Footprints in the sands of time or Footholds in the Rock eternal?

 Biju Itty, Surat

“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain”. (1 Cor. 15:58 [NIV])

Henry W. Longfellow, an American poet of the 1800s, wrote the following lines in his immensely popular poem, A Psalm of Life:

“Lives of great men all remind us,  We can make our lives sublime,

And, departing, leave behind us, Footprints on the sands of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another, Sailing o’er life’s solemn main,

A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, Seeing, shall take heart again.”

However, one wonders how those dissolving footprints in the sands of time would help a forlorn and shipwrecked person to see and take heart. Lives of great men of the world do leave footprints, albeit, on the sands of time. And when the great waters flow over them, the place remembers them no more.

The Preacher says in Eccl. 2:15, 16, “As it happens to the fool, it also happens to me, and why was I then more wise?… This is also vanity. For there is no remembrance of the wise than of the fool forever, since all that now is, will be forgotten in the days to come. And how does a wise man die? As the fool!”

The worldly-wise man is not different from the fool because he has made terms with the world in a good way! This citizen from the City of Carnal Policy attacks the Scriptures, and he tries to renounce the Bible totally by pointing toward human morality and goodness as a viable way to salvation instead of the atoning that took place at the Cross of Christ.

So stand firm in Christ

“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you.”

Let's not look for footprints in the sands of time but at the footholds in the Rock of Ages cleft for us at Calvary. Those gaping wounds of the Savior are footholds for us, and assuredly neither our feet will stumble nor will our steps slip anymore.

He brought us up out of the miry clay, set our feet upon the Rock, and established our steps. He put a new song in our mouth – praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the LORD. When our time on earth is over, may it be said of us, “Blessed are the dead, who die in the LORD from now on. “Yes”, says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labours, and their works follow them”.” Rev. 14:13.

Busy yourselves in the Lord’s work

“Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord.”

We are not called to mitigate risks and avoid troubles, but to take them head-on. We are required to excel in the work of the Lord, always doing our best and doing more than is needed. We are to give ourselves fully to His work, being as vigorous as we can.

Be confident because of the Resurrection

“Because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain”.

Discouragements and criticisms are bound to come, and every attempt will be made to turn you away from doing the Lord’s will. People might question your motives and may tell you that you have merely wasted your time.

Yet the Word says, “Throw yourselves into the work of your Master, confident that nothing you do for Him is a waste of time or effort.” 1 Cor. 15:58 [The Message].

So it is not pointless, never worthless, and our travail in the LORD is never idle. We don’t need to look busy or be men-pleasers; but as bondservants of Christ, let’s do the will of God from the heart, because of the Resurrection. That is when we will be repaid for what we have done, and there will be no partiality.

 

5/12/2023