The devotional magazine, Bits and Pieces, once carried the following anecdote:
In 1886, Karl Benz drove his first automobile through the streets of Munich, Germany. He named his car the Mercedes Benz, after his daughter, Mercedes. The machine angered the citizens, because it was noisy and scared the children and horses.
Pressured by the citizens, the local officials immediately established a speed limit for “horseless carriages” of 3.5 miles an hour in the city limits and 7 miles an hour outside. Benz knew he could never develop a market for his car and compete against horses if he had to creep along at those speeds, so he invited the mayor of the town for a ride. The mayor accepted.
Benz then arranged for a milkman to park his horse and wagon on a certain street and, as Benz and the mayor drove by, to whip up his old horse and pass them—and as he did so to give the German equivalent of the Bronx cheer.
The plan worked. The mayor was furious and demanded that Benz overtake the milk wagon. Benz apologized but said that because of the ridiculous speed law he was not permitted to go any faster. Very soon after that the law was changed.
Today, as both the month of January and the year 2015 continue to unfold, one thing is for certain. If the Lord tarries His return, then things will change in the coming year. There is no question about that. The only real question is how we will respond to that change.
We can choose either to embrace it or to reject it. More to the point, we must choose either to embrace it or to reject it. Of course, very often, even if we chose to reject it, it still comes our way. And this is because change is an inevitable part of life.
Besides, change can actually be a good thing. After all, not many people get from place to place these days by horse and wagon. In fact, if you lived in Munich and still tried to get around via horseback or buggy today, my suspicion is that you would soon realize that the time for a change was long overdue.
What changes in your life should you embrace this coming year? What changes must you embrace this coming year? Ask God to show you and then to give you the courage and the strength to face them. And as you do, (to quote the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:19) then of this one thing I am sure: "My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus."
SOURCE: Bits and Pieces (April 1990, p. 2), as found at: https://bible.org/illustration/speed-limit.
In 1886, Karl Benz drove his first automobile through the streets of Munich, Germany. He named his car the Mercedes Benz, after his daughter, Mercedes. The machine angered the citizens, because it was noisy and scared the children and horses.
Pressured by the citizens, the local officials immediately established a speed limit for “horseless carriages” of 3.5 miles an hour in the city limits and 7 miles an hour outside. Benz knew he could never develop a market for his car and compete against horses if he had to creep along at those speeds, so he invited the mayor of the town for a ride. The mayor accepted.
Benz then arranged for a milkman to park his horse and wagon on a certain street and, as Benz and the mayor drove by, to whip up his old horse and pass them—and as he did so to give the German equivalent of the Bronx cheer.
The plan worked. The mayor was furious and demanded that Benz overtake the milk wagon. Benz apologized but said that because of the ridiculous speed law he was not permitted to go any faster. Very soon after that the law was changed.
Today, as both the month of January and the year 2015 continue to unfold, one thing is for certain. If the Lord tarries His return, then things will change in the coming year. There is no question about that. The only real question is how we will respond to that change.
We can choose either to embrace it or to reject it. More to the point, we must choose either to embrace it or to reject it. Of course, very often, even if we chose to reject it, it still comes our way. And this is because change is an inevitable part of life.
Besides, change can actually be a good thing. After all, not many people get from place to place these days by horse and wagon. In fact, if you lived in Munich and still tried to get around via horseback or buggy today, my suspicion is that you would soon realize that the time for a change was long overdue.
What changes in your life should you embrace this coming year? What changes must you embrace this coming year? Ask God to show you and then to give you the courage and the strength to face them. And as you do, (to quote the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:19) then of this one thing I am sure: "My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus."
SOURCE: Bits and Pieces (April 1990, p. 2), as found at: https://bible.org/illustration/speed-limit.