Thursday, September 4, 2014
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I've been a New York Giants fan for quite a while, and that's been a loyalty that has taken me from the depths of a season with only three wins to the pinnacle of winning the Super Bowl and a lot of seasons in-between there. But I'm a happy camper any time they make the playoffs at the end of a season like any fan would be.
There was one playoff game I remember that had an element that added a little extra excitement; a third opponent – the wind. The Giants were playing the Minnesota Vikings and there was a 26mph wind. That kind of resistance makes it pretty tough to throw the ball or kick the ball if your team's going that direction. Well, it's a good thing both teams get two quarters going against the wind. Oh, by the way, the Giants won. I had to tell you that. Now, the commentators were evaluating this unique weather factor at halftime. One of them summed it up pretty well. He said, "You can only score when the wind is with you."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Only When the Wind is With You."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Only When the Wind is With You."
We're in our word for today from the Word of God from Psalm 127:1-2, "Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late toiling for food to eat." The Bible makes it very clear here and many other places that the deciding factor in success or failure is not the hours you spend, or the sweat you expend, or the number of people involved, not how early you start, not how late you work, not how well you plan. No, the deciding factor is the blessing factor.
This verse talks about two arenas that we work pretty hard on; something or someone that we want to build and something we want to protect. And it says all your efforts are a waste of time if you don't have the Lord on your side building and guarding. The Lord is the wind who decides the outcome. Jesus even described the Holy Spirit as being like a wind in John 3. You can be playing very hard, trying to make progress, but if you're going against the wind and you don't have God's blessing, you're going to get tired and you're going to get frustrated. But if you have the wind; if you have God's blessing, those very same efforts by the very same people will succeed.
Bob Pierce, the Founder of World Vision used to pray this way. I love it, "Lord, we ask not that You bless what we do, but that we do what You bless." That's going with the wind of God. So the single most important thing you can do to win is to make sure you are doing everything God's way.
Hudson Taylor, the Founder of the China Inland Mission said, "God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply." So we need to be asking questions like these: Have we spent enough time in prayer and God's Word to know that this endeavor is His idea? Are we telling the truth in everything we do? Are we going the extra mile to ensure that everything is done with the highest possible integrity? Am I neglecting my family for this? Am I neglecting my time with Jesus for this? Am I neglecting the work of God for this? Are people treated right or am I putting schedules and projects ahead of people?
You can probably think of some other questions, but you get the point: You have to be doing things with the values of Christ to have the blessing of Christ. And if you don't have His blessing, you can turn off the alarm clock, knock off early and cancel the program. Before you set a goal, or make a plan, or get some help, or look for money, be sure the Lord is in it; that it's His time and you're doing it His way.
Remember, success depends on the wind of God. You can only score when the wind is with you.