"For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more."
Luke 12:48b (KJV):
COMMENTARY: Remember Charles "Sparky" Schulz, the cartoonist who created Charlie Brown and the Peanuts comic strip? In 1948, his faith in Christ came alive. In his own words, "Now, however, I am right where I belong. I am a firm believer in Jesus Christ." Sparky was very generous in letting churches and ministries publish his art at no charge. He was a leader and Sunday School teacher in his local church. He was one of the few cartoonists who dared to quote the Bible.
In the mid-1960's. Sparky entered a new realm when he was encouraged to produce a Peanuts Christmas special on TV. He considered an explicit statement about the birth of Christ to be necessary and non-negotiable, which scared many of the executives at the TV network, the advertising agency, and the corporate sponsor. The special was nearly cancelled a week before it aired, but it was too late. The special had been heavily promoted, and there was no turning back.
That special, "A Charlie Brown Christmas," aired for the first time on December 9, 1965 and DOMINATED with a 45 share and 14,490,000 viewers. Letters poured into the corporate sponsor praising the company for sponsoring the special. Sparky had known the audience better than the studio executives. The TV special went on to win an Emmy and has aired every Christmas season since--52 years and counting.
APPLICATION: Sparky had a "defining moment," when the pressure was on NOT to include the birth of Christ in the TV special. He held his ground, held true to his convictions, and the results were profound. The ripple effect still continues today.
What about you? Have you ever had, or are you now facing, a "defining moment" when you either go God's Way and Trust Him, or cave in to cultural pressure? As the old-time hymn goes, "Trust and Obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, than to Trust and Obey!" Today!
