Keep on Keeping On!

I was watching an evangelist the other day that Piper and I first partnered with in the mid-1980’s and I continue to today.  He was explaining that in his nearly fifty years of ministry, that he has never changed his message.  Since his original introduction to the gospel and the message of faith in 1969, the subject of his teaching has never varied.  Through the years his understanding and depth of detail has continued to grow, but he has always stuck with the original subject that caught fire deep inside of him!

He traveled and assisted another well-known minister for many years before embarking on his own and described his experience during that foundational season in his life, as being like a sponge that couldn’t but help to soak up the Word that was being taught.

His story immediately ignited a storm of memories of the fire of our faith that had begun to flame in Piper and I during the first ten years of our marriage… that continues to be white hot today within me.  2 Timothy 3:14-15 tells us to,

“Keep on being faithful to what you were taught and to what you believed, (being) sure of the integrity of your teachers. --- why, you took in the sacred Scriptures with (or like you took) your mother's milk! There's nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. ” (CEV / MSG)

I can’t say that Piper and I ever made a conscious effort or agreement to do this… but it was just who we were.  Simply put, once we found something that rang true in our hearts and worked in our lives… we never let go and kept pursuing it while hungering and thirsting for more and more of God to be active in and through our lives! (See: Matthew 5:6)

Back in the late 1980’s to early 1990’s, Piper and I got to know a young youth leader from a sister church in San Jose.  Our youth groups had combined for a few events over the years and although we didn’t see each other very often, I felt like we had developed a nice friendship.  But once we left the church we were at and began to work with a new ministry in our hometown, we lost contact with each other.  Then, low and behold, after five or more years, I ran into my friend in the hallway at my secular job at Agilent Technologies!

I immediately recognized him, stuck out my hand and greeted him warmly… but it was obvious that something had changed as he was sort of cold and indifferent and barely gave me the time of day!  So, I backed off and talked about some general things and discovered that he had gone to work for Hewlett Packard in San Jose and had transferred to Santa Rosa when HP spun off Agilent as a separate company.  I told him it was good to see him and walked off.

After that our paths began to cross regularly and I kept talking with him whenever I could.  Eventually he told me that he and his wife had stopped going to church and that he had felt a little guilty when he first saw me!  He confided that they had lost the fire or passion in their faith and had simply drifted away.  We continued to rebuild our relationship and eventually, he and his wife began to attend our church until family matters drew them back to the south Bay Area.  Over the years in ministry, we interacted with countless individuals, couples and families with similar experiences.

We also discovered that the solution for this far-to-often seen situation is found in the verses following the above scriptures.  2 Timothy 3:16-17 continues to explain that,

“Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way.  Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.”  (MSG)

It would seem that the Father in heaven has set up His Word to be the source of our strength, our direction, our growth and our peace.  On numerous occasions, I’ve heard this Word, which is contained between the pages of our Bibles, described as the owner’s manual of our lives!  Through it we have a direct and divine connection to the designer and manufacturer of our lives.  Each unique piece and placement of our one-of-a-kind personalities, physical, mental and emotional makeups is known to Him.  So, wouldn’t it therefore make sense to consistently and passionately stay in tune to Him and His plans for our lives?

For some reason, it still bothers me in a personal way, when I think about different individuals who set aside what they had learned and had believed in their Christian walk, when they came face to face with the devastating reality of my wife’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis.  What they saw on the outside seemed to quickly overwhelm what they had on the inside of them.

Paul told his young protégé Timothy to “Keep on being faithful to what you were taught and to what you believed…”  The King James Version says “To continue…”  You know… I looked up and down the page of my Bible where that verse is printed and I cannot find a footnote or margin asterisk that list any circumstance that would invalidate that command!  Can you?

So, what’s my thought for the day?  Simply put: “Keep on keeping on!”  Keep using what you know works… like the Word of God as the guide book or owner’s manual of your life… and don’t start making alterations… or maybe better yet said, EXCUSES when times get a little tough!

A little determination and stick-to-itiveness (dogged perseverance: tenacity) goes a long way!  And in the end… you’ll be glad that you did!

Have a wonderful weekend!  We’ve got a slight cooling trend today and tomorrow and even though it’s not that much… it SURE makes a pleasant difference!  So, go out and keep EXPECTING God’s BEST in and for your life!