A Simple Resolve

A Simple Resolve

I want to begin today with a movie quote! Last night Leah and I watched The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. In it, two of the main characters, Sam and Frodo, find themselves in a very discouraging way. In a moment of despair Frodo says, “I can’t do this Sam.” And Sam’s response goes like this, “I know. It’s all wrong. By rights we shouldn’t even be here. But we are. It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Fodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Fodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. they kept going, because they were holding on to something.” 

I know, it’s long – but soooo good! Can I ask you – what are you holding on to? What is keeping you going? 

Our scripture today is my favorite verse. It comes in 1 Corinthians 2. Paul is trying to explain to the Corinthians why they need to put their faith and trust in Jesus and not himself or other men. He is trying to explain to them that he is nothing special, it is Jesus that has made him successful. In chapter 2 he writes to them that when he came to them he was so afraid he was weak and trembling – he didn’t know if they would torture him or kill him or imprison him for preaching the Gospel but he did it anyway to great success – how? 

He tells us in 1 Corinthians 2:2, “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”

Listen, whether it be worry or fear or doubt, temptation or depression or tragedy – whatever it may be – even the good moments – 1 Corinthians 2:2 is always the answer. Keep a strong and steady focus on the cross my friends – it is there that Jesus Christ overcame the world, sin, and death. It is there that He saved you from anything this world can throw at you. Do not despair! Decided to know nothing – no what ifs, no doubts, no self-made assessments – the one thing you can know for sure is that Jesus Christ died on the cross and made a way for you to move from the temporal to the eternal. 

I think of the old song, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus and the things of this world will grow strangely dim!” Amen! 

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