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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nPhilippians 4:13 \u201cI can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pete Rose was known as \u201cCharlie Hustle.\u201d He played major league baseball from 1963 until 1986. He played baseball with an aggressiveness and vigor any mother\u2019s son can envy and with encouragement, strive to emulate. Pete played hard and he worked hard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ve found there are two kinds of people. There are writers and there are readers. There are talkers and listeners; there are spectators and participants. There are those like Pete Rose that give it their \u201call\u201d and then there are some that only do enough to make it look like they\u2019re in the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the movie \u201cTop Gun,\u201d the fighter pilot Maverick (Tom Cruise) was in a dog-fight with a Russian plane and the aircraft carrier captain yelled at him over the radio, \u201cGet in the game, Maverick.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If any person expects to be successful, achieve and acquire the American dream, he\/she has to \u201cget in the game.\u201d To sit on the sidelines and watch takes no skill, no enthusiasm, no incentive and no motivation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People use many excuses for failure. They range from family to ethnic origin, to race, to lack of opportunity. None of these are credible arguments in today\u2019s America. Opportunities are all around us, all we have to do is be alert and seek them out. The \u201cpoor me\u201d attitude doesn\u2019t work for anyone in the twenty-first century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Successful people have a few common characteristics. They don\u2019t hang around lazy complainers. They take the initiative to seize the opportunities that do exist. Successful people set goals and work to make them happen. Notice in the Beatitudes in Matthew chapter five, Jesus did NOT say, \u201cThe lazy shall inherit the earth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People are transparent and reveal themselves with their conversation, their values and their priorities. When we go to church and hear a lesson or sermon about the preacher\u2019s\/teacher\u2019s favorite basketball team or a vacation, that church is \u201cstuck in the mud\u201d concerning the promoting of the Gospel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It has become so easy to fall into that social club status. The word \u201cchurch\u201d is a misnomer used to describe some organizations with a steeple. If the focus is a ballgame, a trip or the next potluck, someone has missed the point. It is easy to fall into that entertainment trap and Satan wins!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have long believed, taught and tried to encourage others to acknowledge that perseverance and determination are two of the greatest traits a parent can instill in a child. Never give up, never quit and never succumb to the will of others that do not wish you well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many Christians promote the thought that when a door closes another door opens. While that may be true in some cases, at times we have to open that other door ourselves and occasionally it has to be opened with passion. Success or failure is a choice and success requires that old fashioned concept called work!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Genesis 39: 3-4 \u201cWhen his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the most motivating and inspirational stories in the Bible is of Joseph (eleventh son of Jacob) being sold into slavery by his ten older (and jealous) brothers. Over the next twenty-two years in Egypt, Joseph by his perseverance, hard work and steadfast belief and trust in the God of Israel, became a Prince of Egypt, second only to the Pharaoh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By Joseph\u2019s resolute determination to make the best of a bad situation, he eventually saved the Hebrew people from extinction by moving Jacob, his brothers and the rest of the family to Egypt to avoid a famine. And we must recognize here, Joseph forgave his brothers for selling him into Egypt. He regarded it as God\u2019s plan (Genesis 45: 5-7).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sad to say, many in our population today fail to exhibit that propensity to survive and succeed as Joseph and Charlie Hustle. It would be difficult to place blame on these levels to indolence but we must begin in the home. Lethargic parents breed lethargic children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The scriptures teach many beneficial and profitable lessons but at the top of the list is Proverbs 22: 6 \u201cTrain up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.\u201d Parents that totally depend on the public schools to teach their children everything are miserable failures at parenthood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Proverbs 1:8-9 \u201cHear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.\u201d God\u2019s Holy word not only presents admonitions for the parent but also for the children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Calvin Coolidge said, \u201cNothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The quality of relentless persistence must be instilled. It is not a trait that comes from heredity or out of the air or drinking water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A question churches, denominations and individual Christians must ask is \u201cIs our outreach reaching out?\u201d Outreach means to reach the unchurched and unaware with the saving power of the Lord Jesus. The scriptures teach without doubt the only salvation is by Jesus Christ (John 14: 6, Acts 4: 12).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Bible also tells us to \u201cPreach this Gospel to all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.\u201d The teaching referred to is that eternal salvation is by a faith based belief that Christ Jesus was crucified for the remission of sin and resurrected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This work and this teaching is not done by the slothful, pew-filler, on paper Christian or those out of touch with the teachings of the scriptures. It is done with zeal by the sincere believer-follower of the Lord Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We often hear said, \u201cHe sure is sincere.\u201d It is obvious, sincerity can be dead wrong. Consider the actions of Adolph Hitler or the 9-11 terrorists. Sincerity must be focused in the right direction. The only right direction is the way described by God in the Holy Bible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We must ask ourselves, \u201cWhat is really important?\u201d and \u201cWhat can be done on this earth that will make a difference in a million years?\u201d Do we really believe in eternal life?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Proverbs 16: 3 \u201cCommit thy works to the Lord and thy plans shall be established.\u201d It certainly appears Christians have lost sight of Biblical taught priorities. Are we really believer-followers of the Lord Jesus and His teachings?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If we allow \u201cthe world\u201d as it exists today to dictate the workings and teachings of the church, we are setting a course to becoming a world of people having those characteristics set forth by Paul in 2 Timothy 3: 2. \u201cThis know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The really scary thought is, we may already be there!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Written by Van Yandell Philippians 4:13 \u201cI can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.\u201d Pete Rose was known as \u201cCharlie Hustle.\u201d He played major league baseball from 1963… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":55749,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[2382],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58132"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58132"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58132\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58133,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58132\/revisions\/58133"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55749"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58132"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58132"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58132"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}