Words to Live By *

The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!
Haggai 2:9 NLT

I am fascinated by words and people's ability to put them together in such a way that those around them feel they are worth recording and repeating. I like to read quotes. They are words that we as a society tend to live by. 

A few of my favorites:
   Garrison Keillor said, God writes a lot of comedy... the trouble is,
   He's stuck with so many bad actors who don't know how to play
   funny.

   Thomas Edison has one of the best ever for maintaining the right
   attitude in the face of adversity. The world's opinion of his many
   attempts to invent was that he was a failure. He told them:
   I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that won't work.

   Galileo, who said, I do not feel obliged to believe that same God
   who endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect had intended
   for us to forego their use. Amen, brother!

   Famed comedian, Milton Berle quipped,
      I'd rather be a Could-Be if I cannot be an Are;
      because a Could-Be is a Maybe who is reaching for a star.
      I'd rather be a Has-Been than a Might-Have-Been, by far;
      for a Might-Have-Been has never been,
      but a Has was once an Are.

Of course those are somewhat sardonic, but I'm always amazed at how this person or that person is credited for wise sayings, when the basis of their truths are Scriptural. For instance, Anton Chekhov is credited with, Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.  Alice Roosevelt Longworth said, I have a simple philosophy: Fill what's empty. Empty what's full.  These are based in biblical truths. 

One of my all-time favorites that I rediscovered recently is, Never let your memories be greater than your dreams. 

It so reminds me of our text for today. Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the remnant of God's people hearkened to the voice of Haggai and finally began to rebuild the temple. It surely had taken them long enough! They had previously set out to do it, but got caught up in their day-to-day lives. The temple before had been such a glorious structure - all the gold and silver overlay and craftsmanship. Do you remember the story in the Old Testament? And because it had been so glorious, their attempts to rebuild seemed paltry in comparison. They got discouraged.

Don't we get like that? We want to quit because it doesn't seem like it's ever going to be as good as it once was in the good ol' days!  Isn't it easier to rest on our laurels (another famous quote), than try to forge ahead into the unknown?

In times of trouble, we tend to be able to see more clearly into the past and what we knew that WAS than to look toward the future with hope. However, I'll tell you there is no faith in looking back at what once was unless we're using it as a foundation on which to build our faith.

Adlin Sinclair, accomplished businessman and creator of the infomercial media format, is recorded as saying, The tears of faithfulness to your beliefs cleanse your spirit to envision the road ahead. Everything is possible for the person who believes. I believe the direct quote is in Mark 9:23, where Jesus said, All things are possible to him who believes. Hmmmm...what Jesus said. True words to live by.

Prayer:

Father,
         Keep our eyes focused on You - the Author and Finisher of our faith. You started it. You'll finish it. You are the Alpha and Omega, beginning and the end. Words we can live by. You Word is alive - quick and powerful, rightly dividing between soul and spirit. Keep us by Your Words. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen