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by Kevin Pauley
The nations will see your righteousness. Kings will be blinded by your glory. And the Lord will give you a new name. – Is. 62:2
A great general was surrounded one time. He was in his tent discussing strategy with his subordinates when an aide came running in. “General, the enemy has surrounded us with eight regiments! We are outnumbered 20 to one!” Everyone turned to the great man as he gazed calmly at the panicked aide. “Well that’s outstanding!” he replied “We’ve got them right where we want them. We can shoot anywhere and hit the enemy.”
Life’s problems often surround us and it’s easy to get panicked. We look at the overwhelming mass of them and it is too much to bear. What we need to do is have the same outlook as the general. Just keep doing the job, one bullet at a time, one enemy at a time. By staying calm and remaining on the job even under stress, we reveal our true worth. Anyone can do well when everything is running smoothly. How good are you when the going gets rough? That’s the real test.
Another general, Alexander the Great, rode into camp one day. As he approached the center of the huge camp he saw an officer berating a foot soldier. He stopped and asked what the problem was. The officer told him the soldier had displayed cowardice in the last battle and was refusing to go into the fray. Alexander rode his horse over to the kneeling soldier. “Soldier, what is your name?” The man hesitated to answer so Alexander repeated the question. “Soldier, what is your name?” Finally the man barely whispered, “Alexander, sir.” Alexander the Great, conqueror of the world replied, “Soldier, change your ways or change your name.”
All of us who claim the name of Christ, should learn the lesson. How awful it is to see someone with some Christian sticker on his or her car get angry and impatient in traffic. How terrible it must be for Christ when a person with a WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) bracelet or ball cap is nasty to the cashier at Walmart. How much better it would be for you to remove the sticker, the bracelet, the ball cap or the cross necklace and display Christ with your attitude or actions! Change your name or change your actions!
Kevin Pauley is a pastor and writer. He lives in Illinois with his wife, Lynn, their five children and two dogs. His internet address is Berea.
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