SERMON PULPIT EXCHANGE JANUARY 18 2009

In 1979 Tom White was taken prisoner in Cuba. His plane crashed on a Cuban highway during a trip to deliver some Bibles. He was arrested and interrogated about what he was doing in the country, and then he was thrown in a cold, dark cell. While he waited to be freed he sang hymns and prayed for the guards. When the guards told him to stop singing, he refused and told them he had to sing, "Because I love Jesus." Eventually it came to be accepted that he was not a spy. Still, he was sentenced to 24 years.

An international campaign began on his behalf, with letters from congress and Mother Teresa requesting his release. Seventeen months later he was sent home. Today he serves as the director of Voice of the Martyrs which works on behalf of persecuted men and women around the world.

It was Alexander Solzhenitsyn, an opponent of Soviet tyranny who said, "One word of truth outweighs the entire world." For men like Tom White, compromising the truth is never an option, regardless of the cost.

The Psalmist writes, "Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false" (Psalm 24:3-4).

It has been rightly said that when character is lost, everything is lost. Turn on the news and you will hear much about what is wrong with the world, but little about what is right. This is why character is so important. People are used to seeing compromise, whether from governments, corporations, religions or just the person in the mirror. But when someone refuses to bow to the pressure to conform and holds steadfast to the truth they realize it really does outweigh everything else. As Archimedes said, "If you give me a lever and a place to stand, I can move the world." One of the strongest levers you possess is your character, never let it be stolen.

It is an interesting fact that crab fishermen don't put lids on the buckets they store crabs in. Once there are two or more crabs in a bucket, if one tries to climb out the other ones will simply pull him back in. The analogy to people is clear; sometimes others try to pull you back down to their level because they are simply afraid of looking at their own lives.

Why not be the one who does the opposite and pulls people up to a new level, showing by the example of your life what is possible for those with clean hands who do not swear by what is false. In the end you will be amazed at how much of the world you will be able to move.