Original Entry: March 11, 2008
McMinnville, OR
Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are. Matthew 23:15
The four by one hundred relay is arguably one of the favorite events to watch at the Olympics. Watching these chiseled sprinters prepare to run, with the commentator’s conjectures about the outcome, keeps viewers on the edge of theirs seats. The gun sounds and the world holds its breath on each exchange of the baton, one drop in the transition zone being the difference between first and last place. Rival teams are so close in their skill levels and speed that one mistake means sure defeat.
Success is found in the passing of the baton. Success is found in succession.
There is no success without a successor. The quality of a work is not on the effectiveness of today but the effectiveness of tomorrow. Every Moses should have a Joshua, every Elijah an Elisha, every David a Solomon, and every Paul A Timothy.
A man should never stop asking, “Who am I purposely investing my life in now that will carry the baton after I am gone?”
Batons do not pass themselves. People pass them with great care and practice.
There are three questions a man must ask when considering to pass the baton. First, “Who am I strategically training to carry the baton?” Second, “What will the exchange zone look like during the passing?” Thirdly, “What will life look like afterwards?”
In the passage for today Jesus speaks woes upon the Jewish leaders for passing the wrong baton, “You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are” (Matthew 23:15). Wouldn’t that be a bummer? To spend your entire life on the exchange only to realize you entered the wrong race?
The faith a man says must be the faith another sees!
What is your life teaching? What example is your life producing for others? What will the baton you exchange look like?
“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).
