60 Seconds – A Holy Heartburn

A retired prominent businessman summed up his success in three simple words: “And then some.” He stated, “I discovered at an early age that most of the difference between average people and top people could be explained in three words. The top people did what was expected of them – and then some. They were thoughtful of others; they were considerate and kind – and then some. They met their obligations and responsibilities fairly and squarely – and then some. They were good friends to their friends – and then some. They could be counted on in an emergency – and then some.”

We discover in the book of Jeremiah that there was a time when he was ready to quit. However, instead of resigning, he decided to have his calling re-signed. He wrote, “Then I said, ‘I will not make mention of Him nor speak anymore in His name.’ But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not” (Jeremiah 20:9).

A dear old saint explained, “He tried to quit, but he couldn’t. He developed a bone-fire. Here was a prophet with a holy fever, a preacher running a spiritual temperature, a man of God with a burning heart.”

Count Zinsendorf claimed, “I have only one passion; it is He, He alone.” His Christ-centered zeal sparked into being one of the world’s greatest missionary organizations – the Moravian Church.

Jim Elliot, who was willing to be martyred for the cause of Christ, expressed, “God, I pray Thee, light these idle sticks of my life, and may I burn out for Thee. Consume my life, my God, for it is Thine. I seek not a long life, but a full one.”

A railway bridge had been destroyed by fire, and it was necessary to replace it. The bridge engineer and his staff were ordered to the scene. Two days later, the superintendent of the division arrived. “Bill,” he said to the engineer, “I want this job rushed. Every hour of delay is costing the company money. Have you got the plans for the new bridge?” “I don’t know,” said the engineer, “whether the architect has completed his sketches, but the bridge is up and trains are passing over it!”

“The world is moving so fast these days that the man who says it can’t be done is generally interrupted by someone doing it” (Harry Emerson Fosdick).