John 1:14     And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Recently a book was released titled The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived, written by Allan Lazar.  Catch the phrase, “who never lived.”  Mythical people.  Make-believe personages.  Here are a few of the entries who, according to Lazar, most impacted society:  # 1 was the Marlboro Man.  Lazar contends that this lanky cowboy reigns as a global symbolism of capitalism.  He didn’t indicate how the Marlboro Man impacted once-healthy, pink lungs.  # 2 on the list was Big Brother, Orwell’s creature from the novel “1984.”  # 3 was King Arthur.  Santa Claus grabbed the #4 spot and Hamlet was # 5.  Frankenstein’s monster also made the top ten.  Others in the 101 included Dr. Jekyll, Robin Hood, Scrooge, Mickey Mouse, King Midas and Archie Bunker.

But all of these figures were mere figments of someone’s fertile imagination.  They never actually breathed or did a single heroic thing.  Jesus Christ, on the other hand, split the ages with His very real life.  Dr. James Allan Francis was profound when he preached a message in 1926 about the actual Christ of God and concluded:  “….of all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that were ever built, all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as has that one solitary life.”  Yet”….he never wrote a book, never held an office, never went to college.  He never traveled 200 miles from the place He was born.”  Not a myth, dear friend!  The greatest reality of all time was Jesus Christ, the Messiah, sent by God, the Word Who became flesh and dwelt among us full of grace and truth.”

The wonder is that we can know Him, Jesus, personally.  We can talk to Him constantly.  He dwells within us.  You have that privilege today of an intimate daily walk with the greatest One of all, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer:  O God, what a privilege to be indwelt by Your Holy One, not a myth, not a legend, but the living Christ.  I am blessed today.  Amen.

Matthew 5:11 12 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. [12] Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven:

You may remember the late, famed sportscaster Howard Cosell. He verbally could hold his own with anyone, especially his critics (and there were some severe ones). A celebrity roast was held in his honor during which the speakers had a field day ribbing Cosell for everything from his very bad hairpiece to his vitriolic way of broadcasting. Their broadsides were hilarious and everyone waited to hear how Cosell would respond. When he finally took the podium, he said, “You roasters have hit me with the best you’ve had. But it was like throwing spit balls at a battleship.” Oh, I love that line! Talk about putting critics in their place!

So let me ask you: how do YOU deal with the “roasters” in your life? Yes, we all have them! Well, first of all, understand that for every person who would vilify you there are probably a dozen or more who would praise you. Ah, but we don’t remember the dozen or more, do we? No, no, we remember the spiteful people. You know, critics concern me. I sometimes read critics’ reviews of movies. Rarely do these geniuses agree with each other. I have wondered, “Hey, if these critics are so smart, why aren’t they out there making the movies and the big bucks?” Simple answer. They can’t. They just criticize those who can.

I have had probably more than my share of critics, primarily because I’ve been in front of the public for a half century. I want to please as many people as I can, but if that isn’t possible, I can be satisfied with a day’s activities if I know I’ve pleased Christ. Always check for the nail prints in your critics’ hands. If they don’t have those marks, then their verbal jabs are nothing more than spit balls against a battleship. Please the Master. If He says, “Well done!” then you’ve got it made.

Prayer: O God, let me be like the Apostle Paul, always looking to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith. Let me not be deterred by those who don’t understand or are misinformed. You are my defense, my shield. I rest in that knowledge today. Amen.