Hi Ho, Hi Ho ‘Tis off to Work We Go

How would you describe your work ethic?

Sage wisdom comes from the old sage, the late preacher Sam Jones, who said,

“The longer I live, the more I am certain that the greatest difference between men — between the feeble and the powerful, the great and the insignificant — is energy, invincible determination— a purpose once fixed, and then death or victory. That quality will do anything that can be done in this world, and no talent, no circumstance, no opportunities, will make a two legged creature a man without it.

There are hindrances without and within, but the outer hindrances could affect nothing if there were no inner surrender to them. Fear of opinion, timidity, dread of change, love of ease, indolence, unfaithfulness, are the greater hindrances. Optimism is believing that you can eat the rooster that scratches over your grave.

The essence of that has been circulated for a long time. Maybe it is time we believe it. 

Tenacity achieves that which otherwise is impossible. Jamestown suffered a great flood. The water rose to six feet. Two friends allegedly sat on a rooftop and watched it flow by. Amid the debris was an old hat. It flowed by, stopped, turned around, and came back upstream against the tide. Reaching a certain point it again reversed itself and started downstream. This process repeated itself several times as they watched in amazement. Finally one of them said, “I know what it is. Grandpaw said he was going to mow the lawn today come hell or high water.” That’s tenacity. Dogged determination is another term for commitment.

Leonard da Vinci, considered by most to be a genius and extremely hard worker, wrote, “O Lord, Thou givest us everything, at the price of an effort.” Indeed the anguish of Jesus on the cross was the optimum gift at the ultimate cost.

“If you think you are beaten, you are,
If you think you dare not, you don’t
If you’d like to win, but you think you can’t,          
It is almost a cinch you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose, you’ve lost.
For out in the world we find
Success begins with a person’s will,
It’s all in the state of mind.
Life’s battle doesn’t always go
To the swift or fastest man,
But sooner of later the person who wins
 Is the one who thinks He can.”

“And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.” (Colossians 3:23-24)