going

The following is reported to have been seen in the window of an English company:

"We have been established for over one hundred years and have been pleasing and displeasing customers ever since. We have made money and lost money, suffered the effects of coal nationalization, coal rationing, government control, and bad payers. We have been cussed and discussed, messed about, lied to, held up, robbed, and swindled. The only reason we stay in business is to see what happens next."

As I read that sign, I couldn't help but think of the apostle Paul who listed all the trials that he experienced in his Christian life:

"I have worked much harder than they. I have been in prison more often. I have been hurt more in beatings. I have been near death many times. Five times the Jews have given me their punishment of thirty-nine lashes with a whip. Three different times I was beaten with rods. One time I was almost stoned to death. Three times I was in ships that wrecked, and one of those times I spent a night and a day in the sea. I have gone on many travels and have been in danger from rivers, thieves, my own people, the Jews, and those who are not Jews. I have been in danger in cities, in places where no one lives, and on the sea. And I have been in danger with false Christians. I have done hard and tiring work, and many times I did not sleep. I have been hungry and thirsty, and many times I have been without food. I have been cold and without clothes. Besides all this, there is on me every day the load of my concern for all the churches." (2 Cor. 11:23b-28).

You almost expect Paul to say, "The only reason I keep serving Christ is to see what happens next." But, a more accurate statement would be: "The reason I keep serving Christ is out of appreciation for all he has done for me."

I raise the simple question: Why do you keep serving Christ, even in the midst of trials and hardships? When things get tough and nobody seems to understand why you persist in your commitment, what keeps you going? Just something for you to think about!