Life Lessons #2

With the release of his new book Decision Points, President Bush appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show recently.  The following are quotations from President Bush. I find something both faithful and useful about each one. Maybe you will as well.

1. "Don't sell your soul for the sake of politics.  Have a set of principles.  Defend those principles no matter what it might cost you in the polls."
2. "One of my proudest accomplishments is that I didn't sell my principles for the sake of popularity."
3. "If you chase popularity you're chasing something for a fleeting moment.  Principles last forever."

Jesus tells us in Luke 14 that the cost of discipleship is high but worth it. Life literally hangs in the balance. Another theologian told us the there is no cheap grace. Grace is God gift of the ability to rebound when we neither earn nor deserve it. Grace is unleashed in a follower and lies dormant in a people pleaser.

Today, ask yourself, "What do I stand for that no amount of pressure will change?" Another way to state this might be, "What am I basing this life and the next on?" Jesus Christ will freely give you everything if you will follow him. Following him, however, does not come cheaply. Go against the grain today. Make every moment based on principle and none on popularity.