Tiger Woods won a major championship by just one stroke...but the difference in that stroke was over $500,000.00 in prize money from first to second place. Just one stroke makes all the difference in the world.
The average margin of victory between a gold medal and the silver medal in the Olympics 100 meter dash is less that 1 second. But that one second determines who will be remembered as an Olympic champion and who will be forgotten as an also-ran. That one second makes all the difference in the world.
The average margin of victory at the Indianapolis 500 is just over 1 second. But that 1 second makes all the difference in the world.
One degree, one stroke, one second...it is very minuscule, but it makes all the difference in the world.
Vince Lombardi, one of the most successful football coaches who ever lived (in fact, the Super Bowl trophy is named the Vince Lombardi Trophy), once said that “inches make a champion.” Inches! Seemingly small things in life can make a tremendous difference.
Jesus talked about going the extra mile, turning the other cheek, blessing those who curse us. He said one time in Matthew 5:40-41 (NCV), “If someone wants to sue you in court and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. If someone forces you to go with him one mile, go with him two miles.” Or, in other words, go above and beyond what is expected! The second mile! The extra degree! The additional step! Can you imagine if the members of one congregation in America would determine to do just a little more than the average American church member for the kingdom of God and for their local family of believers? Could we see as dramatic a difference as the above example? Could just one more degree of effort make the difference between really hot coffee and powering a steam engine locomotive?
We are going to be talking this week about turning up the heat on our level of commitment, passion, and enthusiasm in our relationship with God. One of America’s greatest philosophers, a man by the name of Elbert Hubbard, once wrote: “The line between failure and success is so fine that we...are often on the line and do not know it. How many a man has thrown up his hands at a time when a little more effort, a little more patience, would have achieved success. A little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success.” (as quoted in The Search for the North Pole (1896) by Evelyn Briggs Baldwin, p. 520).
While many would say that the concept of grace eliminates the need for effort, we will discover this week that Jesus certainly talked about the role our effort plays in the kingdom of God. So for this first post on the subject, let me just say..."let's turn up the heat!"
The video below was the sermon introduction this past week. I hope it will challenge you to turn up the heat!
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