IN THE ARENA

… let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith ... – HEBREWS 12:1-2

The 26^th President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, was famous for many things. Besides being the youngest President, he was also the first to receive a Nobel Peace Prize. It is Roosevelt’s famous words, however, that continue to ring true today with powerful relevance. He is known for his motto, “Speak softly and carry a big stick.”

I ran across another one of Roosevelt’s quotes recently, and it stopped me in my tracks. These words were part of a speech delivered in Paris in 1910.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again … who at the best knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”

Men, this is a call to action! There's no such thing as a passive Christianity. The question we must all answer is this: Will I be a man in the arena? Do I have the courage to show up day after day, even in the face of failure? Roosevelt is telling us to show up and dare to be great. And God is calling us to show up.

The Bible gives us great encouragement! “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured from sinners such hostility against Himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.”

Think and pray
Are you a spectator, cheering others on as they invest themselves in helping others know and grow in Christ, or are you in the arena?

Remember: God has chosen you. Jesus has commissioned you. And somewhere close by, there’s a man who needs you. So what’s your response? Are you ready for what God wants to do in you and through you?

Jesus, I say yes. Yes to You, and yes to Your purposes for my life. Give me the grace, vision and courage to step into the arena and do what You are calling me to do. Bring others alongside who will teach, support, and encourage me on this grand adventure! Amen.

David Meyers serves as President of CBMC USA. David has spent over 35 years building successful businesses and working in areas of Sales, Marketing, Channel, Strategic Planning, and Learning and Development. David is a product of CBMC and believes that the next great revival will occur in the marketplace. When he’s not water skiing, he’s spending time with his wife of 24 years and their four children just outside of Minneapolis, Minnesota.