Discipleship
The Invincible Power of Perseverance
During the 1980’s, I met a Christian leader who was a spokesman for moral renewal. Jerry Falwell, pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia, catapulted into national prominence through starting the Moral Majority.
For years, he was probably the most loved and hated man in America.
One evening he spoke at a rally in Washington, D.C. I don’t remember the details of his speech, but I’ll always remember one line. He said, “The true greatness of an individual is always proportionate to his willingness to endure testing.”
This past week we celebrated the greatest act of perseverance in history–Jesus’ death on the cross. He did so to fill the world with joy–that our sins are forgiven, and that we too can experience eternal life through trusting him.
We must learn to persevere like Jesus to inherit that promise.
Self Control: The Number One Quality of a Leader
We’ve been discussing the character qualities necessary to both survive the turbulent 2020’s and also to thrive in advancing God’s Kingdom purposes on earth.
Our first article discussed the primacy of virtue–having a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. Last week we looked at developing truthful knowledge in our lives–though deeper thinking, reading, writing and choosing your sources of input carefully.
Now we turn to the quality necessary for achieving the above.
It’s also the number one quality of a leader.
Self control.
The Virtuous Life
Nothing is more important to individuals or nations than the practice of virtue. The fact that the word seems outdated and foreign to us shows how far we have fallen from its power and beauty.
To navigate the coming new world and its challenges, we must return to the primacy of virtue.