Attitude!  We all have one.  It’s often difficult for us to see our own, but it’s obvious to everyone else.  We often deny ours while pointing out everyone else’s.  It can be either positive or negative.  It can be the source of encouragement or discouragement.  It can produce joy or anger.  It can lead to our own fulfillment or despair.  It can be as elusive as the wind and as powerful as dynamite.

   “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.”  That’s an old saying that really hits the proverbial nail right on the head!  How many people go through life day after day, constantly intending to do something they’ve been neglecting to do, or to stop doing something they know they should not be doing?  Such intentions cover a wide range of behavior.

   I was reading an article that depicted a father talking to his young son.  He asked his son if he had given any thought to his future.  He might have been a bit surprised to hear the boy say that he had it all figured out.  The father asked his son to tell him about his plans.  The son proceeded to tell him that after he graduated from high school he would go on to college.  “Fine, son; then what?”  His son stated that after he graduated from college he’d get a well paying job and buy a big house and a nice car.  “Great, son; then what?”  The boy said he’d then get married and raise a family, just like his dad.  “Wonderful, son; then what?”  Well, the son figured that he’d probably work until he was old enough to retire.  “Excellent, son; then what?”  Perhaps somewhat perplexed by this time by his father’s continued inquiries, the son figured he’d live out his golden years traveling and enjoying his grandchildren.  “Splendid, son; then what?”  Realizing the inevitable, the young man said he’d die, of course!  And then his father looked straight into his son’s eyes and asked one last time, “Okay, son; then what??”

   Concerning the resurrection the apostle Paul wrote, “Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?  But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen.  And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty” (1 Cor. 15:12-14).  If we read over this text quickly, we might not pick up all of the significance of what Paul said.

   What challenge are you wrestling with right now?  Life seems to present us with a never ending series of challenges of one kind or another.  We work through one challenge and give a sigh of relief, thankful that it’s over with.  But just out of sight and around the bend life’s next challenge is already on its way.  Most of the time we don’t know what that next challenge will be, but we can be assured that it’s coming.