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The Three Fs For Success The letter F in respect to school grades stood for the word failure. However, in this article I would like to call your attention to three words that start with the letter F which translate into success. These three words are: fight, finish and faith; and they all appear in this text: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; 8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing. II Timothy 4:7-8 If we wish to succeed in this life we must be willing to fight against the spiritual forces of darkness. We must resist the devil and the temptations he places before us. We must practice self-discipline. We must determine to overcome evil with good. Likewise, if we wish to succeed in our Vacation Bible School, we must be will to fight to overcome all the obstacles Satan will put in our paths. These days everyone leads busy lives. There are many things competing for our time and attention so we must discipline ourselves to stay focused on the task before us, VBS. If we wish to win the race of life, we must determine to finish the course. It is better not to start than to start and then turn back. ( II Pet. 3: 20-22 ) We must take up our cross daily. We must press on to the goal of our calling. In life we must be faithful unto death and it is the same with any project. We must keep at it until the job is done. In these final days there will be many details which must be taken care of, some things will go wrong and other forgotten items will come to light. Frustrations may increase, but success comes only to those who finish their course. If a Christian wishes to receive the crown of righteousness he must keep the faith, i.e., he must be steadfast in his trust that Jesus is the Christ the risen Son of God. That trust must motivate him to examine himself regularly to determine if he is abiding in the faith, if he is living his life in accordance with the word of God which defines his faith. As success in our Christian life must be directed by our trust in the power of Jesus to save us, we must prepare for the Vacation Bible School in the faith and confidence that Jesus can and indeed will use us to accomplish His will in this place. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, 21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Ephesians 3: 20-21 Our Vacation Bible School is a good thing being done for all the right reasons. Surely God is pleased that we are doing it. When it succeeds, HE will get the glory, not men. His word is being taught, not mans words. So, let us put our faith in HIM and put all of our strength in His hands for His use in accomplishing this good work for HIS power works in US, but it only does so when we are willing for Him to use us. We demonstrate our willingness to be Gods servants by our fight, our finish, and our faith. Each day ask God to use us to accomplish HIS glory in the work before us, in the Vacation Bible School. ( significantly adapted from an article by Paul E. Jarrett ) |
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