“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.” 2 Cor. 4:16
“Give us (day by day), our daily bread.” Luke 11:3
Many years ago a young minister grappled with unresolved conflicts. Before his thirtieth birthday, he had damaged his health. He took a trip to Italy to reflect and heal his body. While there, he contracted a fever and was confined to bed for weeks. Finally able to travel again, he booked passage aboard a sailing ship. While sailing in the Mediterranean the winds ceased. The ship floundered for days. The dispirited young man could take it no longer. Alone in his cabin, he wrestled mightily with God until he gained victory in his heart. Out of that experience, John Henry Newman wrote a powerful hymn.
“Lead kindly Light! Amid th’ encircling gloom,
Lead thou me on;
The night is dark, and I am far from home,
Lead thou me on;
Keep thou my feet;
I do not ask to see
The distant scene;
One step is enough for me.
John Henry Newman
From The Red Sea Rules by Robert Morgan
Thomas Nelson publisher
Sometimes, we would like to peek around the corner to see what’s coming next. We would love to know if our nation is going to hold itself together after hearing the name George Floyd only a few days before. This previously unknown name is now the most searched name on Google. While much of the world is still reacting to his death, another group fueled by hatred and opportunity set America on fire…literally.
As a small boy, the framing of a philosophy for life was found in our daily routine. One day a rake head came flying off its handle. I feared my grandfather’s response would not be good. His wisdom helped to form the beginning of a way to live. When I presented grandad the two-piece rake, he looked it over and said, “When you get it fixed we will be back in business.” From that…I got my (if you broke it, you fix it) philosophy. Life is designed to learn as we go. The reason I could never vent my anger by running around in charter buses, calling myself Antifa and demolishing local businesses while terrifying neighborhoods, is that I was taught to always be responsible for anything I do. I just never could do the terrorist thing because the character instilled into me was…. if you broke it you fix it. The young people who are doing the bidding of anarchists today were never given the broken rake model. Their conception of life is that if we can destroy all that others have, we can then be free to design a new system of life that will be more fair.
That same idea for framing a way of life was revealed in the four disgraced police officers in Minnesota last week. To Protect and Serve cannot work as words stamped into a badge, it must be framed from the heart and lived through the actions taken.
Our challenge as Christians in a hostile culture is not to get in a war of words but to show the love of Christ. That one challenge is becoming more difficult as our politics can often get in the way of our purpose. We are in a cultural fight without question.
The apostle Paul told the Corinthians that, “We do not lose heart, even though the outward man is perishing the inward man is renewed day by day.” We simply cannot quit our purpose. We cannot lose heart. There are so many battles. When we speak about marriage being between a man and a woman, we are called a homophobe. When we speak about biblical gender we are called a bigot. So…don’t lose heart. It’s day by day that God’s grace is given. It’s day by day that we ask for food. It’s day by day that we seek His blessing. Don’t lose heart…be encouraged. The Lord will fulfill His purpose in you…Day by Day.