Determination - A Time Trial

My family just started work on a really large puzzle. It's an old-fashioned grandfather clock that, when completed, will actually tell time. It has a built-in clock.

It's not an easy puzzle. The size (over 4 feet tall!), shape, and intricate patterns make it especially challenging.

In talking about whether or not we are up to the challenge, we spoke of it being a "hard" puzzle. But "hard" is no reason to quit anything. But this is "REALLY hard!"

At what point do we get to quit?

The writer of Hebrews:

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (12:1-2)

He goes on to say, "...you have not yet resisted to bloodshed." (12:4)

The references here have to do with our resisting sin, but the strength of the words is sobering.

This service to Christ is serious business.

We cannot quit. We cannot fall back. We cannot give in.

Serving Him is a great pleasure with joy unspeakable and rewards beyond anything that mere living can offer. We must remember this. No matter how "REALLY hard" it gets.

Self-Discipline

What does it mean to disciple one's self?

It is an interesting relationship.

Few people confess that they need to be brighter or more full of common sense, but there are very few who don't confess a need for greater self-discipline.

David really messed up with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11 - 12:22). But what an example of self-discipline in how he dealt with Saul (1 Samuel 24 and 26)!

This shows us that, even in a man after God's own heart, self-discipline is an issue.

We should practice hearing God's voice in silence and solitude, training ourselves to hear Him clearly in a noisy crowd. But there is another strategy.

Demosthenes (a contemporary of Aristotle) is said to have practiced speaking with pebbles in his mouth and when out-of-breath from exercise in order to overcome his limitations as an orator. His desire alone wasn't enough. He had to discipline himself at a level higher than his desired goal in order to master his craft.

We can learn from this. In our silence, solitude, worship, study, meditation, prayer, and love we can also practice under conditions that are much more challenging than the ideal so that we can achieve our best for God.

We can discipline ourselves to be alone with God no matter what the size of the crowd, and quiet before Him no matter the noise.

In this we are being prepared to be disciplined by The Great Discipler.

Delayed Gratification

I have been working with my sons Luke (9 years) and Logan (7 years) on the concept of delayed gratification.

It's an interesting subject. Wikipedia defines delayed gratification as, "the ability to wait in order to obtain something that one wants".

Researchers from Yale University have determined that there is a connection between delayed gratification and intelligence, concluding it has to do with a particular part of the brain, the anterior prefrontal cortex.

It is also related to age and maturity. Young children, for example, find it more difficult to delay gratification than older children. When kindergartners in one study were offered a choice between getting a small candy bar immediately or a larger one later, 72% chose the smaller candy bar.

The boys and I were picking wild blackberries (the fruit, not the phone) yesterday in our yard. Logan decided, on his own, to wait on picking some of the darker red ones until they are purple or black and tastier. A huge step for him, as he was competing with his older brother for who could pick the most.

I was very proud of him.

We could all learn from his example. Sacrificing the immediate on the altar of the preferred takes patience, smarts, and a certain amount of maturity.

Whether it's a relationship, a car, a house, blackberries, or a Blackberry (the phone), sometimes delaying the pursuit is the better option.

So if you want to be smart or mature (or at least look that way!), meditate on these:

^{Psalm 37
7} Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him;
Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,
Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
⁸ Cease from anger, and forsake wrath;
Do not fret—it only causes harm.
⁹ For evildoers shall be cut off;
But those who wait on the LORD,
They shall inherit the earth.

^{Ecclesiastes 7
8} The end of a thing is better than its beginning;
The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

^{Lamentations 3
26} It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
For the salvation of the LORD.

The "Next Gen" You

I was listening to an interview on the radio today with the President of a major aeronautical university in our area. He was talking about the technological advances being made in aviation, specifically in regard to communication and management of airspace.

He used the expression "Next Gen" in relation to the upcoming generation of technological advancements. And he said something that caught my ear.

He said that the expected developments wouldn't happen suddenly, as if someone flicked a light switch, but would happen gradually over time.

Isn't that the way that God works with us? Sure, we have the "suddenlies" but, more often than not, we gradually develop into the "next gen" of ourselves as we integrate more of Him into more of us.

John the Baptist said, "He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:30). It's a process.

One of my opt-repeated mantras is, "It's a marathon, not a sprint", and the truth is, we will get there if we keep pursuing Him.

There are seasons for launching out with fanfare and there are seasons for keeping the faith and staying the course. The challenge is knowing which to do when!

Thank God for: (1) the gentle command of His Holy Spirit, (2) the secure confirmation of His Word, and (3) the loving counsel of Godly friends.

As long as we are oriented towards Him, and alert to the signals from these 3 guides, we will experience the glorious Next Gen of us.


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