March 10, 2024 NOTES
NOT EDITED
Habits of a Healthy Heart: True Grit
Job 42:12, et.
al.
SIS: In order to be an effective, fruitful follower of Christ you will need to develop the Healthy Habit of Grit.
Steve Jobs and Apple. In 1985, Jobs was fired from his own company after a power struggle with the board of directors. Jobs founded NeXT which would later be bought by Apple and Jobs would get his old company back. “He had grit and didn’t quit.
And, of course, there is Job. “Job 1:1 (NIV84) In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.
In the course of history Yahweh permitted Satan to test his faithful servant Job. Satan defamed Job and challenged Yahweh saying, “Job 1:10–12 (NIV84) 10 “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. 11 But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” 12 The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD.
And so, Satan set out to test the
grit of the man Job like no one had been tested before. So powerful was this
test of Job that Job has become the “iconic example of overcoming suffering.”
His story is known in nearly every culture in the world.
On that very day, nomadic tribes called, Sabeans killed all of Job’s servants in the
fields. Then, fire fell from heaven and consumed all of Job’s sheep and the servants
tending them. Next the Chaldeans, another
tribal group attacked and took all of Job’s camels while killing the servants
tending them. Following this, Job’s sons and daughters were eating in Job’s
oldest brother’s house. A mighty
wind came and killed them all. While bent low by the weight of all
this tragedy, Satan “smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his
foot to the crown of his head” (2:8). What more torment could a
man endure but Job continued to “bless the Name
of the Lord” (1:22).
Upon all this heap of misery yet one more shovelful of torment is tossed upon the pile. Job’s own wife, who saw this broken man sitting in an ash heap of sorrow covered with oozing sores, says to him, (2:9) His wife said to him, “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!”
For 40 long and often agonizing chapters Job endures the examination and condemnation of three, supposed friends as they pontificate about Job’s situation. Rather than comfort, they offer empty-headed analysis. Instead of mercy, they bring theology—and not very good theology at that.
This brings us to our congregational reading this morning that shows us the final result and glowing success of a man, like Job, who has “True Grit.” Let’s read: Job 1:20-22 and 42:10.
There are many ingredients that go into developing “True Grit.” I have boiled grit down to the “Four Most Important Aspects” and mad it an “acrostic.” This will help you remember the aspects as you make “grit” Habit of a Healthy Heart in your own life. G stands for Grace; R for Resilience; I for Integrity; and T for Teachability.
G – Having grit requires GRACE (2Corinthians 12:7-9)
(NIV84) 7 To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
Paul was a powerful Apostle. He was well educated and naturally gifted. But, these qualities are as likely to be a “problem” as they are a solution to challenges in life. As gifted and godly as the Apostle Paul was, he was not immune from great struggles. Something in his life was causing him great pain. He calls it a “thorn in the flesh.” We don’t know exactly what this “thorn” was, and it is not important. What IS important is what God says is the solution to Paul’s pain and great trial in life. God said, “My GRACE is sufficient.”
Everybody experiences times in life
when we say to ourselves, “I just can’t go on.” That’s exactly what we
need to tell ourselves in moments of despair—“I” am not sufficient. My knowledge
is not sufficient. My physical strength is not sufficient. My natural abilities
are not sufficient. All that will fail. What will NOT FAIL is God’s grace.
Grace is the “unmerited, undeserved, unconquerable, unsolicited operation of
God’s favor in our lives that makes itself known through an inner strength that
is unworldly.” This is really
important so I want to say it again. It is written in your notes. Grace is the “unmerited,
undeserved, unconquerable, unsolicited operation of God’s favor in our lives
that makes itself known through an inner strength that is unworldly.”
In life, you are going to have
hardship. There will be times when your “get up and go will have got up and
went.” It will take “grit” just to get up in the morning sometimes. There
can be no “grit” without God’s grace. There can be no “power” without God’s grace.
The greatest realization in life is to understand that apart from God, we
can do nothing.” Jesus stressed this through the words of John (15:5)
“I am the
vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear
much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Having the “grit” to go on when all the odds are against you starts with grace—the knowledge that “God’s grace is sufficient.”
R –Having Grit requires RESILIENCE (Galatians 6:9)
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we DO NOT GIVE UP.
Perhaps the simplest advice I could give in how to win at the race of life, especially as a believer in Christ, is this: JUST DON’T QUIT!
One writer defined “resilience” as, the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences.
The Biblical word for resilience is “perseverance.” James
describes it in this way (1:2-4)
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you
face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith
develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Perseverance is simply, “sticking to it until the end no matter what.”
Just don’t quit. I remember many
times as a kid I would be attempting something, usually on the baseball field,
and I just couldn’t seem to master the skill. My Dad, who was a former semi-pro
player and my Little League coach would say, “Son, quitters never win and
winners never quit.” That phrase created resilience in my character. I don’t
know how to quit.
Someone else has said, “Quitting is a long-term solution to a short-term
problem.” Resilience, or perseverance, hangs on until the problem runs out
of power and the solution kicks in.
If you want to be resilient, learn
to “shake off” the dirt the world wants to throw on you. Years ago the story
was told of a donkey that fell into a well.
One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried
piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he
decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it
just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.
He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!
The moral of the story is: when life throws dirt on you to bury you beneath trials and tribulations, “shake it off and step up.” Let God turn life’s dirt into His design for your on-going happiness and success.
I – Having Grit requires INTEGRITY (Daniel 1:8, 15 NIV84)
8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. . . . . . . . 15 At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food.
Daniel had been one of the young Jewish
boys carried off into captivity into ancient Babylon when Nebuchadnezzar
invaded Israel and destroyed the City of Jerusalem. Daniel was now a slave in a
foreign land with foreign customs that were counter to what God demanded of Him
as a Jew.
To partake of the invading king’s food, and pagan customs of dining, would mean
Daniel had to “compromise his faith.” I mean, who could have blamed him. If he
became weak from a lack of food, the King could find him unfit for service in
his court and cast Daniel out to menial labor; or worse, just have Daniel
killed.
But Daniel had “Integrity.” The Dictionary defines integrity as, “incorruptibility,
soundness, or completeness” (Merriam-Webster). The New Testament uses two
different Greek words to describe the same two basic qualities of “incorruptibility,
or blamelessness, and the idea of “wholeness, or completeness). One is “olokleros” which means “wholeness
or complete” (James 1:4). The other word is
“akeraios” which means “blameless or innocent.” (Rom 16:9; Phil. 2:14).
The basic idea of “wholeness” is what creates blamelessness because we do not divide our allegiance between the world and the God of the Word. Our complete and total allegiance must always be to God Almighty, even if it means we face persecution and trials. This is what Daniel was doing. He had “integrity” and that gave him GRIT.
Daniel not only survived by denying the pagan influence of Babylon but our text told us, At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food.
I heard someone say this about integrity and I think it is right on the mark: “If you have integrity, nothing else matters. And . . . if you DON’T have integrity, well . . . nothing else matters.”
Integrity is a key aspect of GRIT and without GRIT we are not going to finish the race of faith very well.
T – Having Grit means we have TEACHABILITY (Prv. 12:1, 15)
All through the Bible the virtue of “teachability” is highlighted.
This especially true in the Book of Proverbs. Here are two examples:
Proverbs 12:1 (NIV84) Whoever loves discipline
loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.
Proverbs 12:15 (NIV84) 15 The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.
A person who is not teachable is a “fool.”
Another thing I remember my Dad saying often is this: “Jackie, you can
always tell a fool—you just can’t tell them much.” My Dad was not big on debating people. If
people didn’t see things his way, he wasn’t much inclined to try to persuade
them, especially if he thought their ideas were foolish. My Dad was a “life-long
learner.” He was always learning some new talent or reading about some new idea.
He wasn’t formally educated. In fact, I’m the only child of his with a four-year
degree (and later a Master’s degree). But, my Dad had teachability.
Along with “teachability” comes humility. Have you ever asked yourself: “What is the opposite of being teachable?” It
is PRIDE. When you think you “know it all,” why would you seek to learn
anything knew.
I remember someone saying one time, “You know, people who THINK they know it
all sure aggravate those of us who DO.” Or, I think of the person at a
political rally who is wearing a badge saying, “Don’t bother me with the
facts—My mind is made up.”
PRIDE is a bad thing because, well it is just dangerous. The Bible
says, Proverbs 16:18 (NIV84) Pride goes before destruction,
a haughty spirit before a fall.
I remember the story of a turtle from West Virginia who wanted to take a vacation in Florida. Being a turtle, he knew he’d never be able to walk that far. So, he came up with an ingenious idea. He was very proud of himself. He was able to convince a couple of geese passing through on their way to Florida to help him get there, too. His plan involved a piece of rope. Each goose would take an end of the rope in their beak. The turtle clamped down like a vice in the middle of the rope, and up, up, and away they went. The flight was going great until somewhere over Georgia the turtle heard someone on the ground shout, “Well, Marge, would you look at that! Who in the world could have thought of such a great idea?” The turtle, not known for his humble spirit, opened his mouth and said, “I . . . . . . “ Then the couple below heard something go . . . splat!
Another saying in Proverb reminds us
of the power of Teachability to move us forward even amidst great trials: Proverbs
9:9 (NIV84)
Instruct
a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to
his learning.
The more you learn, the more resources you have to face trials and tribulations, and the more grit you will have to not only survive, but also thrive.
Thomas Edison had it. Colonel Sanders had it. Steve Jobs had it. And, of course, Job had it. They all had, “grit,” the ability to stay with a task over the long haul through many challenges in order to see great results.
In order to be an effective,
fruitful follower of Christ you will need to develop the Healthy Habit of Grit.
So, when life throws dirt on you, “shake
it off and step up.” Don’t quit, hav GRIT!
So, when life throws dirt on you, “shake
it off and step up.” Don’t quit, have grit!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.