ready somehow to suffer, to toil, to die. And yours is not the less noble because no drum beats before you when you go out into your daily battlefields, and no crowds shout about your coming when you return from your daily victory or defeat." Robert Louis Stevenson

"Cowardice alone is loss of fame." Dryden

"Courage that grows from constitution, often forsakes a man when he has occasion for it; courage which arises from a sense of duty, acts in a uniform manner." Joseph Addison

(The majority of these qoutations were

taken from The Christian Almanac, edited by

George Grant & Gregory Wilbur)

* * *

Persevero,

 

Created for Work ~ Ch. 19 "Promptly After, But Not Before"

"A fool may make money, but it needs a wise man to spend it."

~ C.H. Spurgeon

Schultz opens chapter 17 of Created for Work with some basic advice about the business world: "Never pay a man for his labor before he does his work. Never recieve pay before you accomplish a task." If you intend to run a prosperous and God-honoring business, this advice is absolutely essential to bear in mind. Why? Here are two simple answers... 

~

First, You Will Be Honoring God.

The Christian businessman should always seek to conduct his affairs according to the character of his Maker. "His customers, suppliers and associates should see God in the man as he transfers property and services from one person to another."

~ 

Let's say you paid God for two pounds of roofing nails. Would He put less than that amount in your sack? Of course not. He may give you two pounds and perhaps a little extra, but not less. That's because He has enough and is generous with what He has. Therefore, just as God would never give less than the amount agreed upon, the Christian should always fulfill the bargains he makes. He should never cheat his customers or those he works for. He should work and pay with the promptness and generosity of his God.

~ 

God also doesn't pay men before they work. You have to plow, plant, and cultivate before you can harvest. In Matthew 20, we find the parable told by Jesus about the generous householder and the workers in the vinyard. The householder agreed on a wage with those he hired, and paid them at the end of the day when the job was done. God doesn't pay before completion because He knows the nature of man. Man tends to rest after receiving his reward. Therefore, the Christian should withhold payment until the job is finished. It may be necessary to pay for the cost of the materials before they are installed; however, never pay for labor before the workers complete the task.

~

Second, You Will Be Doing Yourself A Favor.

By withholding payment until the task is done, you can avoid some painful experiences. Here's an example from Schultz: "My father-in-law wanted a new seat for his motor home. He paid full price when he ordered it. Somehow, the company couldn't get their hands on that seat. After five months and numerous requests, he sent his lawyer after them. Amazingly, the company quickly called to say that his seat was ready for installation as soon as they received the lawyer's letter." When you pay someone before they work, they lose their motivation. After all, why should they go out in the cold and rain to work when they already have the money? They can just wait for a better day. On the other hand, the man who needs the money will surmount many obstacles to finish the job because he has his eye on the wealth he hopes to gain. Full men do not work like hungry men.

~

Schultz says, "I don't accept money for my labor before doing a job. As all men, I work best when hungry and looking ahead for payment. If someone pays me at the start of a job, it takes away my incentive. It makes me feel like I'm in debt. Instead of working simply because I want to, when prepaid, I work because I have to, to pay the obligation."

~

Following the simple rule of "Promptly After, But Not Before" allows you to put a helpful safeguard on your business. What's more, you're aligning your affairs with the character of God. "He knows how to live," says Schultz, "and it's worth your while to follow His design, especially in business. May you always have a reputation for paying promptly and generously but not before the job is finished, because that's how God does it." 

~

"And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be."

Revelation 22:12   

* * *

Persevero,

More From Roosevelt On American Boyhood

"The best boys I know - the best men I know - are good at their studies or their business, fearless and stalwart, hated and feared by all that is wicked and depraved, incapable of submitting to wrong-doing, and equally incapable of being aught but tender to the weak and helpless. A healthy-minded boy should feel hearty contempt for the coward, and even more hearty indignation for the boy who bullies girls or small boys, or tortures animals. One prime reason for abhorring cowards is because every good boy should have it in him to thrash the objectionable boy as the need arises.

~

"Of course the effect that a thoroughly manly, thoroughly straight and upright boy can have upon companions of his own age, and upon those younger, is incalculable. If he is not thoroughly manly, then they will not respect him, and his good qualities will count for but little; while, of course, if he is mean, cruel, or wicked, then his physical strength and force of mind merely make him so much the more objectionable a member of society. He cannot do good work if he is not strong and does not try with his whole heart and soul to count in any contest; and his strength will be a curse to himself and to everyone else if he does not have thorough command over himself and over his own evil passions, and if he does not use his strength on the side of decency, justice, and fair dealing.

~

In short, in life, as in a football game, the principal to follow is:

Hit the line hard; don't foul and don't shirk, but hit the line hard!"

~ Theodore Roosevelt, The American Boy

* * *

Persevero,

Created for Work ~ Ch. 18 "The Plumbline"

"Important principals may, and must be, inflexible."

~ Abraham Lincoln

For those of you not familiar with the term, a "plumbline" is a line (as of cord) that is weighted at one end and is used especially to determine the verticality or straightness of something (you can make a simple one by taking a piece of string and tying a rock to one end). And when we say something is "plumb", we mean that it is exactly straight or true.

~

Accurate measurements and calculations are fundamental to any project. They form the foundation of all well-laid plans.

~ 

With them, you're sure to succeed. Without them, you're toast.

~

With them, you can work smoothly, knowing the particular specifications your project must meet. Without them, your work will be slow and full of the unecessary hinderances which arise from poor planning.

~

With them, everything will fall into place in the end. Without them, forget it.

~

Notice the word "accurate". It's not enough to just have measurements and calculations. They must be accurate measurements and calculations. Any other kind is insufficient, misleading, and ultimately harmful. The importance of this fact cannot be over-stated.

~

Furthermore, if accurate measurements and calculations are key in earthly affairs, are they not even more important in eternal affairs? If it is essential that houses and towers be built plumb and square and level, is it not much more essential that lives be so? Indeed, yes. A rock and a piece of string serves as a trustworthy plumbline to build a house by; and the Bible serves as a trustworthy plumbline to live by. God's Word is the universal plumbline, the only thing by which a man may accurately measure himself and his work.   

~

Sadly, many people do not acknowledge this to be the case. They ignore the Bible and the divine instructions it gives. They throw away the yardstick God has provided them, and then substitute their own. They arrogantly assume they can live by their own rules. Some live based on how they feel; others let selfish desires take control; still others have no rule but lawlessness. In every case, the end result is misery, chaos, and failure.

~

If our lives, including the way we work and do business, do not match up with the specifications given in the Bible, we're headed for disaster. Bob Schultz says, "Some folks mistakenly think that the Bible is for the religious world and not the business world. That kind of thinking leads any society into chaos. God intended His Word to be the standard measurement for industry and commerce. By it, men exchange goods and services in a way where everyone profits. Wherever men align their businesses with a practical understanding of the Bible, their society prospers."

~

"Suppose," Schultz continues, "you go to a garage sale and see a $600 table saw with a $200 sign on it. You've been looking for one just like it. Do you slap down the cash and buy it before somebody else sees it? Maybe, but maybe not. As you talk with the woman holding the garage sale, you find that her husband died six months before and she is selling his tools to help make ends meet. She has no clue to the worth of the saw. What is the right thing to do? Here's a quote from God's Plumbline, 'Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees... To turn aside the needy from judgment, and to take away the right from the poor of my people, that widows may be their prey, and that they may rob the fatherless!' (Isaiah 10:1-2). If you ever take advantage of a widow in  a business transaction, watch out. God will surely reprove you. Look through the Bible, observe God's heart for widows, and align with Him. If you need that table saw, buy it. However, don't pay the $200 dollars she ignorantly asked for. If you have it, pay the $600 it's worth before someone else comes along and takes advantage of her. If you dont have $600, tell her what it's worth and offer her as much as you can. That's God's standard."

~

The Bible is the godly business man's instruction manuel. He aligns his work with it and with it alone. He rejects personal feelings, selfish desires, and lawlessness as contrary to God's commands. He measures his business by God's Word, and flourishes accordingly.  "The simple rock and string set the standard for every building in the world, from the skyscrapers of New York to the wooden huts in the Congo. The simple Bible, in the same way, sets the standard for business and work, from the most complex corporation to the lemonade stand on the sidewalk. As you go about life's business, may you learn to be a good builder, aligning all your affairs with God's Plumbline."

"Thus he showed me: and, behold, the Lord stood upon a wall made by a plumbline, with a plumbline in his hand. And the Lord said unto me, Amos, what seest thou? And I said, A plumbline. Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumbline in the midst of my people Israel..."

~ Amos 7:7-8

* * *

Persevero,

King Alfred's War Song

When the enemy comes a'roarin' like a flood,

Coveting the kingdom and hungering for blood,

The Lord will raise a standard up and lead His people on,

The Lord of Hosts will go before defeating every foe;

        defeating every foe.

~

For the Lord is our defense, Jesus defend,

For the Lord is our defense, Jesu defend.

~

Some men trust in chariots, some trust in the horse,

But we will depend upon the Name of Christ our Lord,

The Lord has made my hands for war and my fingers to fight.

The Lord lays low our enemies, but He raises us upright;

He raises us upright.

~

For the Lord is our defense, Jesus defend,

For the Lord is our defense, Jesu defend.

~

A thousand fall on my left hand, ten thousand to the right,

But He will defend us from the arrow in the night.

Protect us from the terrors of the teeth of the devourer,

Embue us with Your Spirit, Lord, encompass us with with power;

encompass us with power.

~

For the Lord is our defense, Jesus defend,

For the Lord is our defense, Jesu defend.

* * *

Persevero,

Dockers for Christmas?

A surprise from Dockers.  Who would have thought we'd ever see an ad like this? Tongue-in-cheek or not, it's still true.

~

And, yes, the feminists are up in arms.  (CAUTION: Mature Content)

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Persevero,

Scribe

Neutrality Loathesome

God will have all, or none; serve Him or fall

Down before Baal, Bel, or Belial:

Either be hot, or cold: God doth despise,

Abhor, and spew out all Neutralities.

~ Robert Herrick

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Persevero,

Scribe

Created for Work ~ Chapter 16 "My Instructor"

"Quiet waiting before God would save from many a mistake and from many a sorrow."

~ J. Hudson Taylor

All of us have "Mission: Impossible"s to face: those tasks that look way too big, bad, and ugly for us to grapple with. One cannot go through life without encountering walls that seem impossible to climb, oceans that seem impossible to swim, or races that seem impossible to run. It's inevitable. The question isn't "Will I face such things?" The question is, "How will I respond?"

~

There are a variety of ways one can respond to the "big, bad, and ugly" things of life. Here are some of the most common...

1. Complain. This is what got the Israelites in trouble. Whenever they found themselves facing overwhelming odds, they started playing the "Woe is I" game. Too often, we are just like the Israelites, and voices which should be lifted in praise to the Lord are used to murmur against Him.  
2. Ignore. We try to take our problem and sweep it under the rug, hoping it will somehow magically disappear. We convince ourselves that a trouble unacknowledged is a trouble  nonexistent. Of course, this is really poor reasoning. Ignoring a problem will not fix that problem. Rather, it will most likely cause that problem to grow, leaving us worse off than before.
3. Despair. This response often goes hand in hand with complaining. When we face a trial, and realize just how big it is and how little we are, we go belly up. We quit, and let our troubles suck all the joy out of us. Instead if rejoicing in the Lord, we moan, groan, and say, "Just shoot me, I can't take it anymore". 
4. Panic. Sometimes, we treat life like some sort of arcade game. We're fine as long as we feel that we've got things under control. When things get real tough, however, and we begin to feel like we're losing our grip, we automatically rush to hit the big red panic button in the lower left corner of the screen. This is a very childish response to trouble. Running around like headless chickens is a sure way to get absolutely nowhere. 
5. Rage. This respones is akin to the toddler's temper-tantrum. When things don't go like we want them to, we steam and stew over it, inwardly shaking our fists and gnashing our teeth. We resent the tough situations and trials we are dealing with, and fight madly against them.  In reality, however (although we often won't admit it), our steaming and stewing is against God, who in His infinite wisdom, prepared those very trials for us. 

So, there you have five common responses to the "big, bad, and the ugly" things of life. All of them are wrong, of course (and on further consideration, these responses are more like reactions). There really is only one right way to respond to those times when we're between a rock and a hard place: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not on thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." (Prov. 3:5-6)

~

In this passage from chapter 16 of Created for Work, Bob Schultz shares the following story... 

"At two o' clock in the morning, I couldn't sleep... In a few hours my boss expected me to begin the interior woodwor on a new house. Not just any new house, but the biggest and fanciest house I've ever built. The foundation was easy enough. We got through the framing O.K. However, now he wanted me to install the trim and I had only a little experience."

~

"Thinking of the massive entry staircase, the expensive walnut paneling for the living, the truckload of tongue-and-groove ceder for the library left me weak with fear. I'd never nailed on one piece of baseboard before, let alone all this costly wood. How could I do anything but fail?

~

"I poured my heart out to God telling Him my fears and worries. My spirit calmed but my stomach remained in a knot. From two o' clock to six o' clock I read the Bible, listening for His answer to my need...

~

"By the time the sun came up, God had calmed my fears. He promised His wisdom and convinced me that He would communicate it. I wasn't overflowing with boldness that morning, but I did have the courage to show up for work. He was there and He kept His word.

~

"I stood in the living room holding the first sheet of paneling. A painter walked through the door beside me. 'Hey,' he said, 'I saw a carpenter once putting on some of that and he...' At that point the painter began to speak as if he was lecturing to a classroom of new paneling installers. After telling me everything I needed to know, he apologized, 'I don't know why I told you all that, I'm sure you knew it already.' Embarassed by his outburst of information, he ducked from the room.

~

" I followed God's advice given to me through the painter. The paneled walls turned out beautifully. No one would imagine that the installer began without knowing how.

~

"My God taught me how to build stairs. I blundered my way into the double valutes, upeasings, and newels. With His help I precisely installed all the parts... Throughout the job, God brought to my mind just what I needed to know to finish the house and to exceed my boss's expectations...

~

"God loves to speak, to teach, to lead. He constantly teaches anyone willing to learn. A good worker will listen for God's practical instructions and follow them. I hope that describes you. If it doesn't, start today to pay attention to the wisdom God is speaking to you. Your God isn't

a distant being who left the world to fend for itself. He's constantly speaking. May you have ears to hear."

~

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." - John 10:27

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Persevero,

Scribe

Advice from Theodore Roosevelt

"With soul of flame and temper of steel we must act as our coolest judgment bids us. We must exercise the largest charity towards the wrong-doer that is compatible with relentless war against wrong-doing. We must be just to others, generous to others, and yet we must realize that it is a shameful and a wicked thing not to withstand oppression with a high heart and a ready hand. With gentleness and tenderness there must go dauntless bravery and grim acceptance of labor and hardship and peril. All for each, and each for all, is a good motto; but only on condition that each works with might and main to so maintain himself as not to be a burden to others."

~ Theodore Roosevelt, The Vigor of Life

"A Son's Most Precious Inheritance"

You got it from your father.

It was all he had to give.

So it's yours to use and cherish

For as long as you may live.

~

If you lose the tools he gave you

They can always be replaced.

But a black mark on your name, Son,

Can never be erased.

~

So make sure you guard it wisely

After all is said and done.

You'll be glad your name is spotless

When you give it to your son.


~ Author Unknown


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Persevero,
Scribe

Created for Work ~ Chapter 15 "How Could It Be My Fault?"

Self-defense is instinctive in most of us. When confronted in any kind of threatening manner, our first reaction is to get into a fighting stance; to let fly a right swing and a left jab. This instinct can be a good thing. At the same time, it can be a bad thing...

~

Self-defense can be good thing if your accosted by a thug in a dark alley at night. In such a situation, it is usually best to let loose with whatever weapons are handy, whether that's your .38 Special, rocks, your pocket-knife, or your fists. Now, I seriously doubt any of you have ever  had to get rough with a thug in a dark alley at night. However, there is another kind of self-defense - the bad kind - which we all use quite often in everyday situations - at home, at work, at school, or at play. And it's this kind of self-defense that Bob Schultz addresses in Chapter 15 of Created for Work.

~

When somebody blames us for a problem, what is too often our first reaction? We get defensive. We "let loose" with a string of hot words, indignantly pointing out that "it's not my fault". This is the bad kind of 'self-defense' I was talking about, and it's rooted in an "I just can't bear to be wrong" attitude - in other words, it's rooted in three things:

1. Pride. We feel that if someone proves us wrong, it will damage our ego. 
2. Arrogance. We think we "know it all" and therefore we can't possibly be wrong.
3. Stubbornness. We refuse to acknowledge our fault, even in the face of evidence.

Everybody struggles with these things to some extent or another. Pride, arrogance, and stubbornness are sin, and sin is inherent to man's nature. However, Christians are called to something different than sin and wickedness; they are called to overcome their inherent nature through Christ, and to "put off the old man with his deeds, and... put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him." (Col. 3:10) 

~

So, instead of automatically jumping the gun when trouble comes our way and shouting "It's not my fault!", we should stop, pray, and really consider what we're faced with. God will give wisdom to those who humbly ask Him. When a problem is considered in a prayerful way, God often reveals to us facets of the situation of which we were not aware. Sometimes, you might just find that you were in fact the one to blame. Schultz says, "We have the tendency to see the faults of others before considering our own shortcomings. Convinced of our right standing, we are blind to the fact that we might be part or even the whole problem."  Many people (and I've been among them at times), when faced with this, simply bluster and storm about it, choosing to be stubborn and hard-headed, which only increases the strife. This is not the way to handle things. The way to handle things is with humility. This all-important weapon of the Christian faith is one of the greatest ways we can combat pride. It will open many doors which pride closes. It is requisite to fighting the good fight of faith.

~

 Therefore, "the next time you have a disagreement with somebody, or perhaps have some other trouble on your hands, pause and ask yourself, 'Am I part of the problem?'... It's the godly man who looks for his own foot before he criticizes somebody else."

~

"Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults."

- Psalm 19:12

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Persevero,

Scribe