Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Monday July 16, 2007

My old buddy Austin Bennett is back at it, sending me quotes that fit like a glove into my sermons, though he does not have a clue as to what I will be preaching about when he sends said quotes to me. Another friend assured me that he does not have a clue as to what I preached after he has heard the sermon, so therefore Austin must be in a special class.

As regular readers know I often talk about failure, mostly due to the fact that it is one of the very few subjects in which I have enormous experience.

My quote today comes from Ivy Baker Priest. Mrs. Priest was born into deep poverty but rose to be the Treasurer of the United States of America. One of her quotes, while it has nothing to do with today's thought is worth sharing just for the fun of it. Ivy said,

"We women ought to put first things first. Why should we mind if men have their faces on the money, as long as we get our hands on it?"

On one occasion Priest was seated next to Norman Vincent Peale at a Washington, D.C., luncheon. The famous minister turned to her and said: "Mrs. Priest, the people I have known in this world who have achieved things have all overcome some great handicap to reach their goal. I hope you won't mind my asking you . . . what was yours?" Without hesitation she responded, "'Poverty.'" "'And now you are in charge of all that money,'" Peale said and laughed heartily.

The quote I am using for today just may help you to overcome an apparent failure, for failure is mostly merely apparent and nowhere near as devastating as you first think

"The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning."

When Jesus uses the phrase, "I am the Alpha and Omega" He is stating He is the sum total of life and a fact that is often overlooked is that He is giving clarity to the statement of Ivy Baker Priest. Your old life ends at Christ and the new life begins with Christ.

True, biblical salvation involves the coming to the end of myself and the beginning of new life in Christ. Most of the texts that are used in the teaching of our new life in Christ are centered on this reality. Paul wears out the theme in Romans 5-9.

Your life and mine will take on a new power when we stop sucking our thumb and moaning over the end of things, for the end of things as we know them are really just the beginning of unknown, yet wonderful things the Lord has for us as we walk along life's pathway, while He leads us by His strong hand.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2007 Use with credit.

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