Every Day Is Recess

By Robert A. Schuller

"Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall." – 2 Peter 1:10
When kids burst out the doors at a typical grammar school and head for the playground at recess, what do they do? Whatever they want . . . as long as they stay within the bounds of the playground and play according to school rules. Without telling them what to do, some run for the swings, some for the jungle gym, some for the slide, and some for the merry-go-round. Others jump rope, play jacks on the sidewalk, or throw a Frisbee. Still others race for the ball fields to play softball or kickball. Some shoot hoops. Why do they make the choices they do? Because it's what brings them joy at recess and they know they're free to choose how to spend their precious thirty minutes of freedom. Okay, peer pressure and friendships may steer some of the kids one direction or the other, but let's assume they are fulfilling their longings by the activity they choose at recess. I believe this is the way God wants us to think of life. School children have a designated area in which to play and general guidelines of courtesy and safety to follow. Within these two limitations they can do whatever they want. Our playground is planet Earth and our guidelines are God's moral stipulations that are for our own good. Within these boundaries, we are free to do whatever we want! That doesn't negate the idea of God's purpose or calling for our lives. Just as a teacher might come alongside and influence a student to adjust his or her activity, God is perfectly capable of working within our choices to cause us to fulfill the purpose He knows will suit us best. Our challenge is to look at life as our playground and every day as recess – to take off the blinders and dream bigger and farther than we've ever dreamed before.
God loves to creatively work within our "fun" to accomplish His purposes.

A Master Fisher of Men

Mr. J. Bosinger of Conoor who died in 1906, 85 years of age, and who came to India in 1847, as the first Industrial Brother of the Basel Mission, having spent more than sixty years in India without a furlough, told me much about Mr. Hebich whom he knew intimately for more than a decade, having sometimes ac­companied him on his mission tours. In answer to my question concerning the stability of Hebi­ch's converts he replied:
“The majority of them proved themselves true Christians, many of them having also become great soul-winners. Mr. Hebich knew how to sound the deepest depths of men's hearts. He would give no peace nor rest, until they had made a full surrender to Jesus.
“His method with men often seemed harsh, but then he would say, 'I must first kill them with the hammer of the law, before I can comfort them with the Gospel.' Let me relate to you an in­stance of his way of dealing with men:
“One day we were out taking a walk, and we came to an en­gineer's bungalow. 'Come,' said Mr. Hebich, 'let us call and see this man.' I reluctantly entered the house of the gentleman, for I was a stranger to him. As soon as Mr. Hebich saw him, he said, ‘I have called to tell you that you ought to be ashamed of yourself, for disgracing your God and your country by your sinful life.’
“The gentleman replied, 'That is none of your business!'
“Mr. Hebich then shouted in a loud, almost angry voice, so great was his zeal: 'That is my busi­ness. As a faithful minister of Jesus Christ, I must denounce all sin and unrighteousness. I have now called to demand of you, in the name of our Righteous Jud­ge, that you repent of your sins.'
“This denunciation made the engineer very angry. ‘Leave my house, Mr. Hebich!’ he shouted, ‘I did not ask you to call, and will not listen to your violent ti­rades in my own house!’
“‘No, never,’ the old man rep­lied, ‘I will not leave you, until you confess your sins and beg God's pardon on your knees for leading such a disgraceful life. You are a bad man, and ought to be ashamed of yourself. Get down on your knees and confess, or you will go to hell, to the de­vils whom you serve. I will not leave you, until you hear my message!'’
“Then the man jumped up in a rage and said sarcastically: 'If you don't leave, then I will!' Or­dering his boy to have his horse saddled, he left us without ano­ther word, and soon we saw him riding away at a furious gallop. Then we left the house.
“I felt annoyed at Mr. Hebich’s abruptness and remarked to him: ‘Now you have spoilt all by your hard words. It is not necessary to break down the door, if you would enter a house.’
The old man only smiled and said, ‘I have fastened a hook in him that he will not get away from.’
“He was right. Before he called to see such men, he would always spend much time in prayer for them. Only when he had the assurance of victory in prayer, the witness of the Spirit, would he call to see them, but then he came as a victor.
“Three days after this stormy visit to the engineer’s bungalow, the gentleman wrote Mr. Hebich a chit: ‘Dear Mr. Hebich, for God’s sake come to see me at once! I have not slept a wink since you were here. I am all undone. I can find no peace nor rest. My conscience condemns me. I am in hell. What must I do to be saved?’
“Then Mr. Hebich brought Jesus to the man and the man to Jesus. Soon the engineer saw Jesus on the cross, and could believe that the bleeding Saviour had with His own precious blood also washed his sins away.
“This engineer, in after years, proved by his pure, consistent, humble life that he had truly repented of his sins, and that he had become indeed a true disciple of Jesus.”

The Problem in The Post Office

I was received into the mem­bership of the Christian Church by the Rev. Arthur Harries, and it was he, my first pastor, who told this story to his congregation.
The post office officials were much interested as they read the words on an envelope which had just arrived from Japan . “To the man of God, -- Monmouthshire, England .”
"Who can that be?" asked the sorting official; but his colleagues were unable to answer his ques­tion. Then one man exclaimed, "Well, it's not the parson, any­how," and instantly they all ag­reed. The local clergyman did not fit the description. One by one, the names of the other ministers were mentioned; but in spite of the fact that several of these men were nice fellows and exceeding­ly popular, they did not fit the description on the envelope.
The problem of delivering the letter was becoming acute, when rather abruptly a member of the staff said, "I know. Yes, I know who he is. He's old Mr. - . If any man in this town has earned the right to that title, he is the man." The listeners agreed, and one was deputed to take the letter to the man's house.

The old Christian marvelled that the post office staff should think him worthy of such a compli­ment; but when he opened the letter, he discovered that their choice had been sound. The letter had been written to him by a Ja­panese student whom he had en­tertained months earlier.
The young man had been stu­dying in Wales , and had been re­ceived into the home of his new friend. When he returned to Japan , he desired to send a letter of appreciation; but alas, he had lost the address of his former host. However, that presented no pro­blem for he had gained the impression that he had stayed with a man of God. He smiled and was reassured, for in his own country, a man of God was kn­own near and far.
Surely this would be the case in other lands. Everybody would know the man of God, and if he addressed the letter in that fash­ion, it would reach its destina­tion. It did; and in so doing, paid tribute to one whose conse­crated service had charmed a Community. One wonders what would happen if such a letter were addressed to the man of God - in my town. Would the postal officials think of me?
Paul wrote in Philippians 1: 20, 21, “…that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, wheth­er it be by life or by death. For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Paul's reference to the magnifying glass is most interest­ing, and its connection with "the man of God" is obvious.
A magnifying glass does not actually increase the size of any­thing: it only seems to do this. Actually the object at which a man may be looking is exactly the same size, but the glass br­ings it into bold relief, and the watcher is able to see it more cl­early. It is not possible to make Christ more wonderful, for “He is the Altogether Lovely One, and the chiefest among ten thousand.” Yet, if by God's grace we can become magnifying glasses - ­in perfect alignment with the Master and men - they will be able to see Him more clearly when they look at Him through us. All the details of His superb glory may be brought into de­lightful relief if we are what we ought to be.
Most probably, St. Paul had a similar thought in mind when he wrote, "Ye are living epistles, seen and read of all men." We read the Scriptures to learn more of Christ. Likewise, people read us in order to achieve identical results.
The fact that the letter addressed to the man of God reached its destination, suggests that the honoured Christian had been a magnifying glass. He had so magnified his Lord that even the people in the post office had been able to see Him.

They had also read his every­day actions, and had recognized in them the presence of the Lord. The old man had been a living epistle of righteousness.

And ever since my old pastor told that story, I have wistfully longed to reach that standard of holiness. It is the Christian’s Mount Everest !