Nobility

Isaiah 32:8 ESV

But he who is noble plans noble things, and on noble things he stands.

Listening to the radio, the nostalgia of a mechanical echo could not hide the charisma and passion of the speaker. This week marks fifty years since the cumulation of a decade of fierce and focused effort brought on by that speaker. John Fitzgerald Kennedy gave this speech at Rice University. In listening to a recording of it I am captured by the vision, the grandeur, and my failure. He grounds the necessity of this grand endeavor on the reality of a communist threat and the reality of American nature. Saying we are and have always been a nation that does hard things simply because they are a measure worthy of our effort.

Thousands of failures awaited the crown of this goal. Many times, having to come back to “square one” and try again. Looking at the vision and seeing the need for technology and alloys that did not exist meant watching as efforts were met with failure time and again. This then meets me square in the face. I hate failing. The idea of falling short time and again is so unnerving I regularly only do those things I know I will succeed at. In this I find that the fallen sinful vision and understanding of President Kennedy a slap in the face. “Why does Rice play Texas” was one of the lines from his speech, the idea being not because it is easy but because it is hard, because it is a challenge worthy of sacrifice and effort. A goal so audacious that failure time and again is worth enduring that victory might be won.

Christ gave his people a similar goal. One of such breadth and size that it was impossible from any Earthly perspective. Conquering the WORLD. Not even the Roman Empire, but a vision so vast and encompassing that the men who received it did not even know its true size, or the level of audacity on which they were embarking. Yet, they were given a helper, that made them more than human. That did not give them a fair chance but one who guaranteed victory. They were more than human, and those in opposition were merely human.

As Dr Lloyd-Jones has reiterated time and again we too are more than human, and we too are given the same bold commission. Conquer the world with the knowledge of Christ, and him crucified and coming again. Fail multiple times in all your stepping stone goals that victory might be one. Read your bible time-in-a-year time and again, fail and start where you left off. Memorize a psalm, fail and keep working at it. Tell your neighbor about Christ, and that he is coming again, dolling out vengeance and gifts on those he has designated, watch as they reject, then do it again. Try to help a child through foster-care, fail and try again. Christ’s church is one that fails regularly and often. From personal holiness to corporate worship, and everywhere in between. We fail to be all that we were created to be, and yet Christ’s bride is one that dwells secure knowing who she is. She is his. Let us fail a million times in our evangelist goals. Only to watch as the day is one and our community is full of the knowledge of him.

“But he who is noble plans noble things, and on noble things he stands.”

CRUCE, DUM SPIRO, FIDO