Endurance

I watched the movie "Amazing Grace" again today.  There is no way you can watch that film and not be impacted.  Whenever I watch it I want to go out and change the world! (So it kind of stinks when I have to get up and go to work the next day).  The movie is full of inspirational quotes.  One of my favorites is this:

We're too young to realize that certain things are impossible. So we'll do them anyway!

 The movie does indicate that it's because of Wilberforce's Christianity that he is such a devoted abolitionist.  However, it is not the main focus of the movie.  Watching the movie reminded me that I had a book called, "The Roots of Endurance" by John Piper.  The book looks at the lives of 3 men, including Wilberforce.  I got it out and began reading the introduction.  He wrote that after doing his research he found that underlying everything these men did was their joy in the cross of Christ.  He writes, "They are united in their delight in and devotion to the cross of Christ as the ground of God's righteousness freely imputed to them through faith alone as the root of all righteous endurance."

That was an attitude adjustment for me.  After watching the movie I was so fired up but I found myself saying, "I want to go out and do something." But it's not about me.  It's about Christ and his glory.  That's why we want justice in the world.  

Recently Mark Driscoll wrote on his blog about activists versus contemplatives.  He said when it comes to our spiritual lives people naturally fall into one of these two groups and that we need to work to balance out our weaknesses.  I tend to fall in the activist camp. When I'm passionate about something (stop human trafficking, for example) I want to go out and do something right away.  But I need to make sure my passion is rooted in Christ.

Another great quote from the movie is from John Newton: 

Although my memory is fading I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.