Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Friday October 14, 2005

I asked a friend, “What are you doing today?” His answer is a classic;

"I'm just waiting around for my chance at greatness."

Truth be known many if not most of us wait around hoping for grand opportunities to descend from the heavens upon us, sort of like 'Showers of greatness' and thrust us into the limelight as true luminaries of our Great God.

The idea of greatness being suddenly thrust upon us is a dream, a dream that will become a nightmare if we are not prepared for the hour of destiny. I have a friend who always thought he would be able to intervene in some crime being committed, ordering some criminal to 'drop the gun.' Strangely enough he actually got the chance. A man robbed a grocery store and came running out brandishing a gun. My friend soiled his pants and hid in the floor of his car when he saw the masked man coming out of the door. So much for his opportunity to demonstrate his greatness. We call him White Cloud.

The dear pastor of another era, Phillips Books, who wrote, "O Little Town of Bethlehem" and was a deeply spiritual man as well as a pastor said:

"Character may be manifested in the great moments, but it is made in the small ones."

In the vast majority of lives, it is imperative to learn the value of forming the habit of doing the right things day in and day out. Usually these 'things' are seemingly insignificant and we make the mistake of thinking they are truly unimportant. The cumulative effect of these mistakes can be disastrous over the long haul, and voila, when the chance finally comes we are unfit to grasp and use it for our benefit, or as the case may be, for the glory of the Lord.

In his book "The Greatest Salesman In The World" the late Og Mandino had his wise man say, "I will form good habits and become their slave." The fact is we are the slave of good or bad habits. Whether or not we become people of character is largely determined by our choice of habits. The Apostle Paul talked about this in his epistle to the Romans when he talked being the slave to righteousness through Christ or the choosing to be dominated by sin, which will rule over us as tyrant.

The giants of the faith, throughout history have been men and women of habit. Daniel, The Three Hebrews, David, Jesus Christ and the New Testament heroes were acquainted with the value of establishing the habit of prayer. I teach and attempt to practice the truth that prayer is a very good foundation for the forming of other good habits.

What little thing do you hope to do today? Is it worth making it a habit?

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2005 Use with credit

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