A Note from Hixon Frank
Hey Church!
The following is an excerpt from Joshua’s farewell speech to all the tribes of Israel…
Joshua 24:1-2,13
24 Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem and summoned Israel’s elders, leaders, judges, and officers, and they presented themselves before God. 2 Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods… 13 I gave you a land you did not labor for, and cities you did not build, though you live in them; you are eating from vineyards and olive groves you did not plant.’
I imagine that Joshua’s words, especially v 13, echoed in the hearts of the nation!
History is full of famous speeches. Few of them do more than “bounce off” of the ears of the audience and land squarely in meaningless obscurity.
However, of the millions of speeches spoken in history, some have stood the test of time. Certainly, Joshua’s address to the tribes of Israel has remained. It is, after all, in the Bible. Other notable speeches in Scripture are David’s Victory Speech in 1 Samuel 17 and Paul’s Farewell Speech to the Ephesian Elders in Acts 20:17-24.
Outside of Scripture, I have a favorite. It belongs, in my humble opinion, in the great pantheon memorable addresses. Alongside Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial that gave hope to millions of African Americans. Or Abraham Lincoln’s, Gettysburg address that put the Civil War into a hallowed perspective. Or John F. Kennedy’s, “Ask not what your country can do for you…” speech that launched the Peace Corps. Or even, Winston Churchill’s, “We shall fight on the Beaches” oration to the House of Commons that some say saved the British Empire.
But of all of them, the most impactful speech I have ever heard, (or in this case read) is over 114 years old and was delivered by Teddy Roosevelt a year after completing his second term as US President. The speech took place at the 767-year-old Sorbonne University in Paris, France, and was entitled, “Citizenship in a Republic”. It was a significant speech and checks in at 8,822 words and lasted approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes!
Few have the patience to read an 8,822-word speech from the last century. (However, I would highly recommend doing so) but most will recognize this 140-word excerpt …
“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, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; 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, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither knows victory nor defeat.” Teddy Roosevelt, “The Man in the Arena” Paris, France 1910.
This section of the speech is personal in nature and offers strength to anyone who has tried to be “strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:9) or been moved to action and failed, then gotten back up and tried again. It puts into perspective the critics who are quick to offer suggestions on what YOU should risk or how YOU should execute the plan but don’t bother to “get out of the stands” and join those trying to accomplish great things!
At the end of the day, and perhaps unknowingly, Teddy Roosevelt reinforces the very Biblical ideas found in…
Philippians 3: 13-14
13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
And
2 Timothy 2:3-4
3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.
And
Matthew 6:25
No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Beloved, when the Bible exhorts us to “forget what lies behind”, to “press on”, to “not get entangled in civilian affairs” and to be devoted to only God, it is, among many other things telling us to “IGNORE THE CRITICS”.
Live with a single purpose and enthusiasm for the things of God. No one else will stand before the Lord and give an account for your life except you…so ignore them. Pay them no mind. Dismiss the ones who are critical but aren’t even in the game. Ignore the “armchair quarterbacks,” the grumblers, and the cynics. The ones who, for whatever reason are not cheering you on in your pursuit of Jesus and His divine will for your life.
If you can master the art of ignoring the critics…you can do anything!
So go do anything!
Hixon