The Angle At Which You Stand

Business guru and author, Jim Collins, wrote a book called Built to Last. The book is about companies that have been lead to excellence over the long haul. But even the very best companies are built to last only what, fifty, one hundred years. Historically speaking, that’s a drop in the bucket.

You know what’s really built to last? You. . . I know, you may not feel like it. You may not have felt like it easing out of bed this morning. But you really are crafted for the long haul.

I intend to live forever. So far, so good.

That’s one of the things Jesus is pointing out in his teaching, the difference between the temporary and the eternal. Temples and coliseums are temporary – people are eternal.

Someday my car will be scrap metal, my house will succumb to the wrecking ball. All my prized possessions will be in someone else’s hands. Someone will go through my stuff and decide what’s worth keeping or not. They’ll be going through because, well, it won’t be my stuff anymore. It belongs to earth. Heaven doesn’t want it. I’m sorry to say, I have no reason to believe there are flea markets or yard sales in heaven. Heaven doesn’t want our junk.

But Heaven wants me and heaven wants you.

Jesus warns, however, that the journey into eternity can be difficult at times. There will be people talking in the name of religion who will lie to you. There will be war and the threat of war almost constantly. There will be ecological disasters and famines and terror. And as for you, if you would live your life faithfully before God, you will be tested in your faith. Some people won’t like you just because of what you’re trying to represent. Your allegiance to Christ may cost you benefits in this world. It may strain business relationships. It may cause trouble in the family. Some people may just irrationally hate you.

Will you still follow Jesus?

G.K. Chesterton once wrote, “It is always simple to fall; there is an infinity of angles at which one falls, only one at which one stands.”

There are dozens of stories in this room about angles at which we have, or might have, fallen. If we were honest enough, or bold enough or foolish enough, we might tell these stories without flinching and we would all probably nod in agreement and understanding as we listened to each other’s troubles. I don’t think many of us would be reaching for stones to throw. None of us have been trouble free. We might call our group, “Sinners Anonymous.”

Jesus advice to us is, “Don’t Give Up.” Don’t quit.


Gordon McDonald wrote about a comment a relative made after his mother died, “She never really finished anything she started. When things got difficult, she would walk away.” That is a sad commentary on someone’s life. Have we ever noticed that quitter’s tendency in ourselves?

Laura Hillenbrand, in her book Seabiscuit, writes about the horse’s greatest moment in his race against War Admiral. War Admiral was the heavy favorite, a Triple Crown winner that had obliterated the competition. Seabiscuit’s longtime jockey, Red Pollard couldn’t go because of an injury, so he gave his replacement, George Woolf, advice on how to race that defied conventional wisdom. Have Seabiscuit jump out to the lead, but then when War admiral launches his final drive for the wire, do something completely unexpected; let him catch up.


This went against all common sense, but Pollard said it was a case of horse psychology. “Once a horse give Seabiscuit the old look-in-the-eye,” Pollard said, “Seabiscuit begins to run to parts unknown. . .War Admiral has speed, good speed; speed when unopposed. But with Seabiscuit, you could kill him before he’d quit. . .It’s not in his feet, George. It’s in his heart.”

The whole country stopped to listen on the day of this race, the largest radio audience that had ever been assembled. In the White House, FDR put off a cabinet meeting to listen in. The bell rang and Seabiscuit jumped out to an early lead. Coming into the backstretch, Woolf pulled back a little on the reins, and War Admiral drew even with Seabiscuit, both horses now were stride for stride. Woolf could see Seabiscuit looking directly into the eyes of his rival. His ears flattened to his head and Woolf whispered into his ear to give him everything he had. Woolf saw a subtle hesitation in War Admiral, a wavering. And then War Admiral began sliding from Seabiscuit’s side “as if gravity were pulling him backward.” Seabiscuit’s ears flipped up. He had broken his competition. Woolf made small motion with his hand to War Admiral’s jockey, Charles Kurtsinger, saying, “So long, Charley,” a phrase he coined that would be used by jockeys for decades. And the crowd broke out in pandemonium.

When things get hard, some people quit, but other people just get better.

There was a minor stir recently in some circles about the release of Mother Theresa’s personal diaries. Turns out she expressed some frustrations and disappointments in her personal diary. She questioned God about some things. What! The woman that spent most of her life among the destitute poor and leprous of Calcutta had some bad days?! Outrageous!

The point is almost too obvious to mention - she had bad days, but she never quit.

I just read a retelling of Martin Luther King’s last days in Memphis. He was in a very difficult period of his life. He was receiving death threats almost daily. He spoke to a group that night and he mentioned a bomb threat he had received:

“But it doesn’t matter now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop, “ King declared in a trembling voice. “And I don’t mind. Like anybody I would like to live a long life – longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will.

And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seeeeeen the promised land! And I may not get there with you. . .I’m so happy tonight. I’m not worried about anything! I’m not fearing any man! Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!”


Jesus says don’t give up. “By your endurance you will gain your souls.”

“Be watchful, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong.” I Corinthians 16.13

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending with flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Ephesians 6.10-13


There are many angles at which a person may fall. There is only one at which you stand.