In one of John Maxwell’s books on leadership, there is a good story about one of the men at the Alamo. As you may remember, in 1835 a group of very committed Texas patriots made a stand against the Mexican army at a small mission-turned fort in San Antonio. (When I visited it some years back, I was shocked at how small it was.)

There were 183 volunteers from a wide array of backgrounds defending that tiny fort. There were soldiers, farmers and some noted frontiersmen like Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie. And their motto was “Victory or Death.”

From February through March, several thousand Mexican soldiers laid siege to the Alamo. The Texans were offered terms of surrender, but the men just would not budge. After it was so clear that a battle was imminent, a young man was sent out of the fort. He snuck out and rode hard to some towns in the area and hoping to bring back some reinforcements.

The rider’s name was James Bonham. And he did his job. He made his way 95 miles to a little town named Goliad and sought out some help. But none was available.

He could have just shrugged his shoulders and rode off in the opposite direction. He had already done his duty. He could have just gone home. But his sense of responsibility was so high that he bravely turned around and made his way back to the Alamo. So, on March 6^th, James Bonham stood bravely side by side with his friends and died at the Alamo.

Their deaths became a turning point in that war with Mexico. “Remember the Alamo” rang out all across Texas and just two months later, they won their independence.

We probably do not remember James Bonham, but maybe we should. In our modern culture, maybe we ought to be thinking more about our responsibilities and less about our rights.

Truth is responsibility is a much-needed commodity in our world. We need to raise our children to have a genuine work ethic. They need to be driven by excellence and a commitment to finish what they start. We need workers who will go the extra mile, not because time is available, but because the job demands it. We need to stop blaming anyone and everyone else for our lack of productivity.

So, this week, let us focus on the words of Paul to the Corinthians (15:58): “Therefore my beloved brethren, be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.”

Being responsible, that’s the idea of always abounding in the work of the Lord!