Minute Meditations

A wise man once observed as he drove past a large cemetery, ”That place is full of indispensable people.” Yes, they were thought to be indispensable, perhaps by themselves, certainly by their employees and families but somehow the world has continued to turn even though they don’t.

It is said that many people suffer from what is known as the ”axis complex.” It is well for one to believe that the Earth turns on its axis but it is dangerous for one to believe that he himself is the axis. This axis complex does its worst damage when it becomes self-righteous. One scholar has said, ”As soon as you begin to take yourself too seriously, and imagine that your virtues are important because they are yours, you become the prisoner of your own vanity and even your best works will bind and deceive you. Then you will begin to see sins and faults everywhere in other men.”

The cemeteries are full of those who had ”the axis complex.” The highways and byways are full of those who still have it. The question we need to answer is ”do we have it?”

The antidote for ”axis complex” is to remember Paul’s word of advice to the Romans. ”For I say,... to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”

We really can take no credit for what we have for whatever we have was given to us. Paul explains it this way, ”What hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” David reminds us ”Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves.”

Since what we have is a gift from God, it then seems reasonable that we should use our God given gifts for His honor and glory.

There are two important points we all need to remember. One, since God made us, whatever we have, we have been given, so we should not become puffed up and think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think; and two, since what we have is God given, then we have an obligation to use whatever we have been given to the glory and honor of God who gave it to us. Again Paul tells us ”Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”

We need a balance. We must always remember that we are not indispensable and the world does not really revolve around us even though it appears so from our point of view. On the other hand we need to go all out in our efforts to use the talents and abilities that God has given us. Some people in the world around us really demonstrate how fully they use their abilities to achieve temporal goals. Would that we emulated their dedication to worldly goals and in our case applied ourselves to achieving Godly goals.

Jesus felt a sense of urgency when he said, ”I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day; the night cometh, when no man can work.”

We, too, must work the works of Him that called us, while it is day. We may not be indispensable but God is depending on us to work while it is day. The night is coming when we cannot work. The work those in the graveyard felt they had to do, is not being done by them anymore. On the other hand just because we are not indispensable does not mean that our work is unimportant.

”Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.”