Choose One Stool!

     Pastor Hyles was counseling a young lady when he told her she ought to go to a Christian college.  She got very indignant and said, “You know I don’t have the money!”  Pastor Hyles replied, “Oh I’m sorry, but wouldn’t it be nice if there was a God?”  She answered, “There is a God!”  “Oh,” he said, “Well wouldn’t it be nice if He weren’t flat broke?”  She responded, “He is not flat broke!”  “Oh,” said the pastor, “Wouldn’t it be nice if He wasn’t such a tightwad?”  She retorted, “He is not a tightwad!”  Then he snapped, “Wouldn’t it be nice if He did not hate you?”  “What,” she cried, “HE DOESN’T HATE ME!”  “O.K. then,” said Pastor Hyles, “Wouldn’t it be nice if He knew you needed to go to college?”  The young lady resounded, “There is a God!  He’s not broke!  He’s not a tightwad!  He loves me!  He does know that I need to go to college and I’m going to college next year!”  A few days later she came to her pastor with $200 wadded up in bills and she said, “This is from people I don’t even know!  There is a God and He’s not broke and He loves me!” 
    What is faith?  It is taking an unwavering stand for what we believe in then refusing to be moved by doubt or circumstances until our faith develops.  Unwavering faith is exactly what it takes to be victorious.  Jesus said, “If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say unto this mountain, remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you” (Matthew 17:20).  If we are double minded we cannot expect our faith to develop because, “A double minded person is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8).  Unstable in all his ways! 
    The famous tenor Luciano Pavarotti once said: “When I was a boy my father introduced me to the wonders of song.  He urged me to work very hard to develop my voice.  Arrigo Pola, a professional tenor in my hometown of Modena, Italy took me in as a pupil.  I also enrolled in a teacher’s college.  On graduating I asked my father, ‘Shall I become a teacher or a singer?’ ‘Luciano,’ my father replied, ‘If you try to sit on two stools you will fall between them.  For your life, you must choose one stool.’  I chose one.  It took seven years of study and much frustration before I made my first professional appearance.  It took another seven years to reach the grand Metropolitan Opera.  And now I think whether it is laying bricks, writing a book, or whatever we choose, we should give ourselves to it.  Commitment, that’s the key.  We must choose one stool.” 
    Pavarotti’s words are not only wisdom in choosing a career, but very good spiritual advice concerning our faith.  Too often the mistake we make is we are divided; therefore, we lack faith.  Being double minded is a sign of weakness.  Having faith in one-thing keeps us single minded which will produce results.  Faith is not magic.  It is a firm belief that no one can destroy.  It is a solid rock.  For more info you can visit us at www.JoyChristianMinistries.com

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