Master 219: The Ultimate Man-Challenge

Actually I don't know if it's the "ultimate" man-challenge, but it comes pretty close. And the challenge is presented in, of all things, a poem. But I find myself challenged by its message and I hope that you will too. We live in a world in desperate need and yet are easily tempted to mediocre aspirations. But rather than have you read my commentary, I'll just present the poem and leave you to reflect on it.

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God, give us men! A time like this demands
Strong minds, great hearts, true faith, and ready hands;

Men whom the lust of office does not kill;
Men whom the spoils of office can not buy;
Men who possess opinions and a will;
Men who have honor; men who will not lie;

Men who can stand before a demagogue
And damn his treacherous flatteries without winking!
Tall men, sun-crowned, who live above the fog
In public duty, and in private thinking;

For while the rabble, with their thumb-worn creeds,
Their large professions and their little deeds,
Mingle in selfish strife, lo! Freedom weeps,
Wrong rules the land and waiting Justice sleeps.

(Josiah Gilbert Holland)


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God is in this place,
And that reality, seen and understood by the grace of God in Christ Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit, makes all the difference in the world.