«He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life». Revelation 3:5
ALBERT SCHWEITZER was a highly extraordinary person. Schweizer was a brilliant theologian, renowned philosopher, talented musician, and altruistic doctor. In fact, he abandoned his bright career as a lecturer at Strasbourg University to study medicine and go to the French Congo as a missionary. His work in Africa earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952.
His vocation of service to others was driven by his immeasurable respect for human life. He once defined himself as «life that wants to live in the midst of life that want to live.» His respect for human life shaped his ethics, his vegetarianism, and even his attitude toward animals. One time, while Schweitzer was being interviewed by Jack Paar, a popular American television celebrity, a dog appeared chasing a chicken. In French, Dr. Schweitzer told the animals, «No! No! Remember we have won the Nobel Peace Prize!»*
This anecdote may seem humorous, but the last part invites us to reflect. Many times, our behavior does not reflect what you and I have won (salvation, thanks to Christ’s merits), whom we serve (God), and what we really are (children of God). The church in Sardis, a congregation that teetered between faith and doubt, that gave the appearance of living when it was actually a dying church, is told, «Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard» (Revelation 3:3, NIV). The most effective way of confronting spiritual lethargy was to remember the church’s commitment to God, and for that memory to lead the church to change its behavior in life.
If you feel you are spiritually dying, stop to think about what God has given you, what He has done for you. You have received salvation, the hope of a world to come, so you are to live according to those privileges! Unlike Schweitzer, we might never receive a Nobel Prize, but what we have received from God leads us to become better people. And God will fulfill in us the promise he made to Sardis: «He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments» (Revelation 3:5).