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A Faith To Live By

by Myron J. Taylor

Many years ago in Portsmouth Ohio, I began writing a daily column for a local newspaper. Each column was to be 120 words and was intended to say something that would encourage and help people. It proved to be so accepted that I have continued to write columns over the years, but not daily. These short pieces have been cut out and kept, placed on refrigerator doors, mailed back to me after many years. They have seemingly accomplished their purpose for a lot of people. From the Internet I learned of one minister who read one of the columns and was inspired to write a sermon on which he placed on Internet.

 ~ Dr. Myron J. Taylor

[Several hundred of these inspiration columns are available. They would be ideal for daily devotions that are brief and to the point.]

What is time? Nobody knows. It just is, inscrutable and inescapable. Is it a measured portion of eternity? Time has different speeds and gears. In youth the days are swift and the years creep along snail-like. In age it is the other way around; the years exceed the speed limit and are gone before we know it, while the days loiter and lengthen as if they were lazy. Time is divided into past, present, and future. We master the past by memory; we conquer the present by faith, we triumph over the future by hope. Our problem is to turn time into life. We have a choice of killing time and being killed by it, or filling time with thoughts and things eternal.

Anxiety makes us unfit for life at its best. Restlessness, sleeplessness, disturbing dreams, or even stuttering may be a direct expression of anxiety. It affects the nervous system by speeding up the heartbeat, elevating the blood pressure, increasing perspiration, and resulting in feeling of exhaustion. Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but it empties today of its strength. It does not make you escape evil; it makes you unfit to cope with it if it comes. The only known cure for anxiety is a faith that is stronger than our pressures. When we trust in God we then become his responsibility. We need enough faith to believe that we can trust ourselves in God’s hands.

A question for all graduates, "Quo Vadis?" where are you going? The obvious answer is that you are going the same direction you were before graduation. A cap and gown doesn’t make any real difference in you. There are only two directions for life and two destinations: The way to Heaven is the way of love, the way of learning to care about others and about God. Love is the greatest thing in the world for "God is love." The way to Hell has both an express route and a longer, slower way. The express route is selfishness. The slower route is indifference, but it gets you to the same place. I wish every graduate Godspeed in the right direction.

All of us have problems. Recently I heard some good advice on how to deal with them. Here it is in just three words: "Wait three days." An elderly lady said it: "Wait three days," she said, "and somehow everything gets all right again." Her reasoning was full of faith. She said, "When Jesus was crucified on Friday that was the worst day for the whole world. And when I get troubles, I remember that. Only three days later our Lord was raised from the grave. So when I get troubles, I’ve learned to wait three days—and somehow everything gets all right again." That’s beautiful. Give God a chance, with three days.

Charles Dickens taught us that to be humble is the way to be happy. By humility, he meant being so free from self-love that we can enjoy everything else in the world—to be able to enjoy a thing without wanting to own it, free from envy with its anger and vanity with its shabby showing off. Just to be thankful and happy for the little joys of life—its little comforts, treats, surprises; the fun of having a few things, a few friends, a simple faith and a contented mind. To be humble and grateful, free from vanity and self-pity can be an acceptable way to live.

When Lou Gehrig walked off the baseball field toward the end of his career a thoughtful spectator said, "There is a baseball player." But one who knew him well said, "There is a man." Sometime we say, "There is a halfback, a statesman, a musician, a soldier." But when we pay our highest tribute we say simply, "There is a man." There is something to be added; nothing to be taken away. We still advise our sons "Be a man."

Without love, life is incomplete. No one is so successful that love is not needed, for success has little value unless it is shared. There is no one so rich that he does not need love, for nothing can be purchased that is a substitute for love. There is no one so wise that wisdom replaces the need for love, for without love knowledge becomes a mere accumulation of information. There is no one so famous that he does not need love, for the fame and popularity become hollow and empty unless one feels accepted and loved. Little wonder that Paul listed love as the greatest of all values. "So faith, hope, love abide—but the greatest of these is love.

One of the great words of the Bible is the word "peace." In ordinary language, "peace" is used as the opposite of war; but in the bible, "peace" is that condition which exists when one is in a right relationship with God. Jesus is our model. He was at peace with God, with others (friend, critic, and enemy alike), and himself. Jesus said, "My peace I give unto to." Now it is possible for us to possess this desirable gift. One result of being "in Christ" is the gift of peace. "For God is our peace."

A ship in the Gatun Locks of the Panama Canal needed to be lifted up to a great height so it could continue on its voyage. The concrete walls of the lock rose above the ship like a skyscraper. How could it ever get up there? One thing did not happen. The engineer on the ship did not signal: "Full steam ahead! Everybody lift!" The man in the control room on the lock quietly pushed a button and let in the water from Chagres Lake high up in the mountains. The flow of the power from above lifted the ship and sent it out on a new level. The gift of the grace of God, the gift of power for living, can lift life and send it our on a new level.

Dante had written above the doors of hell—"Abandon hope, all ye who enter here." There is an old proverb which says, "So long as there is life, there is hope." One great fact about human beings is their almost unconquerable hopefulness. Like a taper in the wind, at times hope burns low and sputters, but it seldom goes out. For when hope dies, humankind is dead. Charles Allen remarks, that "when you say a situation or a person is hopeless, you are slamming the door in the face of God." Christianity rejects the idea of human beings building their heaven on earth. It believes in a God who is present and active in history. So long as we believe in God we can have hope.

What are we going to do with the New Year—add another year to our lives, or add new life to our years? Some of us move back into the past, settle down, and live there, walking into the future backward. Like old soldiers, we fight old battles over and over again. Others live only for today, its duty and its task, its hurry and flurry; when it is ended, we drop it into the waste basket. Still others are victims of the future. We overload it, putting forward into tomorrow or next week what belongs to today or yesterday, until the future is like a cluttered attic. Learn to look back in faith, grateful for the way you have come; look forward in hope full of anticipation; look well to each day as it comes, learning to act out of love to make something beautiful and worthwhile of it. Have a blessed New Year!

In Washington, there is a Bible that once belonged to Abraham Lincoln. He used it all through the Civil War. There is a certain page which, if you look at it carefully, reveals a soiled depression in the margin caused by a finger being placed there again and again. If you place your finger there, you will find that it points to Psalm 34:4: "I sought the Lord and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears." These words kept Lincoln going in the dark days. He learned that we are never tried beyond our strength, and whatever happens, we do not have to meet it alone! This is the faith that sustains in the dark hours.

A most pressing need of each of us is to be able to face life without losing heart. In the closing years of this turbulent century, when all our resources are being tested, we need the steadying inner strength to enable us to stand up to life in our upset world. The apostle Paul said, "I never lost heart!" He had found the faith and courage to face whatever life could bring. Paul also said, "For me to live is Christ." There must be some relationship between the two statements. It is wonderful to know that we can live without losing heart.

"Pray without ceasing," says Paul. If prayer is no more than saying prayers, no one could obey such a counsel. We have work to do, duties to meet, a living to make, and we cannot be always on our knees. But prayer is more than saying prayers, useful as that is. It becomes real prayer only when it becomes a constant attitude of reverence, of obedience—an inner habit. If we love at all, we love without ceasing. We do not turn it on and off. Prayer, then, is more than saying prayers. It is the deepest desire of the heart, seeking in every act to know the will of God and do it. It is seeking in all of life to live as in the presence of God.

How do we express love for our children? Some people give them money and buy them expensive things. Others allow the children to do as they please, believing it bad to repress their desire. Some time ago, I saw a wonderful example of love. A beautiful girl was to be married. Both her father and mother were deaf and unable to speak. They wanted so much to give their daughter a lovely wedding. They practiced walking. They provided interpreters. All arrangements were made just right. But there is the grand climax of it all: This father who could not speak practiced a year-and-a-half so he could say "I…do…" when his daughter was given away. He did it and did it well. This is a rare kind of love. If it takes real love to make a wholesome personality (and it does), then we can all understand why this girl with the handicapped parents is so fortunate.

A poor fellow in the Bible has my sympathy. He was given one talent, which represented ability and opportunity. He could have amounted to something. Instead he said, "I was afraid, and went and hid my talent in the earth…" (Matt 25:25). Many of us live in prisons of hopelessness, despair, and uselessness because of fear. A physician kept a record over a period of years of the fears of his patients. He found 40% never happened; 30% were of things about which they could do nothing; 12% were of some imaginary illness; 10% of something that might happen to a loved one. Only 8% of the fears had real causes; 92% of the fears were needless.

Every normal person would like to be a radiant personality: to be respected, attractive, loved; to be at peace within, useful, happy, and sought after—not just for the things they can give but for themselves alone. But what is the way to radiant personality? Some say health, by which means being born right (or wrong as the case may be). Others say radiance depends on circumstances. Jesus was much more profound when he said, "The Kingdom of God is within you." Radiance does not come from outside, but as a by-product of the faith and hope and love that is within. It is possible for you.

China encircled herself with the Great Wall, 25 feet thick and 20 feet high, which was broken at intervals by gates which had to be guarded at all times. When the enemy finally succeeded in breaching the mighty wall, he did it not by storming the wall, not by digging underneath it, but by the simple expedient of bribing the guards. Without moral strength, what good is a nation’s wall of armaments? No matter how strong a nation’s defenses, the final test is the honesty, integrity, and moral strength of its people.

George Bernard Shaw once said he was no more a Christian than Pontius Pilate. Then, after studying human affairs for sixty years, Shaw said he could see no way except the way Jesus would take, if he were a man of state. Here is the real issue before our age. The destruction of humankind is now possible. Our human society ought not to be allowed to go to wreck without trying the way of Jesus. To reject his wisdom and ignore his programs may mean the end of human society. We have tried many unwise ways. We must try the way of Jesus.

You are wise to commit yourself completely to a faith that will sustain you, a calling that will challenge you, and an idea that will capture you, an inspiration that will lift you, and a love that will fulfill you. Write it on your heart: a God worth worshipping is a God worth trusting. A creed worth repeating is a creed worth practicing. A church worth joining is a church worth supporting. A faith worth embracing is a faith worth proclaiming. Human experience teaches that an uncommitted person is an unharnessed talent, an untapped treasure, an unfruitful personality.

If we are wrong about God, or wrong with God, we cannot be right about many other things. At the same time, if we are right with God, we cannot be wrong about much else that is really important. When we are wrong about God, we hate one another; we hurt one another, because we are afraid. Once we know that God is, where he is and how to live with him, life will become great and the world happy. Such was the secret of Jesus—almost too simple for a complex age.

The truly committed person is a channel of power, an instrument of service, and a blessing of creativity. You are wise to commit yourself only to those things that are bigger than yourself and more lasting than yourself. Gill R. Wilson once said, "He who dedicated him-self to a great ideal, himself becomes great." You will always be judged by the quality of your commitments. You will grow only as much, live only as nobly, and become only as great as the depth of your commitments. The deeper your commitments, the higher will be your achievements.

In an old, rambling house in New York's Harlem, an old man was found dead. Death came by asphyxiation. He was found under a pile of rubbish and debris. He had tripped over a wire and sprung the trap he had set for thieves who might break in and steal his trash. There he was buried beneath a pyramid of newspapers, old clothes, bags, boxes, baskets, bits of rubber hose, flower pots and umbrella handles. His life was smothered out by the accumulated junk he had amassed through the years. This happens to a lot of people, some of them living in mansions. The accumulated junk—the hates, the disloyalties, the compromises, and the selfishness—smother out every trace of life.

People who live each day as if it were their last one on earth, who are honest, square, truthful in their dealings, treating other persons fairly, courteously, sincerely, who could make a daily report to their maker with clear-eyed truthfulness, get the most out of life. They are too generous to cheat, too brave to lie, too conscientious to be undermining. They realize that what we do each day has eternal consequences. We shall be known at last not only by what we have done or not done, but also, by what we have become. God makes a difference. God helps us to be the best that we can be. Always live "with eternity in view."

In the story of his life, H. G. Wells has five chapters entitled, "Started Again." Five times he failed, once very badly–in a rather mean, messy way–but each time he tried again until he struck his stride. Since all of us fail, often and in many ways, it is important that we do it in the right way. We can fail miserably or we can fail gallantly. To fail miserably is to give up, let go, and stay down when we fall. To fail gallantly is to get up when we fall down, or are knocked down, and refuse to admit defeat. Being human, we may go on failing to the end; but if every time it happens we get up, we are not failures.

Take time to worship: It is the highway of reverence which cleanses and restores the soul. Take time to work: it is the price of achievement. Take time to think: It is the source of power. Take time to read: it is the foundation of knowledge. Take time to help and enjoy friends: it is the source of happiness. Take time to play: it is the secret of youth. Take time to dream; it hitches the soul to the stars. Take time to love: it adds a new dimension to all of life. Take time to plan: it is the secret of being able to find time for all the other things.

There are two seas in the Holy Land. One is alive, fresh as Spring, abounding in fish. Along its shores, Jesus walked. It was here he called four fisherman to follow him: Peter and his brother Andrew, and James and his brother John. The River Jordan feeds this sea with fresh rain and spring water from the hills.

The Jordan River passes through the Sea of Galilee and flows into another sea. But this Sea is like no other Sea. This Sea has no life, no living thing is in it. It is called "The Dead Sea."

The Jordan River serves both these Seas. The Sea of Galilee receives its waters and passes it on to water the Jordan Valley, making it lush and green. The Jordan flows into the Dead Sea but there is no exit. It takes in but never gives. That is why it is dead. One gives, the other only takes. Which one are you?

Robert M. Hutchins, prominent educator, once said: "It is not so important to be serious as it is to be serious about important things The monkey wears an expression of seriousness which would do credit to any college student, but the monkey is serious because he itches." Many of us are like that. We get terribly serious sometimes, but about terribly unimportant things. Golf scores and bridge games, food and weather and movie stars, idle gossip and passing events—these things loom large. They keep us fussing and scratching. Live big. Lift your mind to far horizons, and let your spirit be commanded by a divine purpose.

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You often hear it said, "People don't change." Don't you believe it. Of all living creatures, people are the most capable of change. Human nature can be transformed by the power of Jesus Christ. People entombed in the grave of self have been lifted into life; the greedy have become generous; the arrogant, humble; the mean, kindly. Aimless and indolent folk have found a purpose that command their best; the bored and cynical have found reason for hope and joy. People trapped in self-defeat have merged victorious; the impure have become pure; the weak, strong; the cowardly, brave; the ungodly, devout. There is hope for you and me. We can change.