On our flight over to India in November 2009, I watched this Hindi movie called ’99’, which is a story of two men in two cities that seem like they are always stuck at ’99’ never making it to a ‘century’. It was a good movie with a mix of comic and seriousness blended well, and toward the end of the movie, the main character played by Kunal Khemu, reflects that it is only those who make it to the end the ones who deserve praise.
Drawing a metaphor from India’s favorite game, Cricket, he expresses the following –
(The English meaning is provided for readers who don’t know Hindi)
Bus woh yek run key bahd hee standing ovation hohtha hey!
(The standing ovation is only after the one run that makes the century!)
Pichele 99 ko koyi yaad nahi rakta
(no one remembers the previous 99 runs)
As I pondered on those words, it hit me that in our Christian walk, we ought to have the same attitude. The Bible warns that in the latter times, many will depart (fall away) from the faith an in the end times, many will be deceived and their love (for God, His people and His work) will wax cold and only those who endure (stand firm) till the end will be saved (Matthew 24:12-13).
Point(s) to ponder:
Let us not be among the 99 who fall short of God’s expectation and are not remembered (Psalm 34:16) but let us endure (stand firm) unto the end (of our appointed time on earth), for only then comes the standing ovation. Interesting, isn’t it that at the endurance of Stephen, the first martyr for Jesus Christ, he received a standing ovation from God Himself (Acts 7:56).
Matthew 24:12-13 (KJV)
12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
