Christian Living

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Thursday 1-5-12

When I was yet in my pre-adolescent state I read Victor Hugo's famous book, The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I confess to my initial interest being associated with football, but I was intrigued by the book.

One day as a few little criminals and I walked past the movie theatre we noticed the movie on the Hunchback was showing. We applied our secret knowledge of how all of us could attend the show on one dime, not per person but per group and saw the show. In later years I discovered Mr. Hugo was a professing Christian. Mr. Hugo said:

"Have courage for the great sorrows of life, and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake."

The statement alludes to four attributes of effective living, courage, patience, duty and trust. To downplay either of these four will lead to an unbalanced journey on a deeply rutted road.

I am encouraged by David's mention of our God who is perpetually awake in Psalms 121:4 "Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep." The word keepeth carries the idea "as a rich man guards his treasure." While Jacob slept at Bethel, God who is awake came and said to him in Genesis 28:15 "And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of."

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2012 Use with credit

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