"For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass." The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away..." I Peter 1:24.
Recently, I was going through some old files at work being amazed at the wealth of history recorded in them. Being relatively new at my current position, I searched earnestly for anything that could help me understand my job from those who had held my same position in previous years. Who were these men? What happened to them? Were they successful? Does anyone remember them now or the achievements they may have made for the organization?
These thoughts stayed with me throughout the day and even the next morning while standing in front of the mirror shaving. The Spirit of God began talking to me inviting me to put down my razor and to get alone with Him. God reminded me of how short our lives really are. Most of us will go through this life and not accomplish great feats by the world’s standards. Our chances of being popular or famous are virtually non existent. Besides, there is a price to pay for fame. The time, money and energy required to reach success is costly. "One cannot serve two masters." Matthew 6:24
The stark reality is that as time passes most of us will not be remembered beyond death by too many people. Our names, where we lived, what we liked, what we disliked, where we worked, our accomplishments, and failures will all be forgotten. The plight of this reality has plagued many middle aged individuals, often driving some to seek answers regarding the purpose for their lives. Some even sink to various levels of depression unable to find meaning for their lives.
Often I take walks in the crowded afternoons of downtown. Sometimes I gaze in the faces of people scurrying by. I wonder who they are and where they are going. Only those of us who know that our Creator has allotted a specific amount of time for each one of us to live can appreciate how precious our time is. I have met many people void of the reality of God who comfort their thoughts of mortality by performing good works, obtaining worldly success, or just staying busy. They don’t allow their minds to entertain such thoughts as death.
"Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it... It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloveth sleep." Psalm 127:1-2
Our children are often encouraged to strive to be the best that they can be. They are led to believe that by working and studying hard, opportunities are limitless. We too, most likely, can remember hearing many times how this great country is the land of many opportunities. Indeed, it is. Oh, but how easy it is to labor in vain! Unless I am led by the Spirit, allowing God to direct my path, I will spend a lot of useless time keeping busy and my mind far away from God. Keeping busy can be deceptive. It can fool our minds into believing that we are accomplishing things. Haven’t we all heard the old adage, "Idleness is the Devil’s workshop." It can be just as beguiling to clutter our lives up with things that keep us too busy to spend time with God, our families, and other simple pleasures of life.
"For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in His presence." I Corinthians 1:26-28
There is something interesting about the nature of man that I have noticed. Those who are rich sometimes look down on those with less. People with less sometimes feel unfavorable towards those who are rich. The same may hold true for those in authority and those under authority.
Look at education for example. A few well-educated people may feel superior over those who are less educated. 'Knowledge puffeth up," exclaimed the writer of I Corinthians. This is evil. However, it is just as evil for an uneducated person to look down on educated people or think that all educated people are high-minded.
Looking back at my life, I have lived on both sides of the fence. The only expectation for me was to graduate from high school. I did graduate, but it was not with honors. No one in my family ever considered a college education. In my parent’s day, graduating from high school was considered a major accomplishment when one considers that just a few years earlier many people were struggling through the Great Depression. What was expected of me, however, was to earn a high school diploma, secure a steady job, and raise a family.
Ten years after graduating from high school I attended college. I learned that nearly everyone there was just like me. Obtaining a degree took hard work, but I proved it was obtainable for most anyone who had a desire to work for it. Soon after I graduated from college my father asked me if I had learned anything. I thought for a moment and then said, "I learned how much I do not know!"
Education is a wonderful way to broaden one’s understanding of the vastness of God’s creation. A wise person will use knowledge as a means of seeing the Lord in all things. Knowledge seen through the eyes of the Spirit can be obtained in a formal classroom setting as well as through everyday life experiences. It is up to us to capture it regardless of how it comes.
Someone has probably written somewhere that ignorance can stagnate or even destroy society. No doubt that education is beneficial to an easier way of life with modern conveniences, medicine, and other technology. Think of the vast discoveries of this century. There have been more advances in the past hundred years than most years before this century. True ignorance is not measured by lack of diplomas or college degrees but by the lack of knowing the ways of God. True success is being led by the Spirit in all our endeavors. Searching and finding God’s will for our lives is the only way to find peace and happiness.
"Whom shall He teach knowledge? and whom shall He make to understand doctrine? Isaiah 28:9 "Wise men lay up knowledge: but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction." Proverbs. 10:14
"Where is the wise? ...hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?" 'Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men." I Corinthians 1:20,25
I have learned that God has a purpose for His elect. This is why it is important to follow the leading of the Spirit. Neither laziness nor fear are excuses to keep us from attaining what God has designed for our lives. As I mentioned earlier, no one in my family expected me or other family members to go to college. There is another important event in my life that I want to express.
My initial reason for wanting a college education was to do social work. My heart was set on helping people in social distress; I needed a degree to obtain employment in this field. I went to work for the American Red Cross as a social service caseworker. This was a good experience for me. Both the director of the department and the social services supervisor where licensed social workers-- demanding at times-- but I gained a wealth of knowledge over the ten years I worked under them.
I knew these women would be retiring in a few years. I was a hard worker, committed to the organization, and the next person in line to be promoted to one of these positions. In the back of my mind I had a fear of taking one of these positions because I thought that I would be placed in situations that would be uncomfortable for me and not pleasing to God. For example, I knew that all directors and supervisors were required to attend annual planning retreats. No doubt there would be partying and other activities in which I could not participate. I would also be required to work along side people that were either hard to get along with or who where just too "worldly " for my taste. These feelings were rooted in my lack of understanding of true sin and how to deal with it.
Eventually, I was promoted to a supervisory position and later made director of the department. Thank God for giving me a boss who intentionally put me in situations that helped give me more self confidence and a clearer view of God’s ways. Whereas my first supervisor used a controlling management approach, limiting me to strict boundaries, my new manager allowed me to exercise my resourcefulness. I learned early in my spiritual walk that God ordains all authority. This truth helped me see God’s hand and accept those placed over me. Although both managers had contrasting styles of supervision I benefited from each one. Like a skilled craftsman, God placed both of these people over my life to be used as instruments to sculpt my spiritual growth.
I was given many challenging assignments during the first two years in my new position. As I look back now, I can see how each one was perfectly designed by God to bring forth qualities in me I was not aware even existed. The Spirit was always gently pulling, prodding, and leading me. Yes, there were times when I found myself in unpleasant circumstances as the department head, but God always provided a way for me to either handle the situation or avoid it altogether.
It is frightening to think that I could have been left alone to decide my own fate. Surely I would have chosen to remain confined, isolated, and unfruitful like a butterfly buried inside a cocoon. False humility would have crippled my life. I praise Him for trusting me more than I trusted myself!
"Trust in the Lord, and do good; so thou shalt dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass." Psalm 37:3-4
More Testimonies Click Here / Free Tracts Press Here / Main Page Click Here