I's Better Get Hopping

“It is a blessed thing for a man when he has brought his desires into focus, so that they all center in one object. When he has fifty different desires, his heart resembles a stagnant pool spreading out into a marsh, breeding disease; but when all his desires are channeled in one direction, his heart becomes like a river of pure water, running swiftly to fertilize the fields.” – C.H. Spurgeon

I was talking to an old friend on the phone last week and since we hadn’t chatted in a few years, we had some real catching up to do. At some point in the conversation, I shared with him the changes I’ve made – because of God’s prodding – since we last spoke.

“You can’t see me,” I told him, “but I am holding my hands far apart. That size width describes my life when I was younger, more energetic, and wanted to conquer the world. Now, at age 64, all I want to focus on is ministry and family, family and ministry.” And with that, I moved my hands about as close together as possible, demonstrating the narrowness of my focus (even though he still couldn’t see me).

If, as Moses said in Psalm 90, our lifespan is really 70-80 years, I had better get hopping if I want to accomplish something important – and eternal – during the last 20 years of my life. That means paying less attention to temporal things and paying more attention to eternal ones.

From a ministry standpoint, I want to see more people come to saving faith in Christ and to grow in their faith. I also want to challenge Christians to stand up and be counted in the public arena, which is why I started my faith-based political blog last year.

As far as family is concerned, my top priority is loving and caring for my wife… and praying earnestly for our six precious grandchildren to come to know Jesus as their Savior and to be “sold out” to Him.
Quite frankly, not much else matters to this gray-haired guy who will be eligible for Medicare in five months.

Here is how Charles Spurgeon summarized matters: “Happy is he who has one desire, if that one desire is set on Christ.”

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12 (NIV)

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President