I was always impressed by Jack Nicklaus.  He’s a golfer, for those of you that don’t know, the greatest golfer of all time and just a real humble guy.  Probably one of the best losers I’ve ever seen.  He always had a genuine excitement for the person who won and would go to them, and he would help those people competing against him when they were struggling in their game.  His kids, when they got old enough and started playing at school—now, we can’t all do this, I understand, but I want to make a point.  He was successful enough that he had his own private plane, and if he was playing a round in Texas, and they were playing a practice round say on a Friday, well, high school football is on Fridays.  Wherever it was in the practice, wherever it was going on, he left at a certain time, got in his airplane, and he was home for his boy’s football game.  There were times he would fly all night to get back.  He was usually in the lead, and so they always play later in the day, and he would get back to make those tournaments.  I’ve watched interviews with his kids, and they said, “Our dad loved us.  He was always there for us.”  They don’t know him as the greatest golfer of all time, they know him as Dad.  What are you going to be remembered for?  What title, what accolades?  We’re going to leave everything behind; we can’t take any of it with us.  How much of what we leave behind has any eternal value to it?  The rest can take wings and fly away; amen?

I was so excited on Monday.  The war began to escalate in Israel, the market started dropping, I was pulling for it to drop to like a stone.  Let’s get this thing over and go home, praise God!  Amen?  There’s nothing here worth staying for.  Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

But your role, men, go back to Deuteronomy for just a moment, passages that we’re familiar with, but I’d like to speak to.  As we look at the Scriptures and here in Deuteronomy, Chapter 6, verse 1 says, “Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord your God commanded…that ye might do them and go into the land and possess it: That you might fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that your days might be prolonged.  Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it (the Word).”  Do it, the Word.  Do it, the Word.

Don’t you love the 119th Psalm?  Verse 6, “Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all of Your commandments,” to the Word, a respect for the Word.  Verse 11, “Your word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against You.” Verse 24, “Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counselors.” Verse 32, “I will run the way of Your commandments, when You will enlarge my heart.” Verse 49, “Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope.” Verse 63, “I am a companion of all of those that fear You, and of those that keep Your precepts.”  Verse 68, “Thou art good, and doest good; teach me Your Word.” Verse 81, “My soul faints for Your salvation: but I hope in thy word.”  If you want to get encouraged, if you’re ever cast down, just jump in that Psalm and keep reading until you’re blessed; amen?  Because there is no other escape than through the Word of God, there is no other power than the Word of God that can deliver us.