Tuesday, March 31, 2009

The Best of Things in the Worst of Times

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“...among whom you shine as lights in the world” (Phil.2:15).

I saw a plaque on a church in England that read, "In the year 1563, when all things sacred in the kingdom were profaned and defiled, this church was built to do the best of things in the worst of times."

I was moved by the faith, vision, and courage of those ancient builders; and couldn't help but admire their didication to do what was right when everything was going so wrong.

The prophet Daniel wrote, “the people who know their God shall prove themselves strong and shall stand firm and do great exploits; they shall prevail valiantly” (Dan.11:32). The backdrop for this splendid display of moral courage and social action was a time when deceit and flattery from political leaders had seduced the mindless masses into settling for a meaningless existence.

That’s when the people of God shine the brightest – “blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” (Phil.2:15).

Is it possible, my friend, that God is summoning you out of the comfort of a convenient life into a contest for truth and justice; an epic battle against the encroaching powers of darkness, which are stalking our homes, our schools, our courts, our market places, and our churches? Is it possible that you’re the one who can stop the plague?

All it takes is the right man at the right time.

Arthur Hugh Clough said it best in his little poem -- “Say not, ‘The struggle naught availeth; the labor and the toils are vain. The enemy shrinks not, nor faileth. As things have been, so they remain.’ For if hopes be dupes, then fears be liars. It may be even now, your comrades in yon smoke concealed, chase the fliers – and, but for you, possess the field.”

Your part matters far more than perhaps you may even realize; for you could be the voice that turns the battle, the life that makes the difference, that light that shines brightest in the darkest hour.

You can be a person who does the best of things in the worst of times.
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