“Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run that ye may obtain” (1 Corinthians 9:24).
Danny BurnleyAs pastors, we must preach. As did Ezekiel preach to bones in Ezekiel 37, so must we.
In my last two articles, we have looked carefully to whom we preach. There are the Jawbones, who are the murmurers and complainers, and the Knucklebones, those who knock everything and everybody. Now let us turn our attention to the Wishbone.
The Wishbone is the one who is constantly wishing, planning and dreaming, but never arrives at the point of rolling up his sleeves and going to work to convert his wishes into realities.
There is a time for wishing and daydreaming, but this should not be our chief occupation.
The apostle Paul did not say, “I sure wish I could fight a good fight, finish my course and keep the faith, and some day soon I plan to get started.”
At the close of Paul’s life, he stated, “I have fought a good fight – I have kept the faith -” (2 Timothy 4:6-8).
Neither eternal life nor the abundant life is just the result of wishing, desiring and wanting. It is an experience by faith through grace based on the authority of God’s word.
We must realize that there is work to be done to accomplish our goals. There is a race to run and a crown to win! We must be more than a Wishbone!
The spirit of the Jawbone, Knucklebone and Wishbone is to be shunned.
As we continue to love, pastor and preach to our congregations, we will discover that another bone will develop within the church. This bone – which is needed in every facet of our society, and which will be the subject of the next Pastor’s Corner – is the Backbone!