Silence

by David Scott Robertson

"Silence can seal a fate but it does not prove guilt or innocence.” –DSR

Jesus stood before His accusers, silent.
He did not respond to their railing accusations.
Think about it.
It is contrary to nearly everything I read, saw, heard and did while growing up.

In our society today,
The perception is that if you don’t speak up and defend yourself,
Or hire a lawyer to speak on your behalf,
You’re probably guilty.

When someone takes the 5th Amendment,
The “right to remain silent”,
It is usually taken so as not to incriminate oneself.
Like a police officer reading an arrested man his rights,
“Anything you say can and will be used against you in court.”
The Bible teaches us, “Even a fool appears wise when silent” (Proverbs 17:28).
And the world unwittingly uses this principle to its own legal advantage.

The Kingdom of God, however, does not operate like the kingdom of men.
Jesus stands before us in the Scriptures as a man of through integrity.
His position of silence preaches volumes about self-control,
Faith in His Father,
Trust in the Scriptures that cannot be broken,
And humility.

The reason I marvel at Christ as He stands before Pilate in the Gospels
Is that His response to personal attack is so different from what I was
Taught, modeled and socialized in my American youth.
Not sticking up for yourself was as sign of weakness
In the neighborhood in Chicago where I grew up.
Not “looking out for #1” meant that nobody else was going to do it for you.

But there is an “opposite world” that is more real than the one you and I live in.
It is the Kingdom of God’s dear Son, who blazed a trail of “Follow Me” to access Father God.
Paul followed Him and then went on to write,
“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1 NIV).
And now it’s our turn.

What will you do, the next time someone brings a railing accusation against you publicly or privately?
Many offenses will come, it is inevitable.
Your reaction, though, is your responsibility.
Someone once remarked,
“It’s not what happens to you, but in you that counts.”
My goal, in light of Jesus’ example, is to imitate Him.
As the Lamb remained silent before the slaughter,
So I want to remain silent and not feel compelled to defend myself.
We see the mudslinging and defensive postures in political campaigns and debates.
But are we much better in the Church?
Sometimes yes; and sadly, sometimes no.

Silence. It goes a long way in private devotions with God,
And it can go a long way in public relations with others.
The Spirit of God inspired a wise Christian to remark:
“Preach all the time and if necessary use words.”
Amen, brother.

DSR, September 16, 1998

A Christian Family Constitution

by David Scott Robertson

By the grace of Christ and power of God’s Holy Spirit, my family will endeavor to uphold the articles of this Family Constitution.

Article #1: Divorce is not an option between Mom and Dad.

Article #2: At all costs, do not lie, misrepresent, purposefully exaggerate, or otherwise distort the truth to one another (or anybody).

Article #3: Name-calling among family members is strictly forbidden.

Article #4: Each family member will pray for another daily.

Article #5: Making derogatory remarks about a family member, the pastor or anyone else (backbiting/gossip) is forbidden.

Article #6: Murmuring, complaining, being ungrateful, and/or conducting your affairs with a poor attitude shall not be tolerated.

Article #7: Taunting another member for past mistakes is not permitted.

Article #8: A lazy and slothful attitude towards one’s family responsibilities, duties or chores is not acceptable behavior.

Article #9: Family members will tithe 10% of allowances/gross income, or any other source of revenue to the local church, and be expected to be a good steward of his/her time and talents.

Article #10: Alcohol, tobacco, and drug usage (for non-medical reasons) is absolutely forbidden in or outside the home.

Article #11: Participation by any family member in activities deemed contrary to the moral teachings of Jesus Christ as outlined in God’s Word, the Bible, will, without fail, be discovered in due time and will produce punishment, either in this world or the next.

Failing Forward

by David Scott Robertson

For almost one full year I had been planning on going on a mission trip to Indonesia.
I had prayed about it,
And felt very strongly that I had heard that
Still, small voice of the Holy Spirit in my heart gently calling me to go.
In addition to an overwhelming sense of peace,
I got the support
Of my family & pastor, time off work, financial issues settled
And other logistics falling neatly into place.

About one month prior to departure, it was “pop quiz” time.
In typical style,
The assault came on the battlefield of my mind,
Playing on my fears –
Intimidation about being away from work so long, and other subtle deceptions.

To make a long story short,
I thought it was a good idea to bail out of the mission trip.
I had thought, reasoned and concluded that it was best for me to stay.
There was only one problem –
I did not inquire of the Lord.

I think now I know how Moses must have felt
The day after he struck the rock twice instead of once like God commanded (Numbers 20:11).
I think I know what Jonah must have felt like
As he set sail for the wrong port (Jonah 1:3).
I think I know how Joshua might have felt
As he got conned by the Gibeonites
After failing to inquire of the Lord, concerning their true identity (Joshua 9:3-14).

I learned from my failure that I would rather endure a root canal without anesthetic
Than experience the conviction of God’s Holy Spirit.
As a result of my decision to cancel
The mission trip, my airplane ticket and so on…
I was absolutely miserable.
Were you to have asked my family,
I was more than miserable:
I was intolerable.

It was as if the Lord spoke to my heart,
“You have no right to call off what you didn’t call on.”
I repented, and by God’s grace, within 24 hours was back on track to go.

The lesson learned: -
Inquire of the Lord!
Keep God in the loop of your life.
Pause, pray, obey.
Stop, look, listen.
Ask WWJD and linger long enough for an answer from on high.

DSR, September 11, 1998

Chocolate on the Page

by David Scott Robertson

One Christmas, when I was a little boy,
I got a beautiful book as a gift from my Aunt.
As was our custom,
As many as could
Would gather at Grandma and Grandpa’s home in rural Illinois.
On Christmas Eve,
We’d gather around the three and exchange gifts.
Usually, after we had opened a gift, we would hug and kiss our relative
And then pass the gift around for others to look at.

Grandpa was paging through the book I got from my Aunt.
He was eating chocolate fudge cake all the time.
It was all over his fingers and naturally some of it smudged on the pages
As he flipped through the book.
I remember being upset about my crisp new book being soiled by chocolate on the pages!

Time has passed and so has Grandpa.
I kept that beautiful book and some time ago paged through it with my 6-year-old daughter.
And there it was.
Chocolate on the page.
I knew exactly how it got there.
Instantly my mind recreated the entire setting…
In a flash, thoughts, memories and love welled up for a man whom I loved and who loved me all my life.

I guess my point is that no everything that smudges your life is bad.
In the long run,
We may be most grateful
For scars, dents and stains,
Because in their own unlikely way,
They may provide a link to an event
Or a person who has touched our lives in a beautiful way.

DSR, August 6, 1998

The Govenor

by David Scott Robertson

“…a mechanical device for automatically controlling the speed of an engine by regulating the intake of fuel, steam, etc.” – Webster’s New World Dictionary

I want to share a few thoughts about “the governor”.
No, not the kind of governor that is the political head of a state:
The kind that slows things down.

Perhaps you’ve been to an amusement park that rented go-carts.
Even though you mash the medal all the way down,
The go-cart goes up to a certain MPH and no faster.
Why? The governor.

We could list other devices that have governors limiting the speed at which something happens.
Governors are intended to provide safety, prevent engine burnout and extend engine life.

I experienced a different sort of governor today.
My alarm clock is set for 3:56am every morning.
That’s the time when I want to get up in order to get into my day.
The early bird gets the worm, you know.
After all, he who gets up late must jog all day to catch up.

You see, I want it all.
I want meaningful Bible study.
I want quality prayer time.
I want an exhilarating exercise workout.
I want a healthful breakfast.
I want to listen to a personal development cassette or read a chapter from an Inspirational book.
I want to kiss my wife, hug my daughter, pet my dog,
And burst off to work, clean, exercised and spiritually filled,
Ready to do exploits for God.
And I want all that done before 9am.

Well, today, my eyes opened and the large LED display of my digital clock read 7:00.
Why? The governor.

My internal governor said,
“David, you need more rest.
“You’re plumb tuckered out, man.
“Boy, you’ve got to slow down today.
“You’re worn out, dude.”
I hate it when that happens, don’t you?

My mind, my expectations, my plans, my goals and intentions
Are more or less scheduled on getting up around 4am (with little flexibility)
And hitting the ground running.
What ‘s that you say? Bondage? Legalism? Stupidity?
I think not.
At least, I think I think not.
Well, it doesn’t matter what I think today:
My body had other plans this morning and I couldn’t drag my weary carcass out of bed.

My physiological governor said,
“Nope, I intend to provide your body with safety, prevent burnout and extend engine life.”

As much as I hate to admit it, I can relate to the apostles in the Garden of Gethsemane: -

(Mat 26:40 NIV) “Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. ‘Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?’ he asked Peter.
(Mat 26:41 NIV) ‘Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. the spirit is willing but the body is weak.’”

I can’t wait for that glorified body that has no governor.
A governor-ectomy will have been performed to remove all limitations!
I can’t wait for Heaven where there is no sun and no night and no sleep!

Praise God, there is coming a day when we shall be like Him,
For shal see Him as He is.
Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Until then, Lord, please help to complete the work you have called me to do
In spite of my body’s governor.

DSR, August 4, 1998

Subtle Affluence

by David Scott Robertson

Have you ever been rinsing off some grapes under the water faucet
And several grapes have fallen into the sink or on to the floor
And instead of picking them up and washing them off,
You simply throw them away?

Have you ever pulled some breath-mints out of your pocket that have a little fuzz on them
And instead of cleaning them up, you toss them?

Have you ever walked past a nickel on the sidewalk
And thought it’s not worth the effort to pick it up?

Have you ever left food on your plate at a restaurant
And not bothered to get a doggie bag to take the leftovers home to eat later?

Have you ever thrown a T-shirt in the laundry just because you wore it once,
Not necessarily because it was dirty?

Have you ever bought something at the store
When you already had one somewhere in the garage
But just couldn’t remember where it was?

Have you ever thrown an apple away
Just because it had a bruise on one side and you didn’t want to eat around it?

You know what I think all the above represent?
I call it “subtle affluence.”

Subtle affluence is where you are rich and you don’t know it.
Your wealth is staggering yet you are oblivious to the fact.
Many people today live a lifestyle of subtle excess.
This is especially true of us who live in America.

We have been weaned on the American dream that if you want it, you can have it.
Usually pretty quickly, too.
After all, where there’s a will, there’s a way, right?
You deserve a break today.
Have it your way.
If you don’t look out for #1, who will, right?

I wonder how that mentality flies on the streets of Calcutta?
I wonder what Ethiopians feel about people who throw away food?
I wonder what Bosnians feel about people who are upset because the lawn
Surrounding their lovely home has too many weeds?

It’s all relative, isn’t it?
A man with a good milk-cow and some seed corn has a hope and future in some parts of the world.

On the subject of subtle influence,
Much care must be taken and the words
“Balance” and “responsibility” must enter into the discussion.

I think it is imperative to understand
That God doesn’t so much have a problem with Christians having stuff:
It’s always been that He doesn’t ant stuff to have them.
As the Word points out,
“For the love of money is the root of all evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1 Timothy 6:10 NIV)

Having traveled to Latin America
And seen first-hand the naked children at the side of the road,
So many potholes in the “paved” road that you almost need a helmet to ride in the bus,
And thinking when old cars die they must come to this place,
I know that it all truly depends on your perspective.

The scriptural truth that seems to rise to the top, on the subject of
“Subtle affluence,” is:

“…From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked” (Luke 12:48b NIV).

Increase your prosperity; spend less money.
Increase your wealth; give it away.
Increase your quality of life; focus on simple pleasures.
Increase your treasures in Heaven by committing to the following principle:

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:17 NIV).

DSR, August 3, 1998

Living Life at the Speed of Light

by David Scott Robertson

186,000 miles per second.
The speed of light.
Einstein’s theory of relativity.
Hidden codes in the Bible.
Worm holes In outer space.
The miracle of the conception of Life.
“As the Heavens are higher than the Earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thights.” (Isaiah 55:9 NIV).

Mysteries all of them, too wonderful for my puny brain to comprehend.
Take the speed of light – 186,000 miles per second.
Some speculate that just beyond this speed Time actually stops.
And perhaps this is the domain of God.
I don’t know.

I do know that life can be lived at such a frantic pace
That we can feel like we are traveling at the speed of light.
I’m reminded of a sermon illustration I once heard
That depicted the aviation exploration of flying faster than the speed of sound.

Test pilot Chuck Yeager was trying to be the first to break the sound barrier in an aircraft.
Attempt after attempt to push the aircraft to enough knots to burst through
Seemed only to vibrate the planes so bad
That the vehicles would literally begin coming apart at the seams.
Someone (humorously or insightfully) referred to it as,
“The demon that lurks at the speed of sound.”

But something interesting happened to Chuck Yeager
After he became the first man in American history
To tear through the atmosphere
And pierce the sound barrier.
He later reported that once he had passed the speed of sound
There That it was the smoothest flight of his life.
All the turbulence was now behind him.

Now here’s the point:
Maybe I’m the only one that feels sometimes like
Life is so busy, hectic and time-sensitive
That life’s turbulence is shaking me, vigorously testing me to see what stuff I’m made of.
I think that if I were to focus and concentrate on Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
Keep my mind stayed on Him,
Keep my nose in the Book,
That I would be able to tear through the atmosphere of busy-ness
(An archenemy of authentic Christianity)
And get lost in the presence of the Holy Spirit.
“Breaking through”
To peace (Isaiah 26:3),
Sabbath rest 9hebrews 4)
And quiet times besides still waters (Psalm 23:2),
Listening to the whispering affirmation and instruction from the Spirit of God.
When the going gets tough,
The tough hit their knees.
In fact, the Bible tells us that the ‘righteous run to Him and are safe [emphasis added]. (Proverbs 18:10).
When things in our lives seem out of control,
It’s at that time that we may not need to slow down;
On the contrary,
We may do better to speed up for a breakthrough!

DSR, July 30, 1998

Stressed Out

by David Scott Robertson

We’ve probably all heard the term, “nervous breakdown”.
Apart from some clinical or physiological problem,
I’m not sure the Christian,
Particularly the Spirit-filled Christian,
Ever needs to go there.

We hear a great deal about stress these days.
And if hearing is not enough,
We experience it first-hand on a daily basis!
Factors of Life that can be stress generators will inevitably come.
But there is a “Sabbath rest” available for the man or woman of God (see Hebrews 4).
Predictably, it’s found in Jesus Christ.

I was e-mailing one of my very dear friends this morning,
And I lifted the following quote from my message to him concerning stress:

“It’s interesting, how being knee-deep in doing Kingdom work sometimes adds some stress. Do you know what I think? I think that I sometimes wear ‘my yoke’ instead of Christ’s yoke. His yoke is easy and His burden light. Whenever I am not walking in perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3) then there can be no other conclusion except that I am not keeping my mind stayed on Him. When it’s God, it’s not necessarily trouble-free or sacrifice-free, but it can be worry-free (Philippians 4:6-7). Please pray for me. Monica and I are enjoining our faith and targeting our prayers, that I might be able to ‘enter His rest’. No matter how busy I am, I still want to enter into Christ’s rest in my heart and mind. Being a paramedic or fireman for Jesus (figuratively speaking) should not put such a yoke on the worker that it robs our joy.”

I want to be transparent this morning and confess to you
That I sometimes allow
The heavy “yoke of David” to supersede the light “yoke of Christ”.
That’s not very spiritual but that’s where I live sometimes.

Taken to its extreme,
“…and everything that does not come from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23).

I believe we’ve got to be careful of how far we permit our minds
To dwell on the stresses of Life in general.

Keeping our eyes trained on Jesus,
Trusting in His unfailing love (Proverbs 3:5-6),
Believing wholeheartedly that our steps are ordained by God (Psalm 36:23),
Embracing the fact that all things are working together for our good (Romans 8:28),
Walking in faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7),
Rejecting this world’s yoke and embracing the cross (Romans 12:2),
I think therein lies not only the battle but the victory as well (1 John 5:4).

Today, even today, let us enter into Sabbath rest.

DSR, July 23, 1998

Thirty Wise Sayings

by David Scott Robertson

“So that your trust may be in the LORD, I teach you today, even you. Have I not written thirty sayings for you, sayings of counsel and knowledge, teaching you true and reliable words, so that you can give sound answers to him who sent you?” – Proverbs 22:19-21

Along Life’s narrow way there are many course corrections and adjustments to be made. At least that’s the way it’s supposed to work. The Bible talks about, “[continuing] to work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). That’s what I’ve been doing today. (It’s raining hard and I’m feeling contemplative.)

I haven’t gotten it all figured out, but in meditating on my personal pilgrimage towards Christlikeness and trying to somehow gauge my progress… what follows is a list of thirty things I’ve come to believe and principles I’ve discovered to be true.

Many of you will recognize them because they are lifted right out of the Bible (which I hold to be infallible, inspired and inerrant), some are from preachers and teachers I’ve read and heard, some natural observations, and some really are original thoughts. Our lives are like a mosaic, a beautiful tapestry interwoven by many skilled fingers. Following are things that are shaping the person you know as David: -

30 WISE SAYINGS

1. The Bible is utterly right regardless of what you and I think.
2. Right is right, no matter who opposes it. Wrong is wrong, no matter who endorses it.
3. With God, all things are ally are possible.
4. Inch by inch, it’s a cinch; yard by yard, it’s hard.
5. The anything I’m doing is better than the nothing that I’ve done.
6. Many hands lighten the load, so discover the delight of delegation.
7. Never do ministry alone if you can help it.
8. The top 20% of your priorities will yield you 80% of your results.
9. Everything rises and falls on leadership.
10. I would rather pay the price of good communication than suffer the consequences of poor communication.
11. Consistency is the key,
12. Success is a journey – and there’s joy in the journey. It’s not all in the reaping, there’s plenty of joy in the sowing.
13. If you aim at nothing you will most certainly hit it. Written goals are important.
14. Don’t expect unless you inspect.
15. Every task needs a deadline.
16. If a project doesn’t make it to my calendar it won’t make it.
17. If usually doesn’t take much (time, energy, money) to please most people.
18. Success in Life doesn’t rise too high above doing the basics well.
19. God uses the most unlikely characters.
20. One person can make a difference.
21. There are advantages to adversity.
22. Failure is not final if you fail forward.
23. Mistakes are not always a waste of time and resources.
24. We can never go wrong when we put God first and people second (both ahead of yourself).
25. Beware of people who always respond to your question of ‘how are you doing?’ with ‘super fantastic!’
26. No-one has a monopoly on the truth.
27. Listening well is more important than speaking well.
28. Many, many worthwhile things are have been done by people who didn’t feel well at the time but did it anyway.
29. Take God more seriously and your self less so.
30. You can do more after you have prayed but you cannot do more until you have prayed.

Transformed by Fire

by David Scott Robertson

I was in the church yesterday
Basking in the presence of God during the praise & worship portion of the service –
You know how it is,
You close your eyes,
Raise your hands,
And proceed to get lost in the presence of the sweet Holy Ghost.

It was then that a word-picture came to my mind as we sang one of the worshipful choruses.
I forget the context of the song that led me to this thought,
But what I focused on was the progressive revelation of being ON FIRE FOR JESUS.

If I stay in the flame of Jesus long enough,
Eventually I will become RED-HOT.
I can pray effectual and fervent prayers that avail much.
Jesus preferred the church at Laodicea to be hot over cold, but either one was better than lukewarm.

But then I thought I wanted to go beyond being red-hot for Christ.
If you heat up metal long enough in the fire, it becomes WHITE-HOT.
This stage is even hotter than red-hot.
More dross is burned away and we draw closer to Christ
Having abandoned ourselves to the purifying effect of the Flame.

Finally, I desired to go beyond even white-hot.
I wanted to be MELTED in his presence into molten liquid.
The Bible declares in Psalm 75 (KHV) that:-
“The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole Earth.”
Fifteen times in 14 verses the Bible uses the word “melt” to describe the transformation of a substance in the presence of the Lord.

You know, a piece o red-hot, white-hot metal can be in a rushing river and still stay unmoved.
But molten lava flows and moves and goes wherever the river takes it.
I want to be so pliable, movable, shapeable,
That I conform into the image of Christ,
That I flow with the moving of the Holy Spirit,
That I melt in the presence fo God like wax before a flame.

So my challenge today,
To myself and to you,
Is to ask, seek, and knock for the Lord to rearrange the atomic structure of our being,
And allow the Master Craftsman,
Abba Father Himself,
To lovingly pour us into His magnificent mold so that we conform to the image
Of His dear Son, Jesus Christ.

DSR, July 13, 1998

Most Blessed, Least Deserving

by David Scott Robertson

This is a saying that I heard a man say over ten years ago.
I have never forgotten what he said,
And have in fact adopted the statement as my own.
Talk about an impression point.
Not only does this go to show you that we influence others heavily with our words,
But the greater truth is the statement itself.

Could you, in your heart of hearts,
Honestly make this statement and mean it?
Do you consider yourself among all men (or women) most blessed and least deserving?
In a society that celebrates the Bill Gates wealth model of success,
Is there still room for celebration of simple pleasures?
I think so.

I believe in my heart that I have the most wonderful wife,
The best daughter,
The greatest spiritual leaders in the world.
I feel like I have the most awesome job.
I love my family.
I love my dog.
My car runs well.
Etc. And so forth.
Remember the hymn,
“Count your blessings / name them one by one”?
Try it.

On the occasion of honoring a pastor for a momentous anniversary at the church,
A wise, old man got up and made a remarkable comment to the congregation publicly.
He said, “I know that your pastor has done so much for you and means so much to you that you could not ever possibly thank him enough… Well, try.”
Try.
Go ahead and give it a shot.
I think we ought to try to thank the Lord
For what He has done,
For what we have,
And for the destiny that is ours ni Christ.

I think everyone has the God-given inalienable right
To think that they have the best spouse, children, friends, church and so on.
Life was not designed to be perfect
But our attitude towards it can filter the character-building lessons into
“Blessing after blessing keeps on following me…”
It all depends on how you look at it.

So, my view is that “an attitude of gratitude leads to longevity in Christ.”
I truly believe that I am among the men most blessed but least deserving.
And this in spite of the fact that I consider myself the “little toe” in the body of Christ.
If Jesus will do this for me –
The least of His children –
Consider what He will do for you.

DSR, July 6, 1998

The Seven Pillars of Wisdom

by David Scott Robertson

(Proverbs 9:1 NJV) Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn out its seven pillars.
(Proverbs 9:1 KJV) Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars.

There are many factors in Life that are beyond our control – our height (not our width!), the color of our eyes, our blood type, into what race we are born and where. These circumstances are outside the realm of our control.

There are, however, factors in our lives that are directly under our control. They are contingent upon our will. They are items which, I believe, we will be judged by at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

As the text suggests, wisdom has built her house on seven pillars. I would suggest that the bedrock and foundation of our faith is none other than the Lord Jesus Chris Himself. He is not only the cornerstone, the capstone, but He is the Rock Christ Jesus and he will be standing after the storm has passed.

But what about the seven pillars that sit squarely on this foundation? What could they be? What might they represent? Perhaps they could be likened to seven acts of our conscious will that we have direct control over…

1. Faithfulness
Only we determine how faithful we will be. We alone have the power to be faithful in stewardship, faithful in prayer, faithful in relationships, faithful in responsibilities. Jesus commends the “faithful” servant. The faithless have no share in the Tree of Life.

2. Obedience
To obey is better than sacrifice. God has this thing about obedience. With it, you will eat the best of the land. Without it, you will be swallowed up, your enemies will overtake you, and you will be the cause of your own destruction.

3. Humility
God instructs us to humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up (James 4:10). Humility brings wealth and honor and life (Proverbs 22:4). Humility lines the pathway to greatness. Jesus Himself came as a humble man to serve and not be served; to save and not condemn (Mark 10:45; John 3:17). The Father places a great deal of emphasis on humbling yourself because of His exceeding hatred of pride.

4. Gratitude
An attitude of gratitude leads to longevity in Christ. The Holy Spirit chose to include a story in the sacred text about ten lepers who were healed and only one healed ex-leper returned to give thanks, and he a foreigner (Luke 17:12-16). Our children are wonderful working models of gratitude linked to more grace granted by a parent when they display an attitude of gratitude.

5. Attitude
Dr. John Maxwell says that, “Your attitude determines your altitude.” Although this is not scripture, it is scriptural. How many times have we seen our own attitude do us in? How effective is a negative, pessimistic attitude in spreading the gospel? Most people, given the choice, would rather be around a positive, upbeat, joyful person than a person who looks like they were baptized in pickle juice.

6. Love
God is love. It all begins and ends there. Jesus essentially reduced the ten commandments down to two main ones – love God and love one another. Greater love hath no man than this, than he lay down his life for his friend (John 15:13). In this final analysis, only three things remain – faith, hope and love (1 Corinthians 13:13). And guess what God says is the greatest?

7. Hunger
Perhaps “hunger” seems like an unusual pillar of wisdom, but hunger is critical. The prophet asked the Lord for two things: neither riches, or he might be swelled with pride and think that he didn’t need God; nor poverty, lest he steal and so defame the name of the Lord (Proverbs 30:7-10). Proverbs goes on to say that hunger works for you, it keeps a worker motivated (Proverbs 16:26). Jesus said that those are blessed who hunger and thirst after righteousness (Matthew 5:6). Without hunger the Christian and non-Christian are in trouble. When we lose our appetite, either for physical food or spiritual things, it is an indicator that something is wrong. Hunger for God is important.

These are the seven pillars of wisdom that I see that you and I have direct control over. Many things are out of our hands. But I believe that as free moral agents created in God’s image, having the knowledge of good and evil, we can make choices that either glorify Christ or deify man/ourselves.

DSR, July 9, 1998

The Quest

by David Scott Robertson

What is your “Quest” in Life?
Do you have a personal mission statement?
What is the prime directive of your reason for being?
What’s the object of your life?
Do you know your purpose and your highest goal?
What if the Lord were to appear to you in a dream, just as He did to Solomon,
And offer you anything you wanted?
Can you imagine a blank check from God with His signature on it?
I have meditated on this thought many times,
And every single time, I came back to what I would ask the Lord for.
I call it, “The Quest”.

On my mirror in the bathroom I have Scotch-taped a 4” by 6” postcard
With a logo imprinted on it that says The Quest.
Whenever I swim at the YMCA,
I usually review each point of The Quest.
I have typed this up, framed it, and it hangs on my wall in my home.
Whenever I am facing major decisions and choices in life,
I evaluate it in light of The Quest.
Will it advance my cause or detract from it?

Following is The Quest of myt life:-

1. Righteousness
2. Wisdom
3. Dominion over my tongue
4. Dominion over my flesh
5. Evangelization of the lost in every conceivable way at every available opportunity
6. Prayer without ceasing through Pause – Pray – Obey (Nehemiah 2)
7. Perfect submission – total obedience – maximum fruit
8. Return to my First Love and my first works
9. Rediscover the joy of my salvation and experience spiritual strength through joy
10. Complete faith in God
11. Become a true worshipper of God and worship God in spirit and in truth
12. Walk in unconditional love (agape)
13. Develop a thorough knowledge and application of the Word of God

Well, there you have it.
For about 10 years this has been the passionate, concentrated focus of my life.
For me, it all boils down to The Quest.
What’s your “quest in Life”?
I think every Christian ought to have one, write it down, memorize it, share it with others,
And believe God for it.
After all, if God be your partner, make your plans BIG!

DSR, July 2, 1998