60 Seconds – A Yankee Coat and Rebel Britches

There is a story of a fellow in the Civil War days who would not fight for either the North or the South. Finally, he ventured forth wearing a yankee coat and rebel britches, and was fired upon from both directions. This is the life of a man who is a compromiser, with no solid convictions.

In Daniel 1:8, we read how Daniel “purposed in his heart,” meaning that he “stood erect and planted himself” against what was not good for him.

Twice David expressed, “My heart is steadfast,” defined as “established” (Psalms 57:7 and 108:1).

The same word is used of the man who fears the Lord in Psalm 112:7, stating, “His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.”

Four days before his assassination, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “On some positions, cowardice asks the question, is it expedient? And the expedience comes along and asks the question – is it polite? Vanity asks the question – is it popular? Conscience asks the question, is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, not polite, not popular – but one must take it, because it is right.”

Luke writes of Christ, “Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face (‘turned resolutely in a certain direction’) to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51). Though knowing the consequences, He was committed to doing the will of His Father.

J. Oswald Sanders wrote, “A small man may entertain strong opinions; a great man cherishes strong convictions. Opinions cost only breath. Convictions may well cost blood.”

Reverend Peter Marshall was, at one time, chaplain of the United States Senate. In one of his prayers, he said, “Give us clear vision, that we may know where to stand and what to stand for – because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything.”

1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”