The Old Man in the Back of the Sanctuary

I read an interesting statement today. “Being wanted feeds the ego, being valued feeds the soul.” Knowing the person who wrote that, as I do, I think he was comparing physical attraction with love. Certainly, my wife and I were physically attracted to each other, but it was the way we valued each other with love that got us through fifty years together.

 I also think it goes far deeper than that for Christians. God not only loves us and wants us to be His children; He shows the high value He places on us by sending His true Son to die in our place so we can have direct contact with Him; walking and talking with us as He did with Adam in the Garden. This poem by Myra Brooks Welch illustrates the different ways that humans and God value someone and the way God has adds value to our lives.

Twas battered and scarred and the auctioneer thought it hardly worth his while

To waste his time on the old violin, but he held it up with a smile,

“What am I bid good folks?” he cried. “Who’ll start the bidding for me?

A dollar, a dollar, who’ll make it two? Two dollars and who’ll make it three?

Three dollars once. Three dollars twice. Going for three -’ but no.

From the room far back a gray haired man came forward and picked up the bow.

Wiping the dust from the old violin and tightening the loose strings

He played a melody pure and sweet as a caroling angel sings.

When the music ceased, the auctioneer in a voice that was quiet and low

Said, “What am I bid for this old violin?”  and he held it up with the bow.

“A thousand dollars and who’ll make it two? Two thousand and who’ll make it three?

Three thousand once, three thousand twice, going and gone” said he.

The people cheered, but some of them cried, “We don’t understand

What changed its worth?” Quick came the reply, “The touch of the master’s hand.”

Many a man with life out of tune, battered and scarred by sin,

Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd, much like the old violin.

A mess of potage, a glass of wine, a game and he travels on.

He’s going once. He’s going twice. He’s going and almost gone.

But the Master comes and the foolish crowd never can quite understand

The worth of a soul or the change that is wrought by the touch of the Master’s hand.

Do you feel valued by God and by those closest to you? More importantly, do you value them with your words and your actions?

A Face Book friend, who is several years older than I am, announced he has now been cancer free for seven years after being treated for stage four lung cancer. As he celebrated the good news with us, he couldn’t help but wonder why God has given him these extra years while so many others have not been that fortunate. It brought back my search for purpose after my wife of fifty years died.

I’ve read about “survivor guilt” when someone is the sole survivor of a plane crash, natural disaster or the only one left of their platoon during war. They struggle with the questions “Why me? Why am I still alive and others aren’t?” Those are questions only God can answer. As born again followers of Jesus Christ, my friend and I go to Him for the answer. Although our quest might seem most urgent to us, I think it is a question we all struggle with at some time in our life – a search for purpose. Mark Twain once said, “The two greatest days in a person’s life are the day they are born and the day they find out why.”

I told my friend that my favorite statement is, “I am old and wise because God protected me when I was young and foolish.” I haven’t had cancer, like he has, but when I was 12 our family doctor misdiagnosed a disease that would have killed me if God had not provided a young doctor who knew what was wrong and how to treat it. There are five other times in my life that I know God has protected me from death or serious injury. No telling how many times He has saved me from dangers I wasn’t even aware of. All I know is that God isn’t finished yet with my friend or with me and if we look for ways to share God’s love with kind acts and a servant’s heart, He will continue to provide us with opportunities. 

We want God to show us our purpose because we are goal oriented creatures. We want to know what our end objective is, and then we will work to reach it. I read a few years ago about a man who asked God, “What is the purpose of my life?” God replied, “What if I told you it is that hour you spent discussing life with that boy? What if I told you it.is paying for that young couple’s meal at the restaurant? What if I told you it is saving that dog in traffic or helping that old woman across the street? What if I told you it is holding the door open for that stranger with a smile and wishing them a good day? Everything you do with love has purpose.” You see, God knows His purpose and the end result, but He wants us to concentrate on the process. His process involves love and service. Those are the things that apply His purpose to our life and that is the only purpose that will matter in the end.

Have you ever felt a strong wind in your face slowing your progress or even pushing you backward as you try to walk by faith? Have you ever felt like every step you take is an uphill climb? Have you ever encountered stumbling blocks or obstacles you must avoid? Have you ever looked up ahead at a mountain blocking your way? Welcome to the Christian life! Living as a child of God is full of mercy, grace, joy, peace and love. It is extremely rewarding now and for eternity. But it is not always coasting downhill with the wind at your back.

Jesus teaches us what to expect when we follow Him. “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sort of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.” (Matthew 5:11-12) Paul tells us how resistance from the enemy can actually benefit us. “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” (Romans 5:3-5)

My birthday is in March, so when I was a young boy sometimes I would get a kite as a present. I would meet my friends in a field and we would see who could get their kite to fly the highest. For a kite to fly three things are needed. First, it needs a tail to stabilize it and keep it upright. Second, it must be attached to a long, strong string to keep it from being blown away out of control and destroyed. Third, it needs to face a fairly strong wind to get and keep it aloft.

You are probably wondering what a kite has to do with anything. I think a kite might be a great analogy of my Christian life. Like the tail of a kite, the Holy Spirit within me stabilizes my life and keeps me upright. Like the string attached firmly to the kite, my personal relationship with my heavenly Father through Jesus Christ keeps me from going out of control and being destroyed. Finally, when the enemy sends his wind of resistance and I face it, instead of slowing me down or pushing me back it actually lifts me above his stumbling blocks and even above that mountain that was in my way.

When you are coasting along smoothly, with no opposition from the enemy, you are probably traveling the wrong road. It is when you are where God wants you to be and doing what He wants you to do that the enemy will come after you with everything he has. When that happens, be happy and glad because it is confirmation that you are a true follower of Christ and a child of God. Always remember that the Spirit within you is greater than the sprit that is in the world.  (1 John 4:4).    

“Three things will last forever – faith, hope and love – and the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13) I have written many times about love and I wrote about hope in my previous blog post. The Apostle Paul tells us that the greatest of the three is love; but there is a reason he listed faith first. If you want to be filled with hope and love, you must first put your faith in God through Jesus Christ. Without that faith our hope and attempts at love are in vain.

The writer of Hebrews begins the eleventh chapter with this definition of faith, “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for, it is the evidence of things we cannot see.” Then he lists many of those in the Old Testament who did great things by faith in God’s promise to them. That entire eleventh chapter of Hebrews has been called the “Faith Hall of Fame” .Those listed are surely heroes of faith, but  each and every person who put their faith in the God of creation and His promises has their own success story.

Those people of old had to put their faith in the future God promised. He fulfilled His promise to them when He sent His Son as a perfect sacrifice for their sins and ours. They rested their faith on the future. We rest our faith on what God has already done. We weren’t there to see it happen, but we rest our faith on the solid evidence of God’s word and the confirmation of His Holy Spirit within us.

Everyone has faith in something or someone. Is all faith good? Of course not! Many people of old put their faith in idols and false gods that had no power to save them. Some of them put their faith in kings and leaders. Others put their faith in material wealth or good works. Come to think about it, things haven’t really changed that much have they? People are still putting their faith in those things and more instead of in God. I have friends who claim to be atheists; they put their faith in their own ability. There are others today who put their faith in science, politics, education and even religious leaders instead of in God. It boils down to who or what we put our faith in. The term Christian has been so demonized by some in our society to the point that many Christians call themselves believers instead. I tried that for a short time, but came back to calling myself a Christian because I want everyone to know Who I believe in; whether they like it or not.

Let your faith rest on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, It is through Him that we have the Holy Spirit within us and direct access to our heavenly Father in prayer. When you put your faith in him, you have God’s promise of hope and love.     

“Three things will last forever – faith, hope and love – and the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13) I have written many times about love and I wrote about hope in my previous blog post. The Apostle Paul tells us that the greatest of the three is love; but there is a reason he listed faith first. If you want to be filled with hope and love, you must first put your faith in God through Jesus Christ. Without that faith our hope and attempts at love are in vain.

The writer of Hebrews begins the eleventh chapter with this definition of faith, “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for, it is the evidence of things we cannot see.” Then he lists many of those in the Old Testament who did great things by faith in God’s promise to them. That entire eleventh chapter of Hebrews has been called the “Faith Hall of Fame” .Those listed are surely heroes of faith, but  each and every person who put their faith in the God of creation and His promises has their own success story.

Those people of old had to put their faith in the future God promised. He fulfilled His promise to them when He sent His Son as a perfect sacrifice for their sins and ours. They rested their faith on the future. We rest our faith on what God has already done. We weren’t there to see it happen, but we rest our faith on the solid evidence of God’s word and the confirmation of His Holy Spirit within us.

Everyone has faith in something or someone. Is all faith good? Of course not! Many people of old put their faith in idols and false gods that had no power to save them. Some of them put their faith in kings and leaders. Others put their faith in material wealth or good works. Come to think about it, things haven’t really changed that much have they? People are still putting their faith in those things and more instead of in God. I have friends who claim to be atheists; they put their faith in their own ability. There are others today who put their faith in science, politics, education and even religious leaders instead of in God. It boils down to who or what we put our faith in. The term Christian has been so demonized by some in our society to the point that many Christians call themselves believers instead. I tried that for a short time, but came back to calling myself a Christian because I want everyone to know Who I believe in; whether they like it or not.

Let your faith rest on the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, It is through Him that we have the Holy Spirit within us and direct access to our heavenly Father in prayer. When you put your faith in him, you have God’s promise of hope and love.     

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I think the thing I take for granted most about my Christian life and walk with God is the hope I constantly feel. No matter how bad things may be, I never lose hope. Even when I feel helpless, I’m never hopeless. Paul wrote this to the church in Rome, “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)  Yes, my confident hope does come from the power of the Holy Spirit within me and I have learned to lean on it time and time again.

For the last few weeks, a song from the past has popped into my mind for some reason. The version I remember came out in 1962, but I have leaned it was actually written in 1868. “Soft as the voice of an angel breathing a message unheard. Hope with a gentle persuasion whispering her comforting word. Wait ‘til the darkness is over. Wait ‘til the tempest is done. Hope for the sunshine tomorrow after the darkness is gone. Whispering hope oh how welcome thy voice making my heart in its sorrow rejoice.“  There is another song that is more recent by the Hopper Family titled Hope. “It’s a hope that sometimes whispers, a hope that sometimes shouts and sometimes hope’s mighty gale will part the sea of doubt; or controls the raging fevers, command the storm of pain. Hope turns the life threatening tempest into a gentle soothing rain.”

Hopelessness is a horrible state. There has been an increase in the suicide rate, especially among teenagers. What goes through the mind of someone to make them think life is not worth living? It is based on their mental and emotional state and their environment. Although it may be a little different from person to person, the most common factor is a lack of hope. They find themselves in a miserable situation and they have no hope that things will ever get better. I admit that there was a time many years ago when the thought of suicide crossed my mind, but the Holy Spirit whispered hope into my spirit and that thought vanished in the light of that hope.    

The Apostle Paul wrote, “Three things will last forever – faith, hope and love – and the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)  Don’t ever underestimate the power of faith and hope. They are also needed for a healthy Christian life along with love. Trust God’s Holy Spirit within you. He will never let you forget them.

I have some friends who come from large families and they tell me how clothes and shoes were passed down to younger siblings as they were outgrown. Older children were taught to take good care of their clothes and shoes; as a result, the youngest child might be wearing items that had been used and passed down several times. I didn’t experience that as a child but as a Christian I know most of the blessings in my life have been the result of blessed brothers and sisters in Christ who have in turn blessed me.

When I was researching my Thanksgiving blog, I ran across a quote from W. T. Purkiser, a preacher, scholar and author who was not familiar to me. “Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.” Blessings are gifts from God. When I receive a tie as a Christmas or birthday present, I can rave about how beautiful it is and how much I appreciate the gift; but it isn’t until the giver sees me wearing it that they know the true depth of my appreciation.  

The chair with a lift to help me stand that I’m sitting in as I write this is a hand-me-down blessing. It came with a house that was purchased and the owner gave it to me when she found out I needed one. My portable air conditioner and my refrigerator are brand new blessings purchased by my church, but they are in my home because someone shared their material blessings in the form of tithes and offerings to bless others, including me. I could never thank my friends enough for all of the acts of kindness they have shown me. I know that I have been blessed because they have been blessed. 

There are two big differences between hand-me-down clothes and hand-me-down blessings. The first is that blessings aren’t always physical. They can be in the form of encouragement, prayers and loving Christian fellowship. The second is that the more you share your blessings and your gifts with others, the more blessings you receive from God. No matter how hard you try, you can’t out give God.

The American Thanksgiving Holiday is tomorrow. I put it that way because I have some readers who live around the world. I have written about thankfulness many times before and its rightful place in our Christian life. There is a phrase I used to hear all the time when I was a boy, but not quite as often today; “Thank Goodness!” It was uttered with a sigh of relief that something bad didn’t happen. I never really gave it much thought until now. What an odd thing to thank! I never heard anyone thank honesty or loyalty; only goodness. I did some research and found what I had suspected all along; it is a way of thanking God without mentioning Him by name.

Why would someone want to thank God without using His name? Do they think it might give God a big head to thank Him for everything? Do they not want someone listening to know they are grateful to God for His mercy?  I think using euphemisms for God might just be a habit picked up by people who also say, “Gosh Darn” instead of using God’s name in vain; somehow believing God doesn’t know what they really mean when they use those words.

The more you get to know God through studying His word, prayer time with Him and the promptings of His Spirit within you, the better you understand that you can’t conceal anything from Him. The thoughts of your mind and the meditations of your heart are open books to Him. He not only understands every language; He knows what is meant by every word you use. Jesus explains that to us when He teaches that keeping the law God laid out in the Old Testament with words and actions isn’t enough. If we lust with our hearts or hate with our minds; we are guilty.(Matthew 5:27-28 and Matthew 5:22) Even what we don’t do or say can make us guilty; sinning by omission. (James 4:17)  That is why we need God’s Holy Spirit to provide the strength and wisdom to get us safely through that minefield of guilt.

Like Adam and Eve, I learned the hard way that you don’t play hide and seek with God and you certainly don’t try to project your guilt on someone else or try to mislead God with the words you use. When something bad doesn’t happen, I say out loud, “Thank you, Lord, for your mercy!” When something good happens, I say, “Thank you for your grace and blessings Lord!” I use the word Lord because today everyone knows it is God and not some human title. Lord also applies to my Heavenly Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

God loves it when we are comfortable sharing our deepest feelings, thoughts and needs with Him; letting our hair down, so to speak, completely relaxed and unguarded. When we open ourselves up to God completely, He will always be happy to fill us completely with His peace and joy. When we experience that kind of relationship with Him here, we can’t help but look forward to eternity with Him in the kingdom of heaven.               

I have written about the power and importance of forgiveness in our Christian life; but I read something recently that brought if back to mind. Just before his release from prison, Nelson Mandela said, “As I stand at the door of my freedom, I know if I don’t leave my pain, anger and resentment behind me, I will still be in prison” Nelson Mandela had serious injustice and grievances to forgive, but he knew clinging to hatred and resentment would harm him far more than those who did him wrong. So many people are living in a prison of their own making because they can’t forgive and move on. Like acid, hatred and resentment eat away at them inside negatively affecting their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.

Of course there is a much greater example of forgiveness. Jesus not only forgave the very people who were driving spikes into his hands and feet and executing  him in one of the most cruel, painful and humiliating ways possible; He asked His heavenly Father to forgive them as well. (see Luke 23:34)  Jesus went beyond forgiveness. He actually loved those men and died for their sins (and mine). None of that should surprise us. He was just putting into practice how He teaches us to live. “Then Peter came to him and asked, ‘Lord, how many times should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?  ‘No, not seven times’, Jesus replied, ‘seventy times seven.’” (Matthew 18:21-22) “But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” (Matthew: 5:44) “But to those who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you!” (Luke 6:35)     

I don’t think Jesus was telling Peter to keep track and when you have forgiven them 490 times, you can stop forgiving. I think he was telling him to stop counting and just forgive. Only God can actually forgive sin, so our forgiveness is for our benefit not theirs. Forgiving sets us free from anger, hatred and the temptation to seek revenge. Carrying a grudge will drag you down to the level of the person who wronged you and it will rob you of God’s peace and joy. It is easier to forgive someone who asks for our forgiveness; but Jesus commands us to forgive our enemies – all of them. If there is ever someone I can’t forgive, I will do what Corrie ten Boom did and ask the Holy Spirit to forgive them for me. That removed the burden from her shoulders and placed it in God’s hands. I don’t know about you, but I find it hardest to forgive myself. Even after God has forgiven me, the enemy still tries to get me to cling to the guilt. With God’s help I have learned to put sins He has forgiven behind me for good.

Jesus affirmed the Old Testament Law “Love your neighbor as yourself”. That law is referenced nine times in the New Testament.  I always thought loving yourself was egotistical; but when I accepted Christ as my Savior, I experienced God’s love and finally felt worthy of my own love. Jesus takes us into Godly territory when He tells us to love our enemies. We can only forgive and love as He does through the power of the Holy Spirit within us.  

Have you ever wondered about the people who make a brief “cameo appearance” in the Bible? Sometimes we don’t even know their name, but something they did or said was important enough for God to include it in His word. One such person was a young Hebrew girl who was captured by raiders from Aram and given to the wife of their commanding officer as a servant far from her family and home. She Is mentioned in the fifth chapter of 2 Kings and her brief suggestion is quoted there.

That chapter is the familiar story of Naaman, the commander of the Aram army who was healed by God of leprosy through the prophet Elisha. None of that would have happened if that young Hebrew servant girl had not told Naaman’s wife, “I wish my master would go to see the prophet in Samaria. He would heal him of his leprosy.” The fact that she cared about his illness tells me that she had a Godly heart and that she was probably treated well in that home. The fact that Naaman and his wife listened to her suggestion and he acted on it tells me she must have impressed them with Godly service.

There are several lessons to be learned in that chapter of scripture. There is the despair the king of Israel experienced because he did not immediately turn to God and His prophet. There is the fact that Naaman almost let anger and arrogance keep him from God’s blessing. There is the severe price Elisha’s servant paid for his greed and lies. But I think the most important lesson is found in the way that young girl made the best of a very bad situation with God’s help.

Some experts tell us that we are a product of our environment, but it is actually our reaction to our environment that determines our thoughts, actions and who we are. Have you ever noticed that one person will give in to the pressures of a poor environment and allow it to destroy them, while another will gain strength from resisting those same pressures and overcome their situation? Those of us who have a personal relationship with God have an advantage in that regard. Like that young servant girl, we know our strength comes from God and we find our calling to lead others to that source of healing and strength in spite of our personal situation. Her focus was on serving others and she shared her God with them in spite of her unpleasant circumstance. We can, and should, do the same.