Take My Life, Lord!
Just a Meadow Minute
How long has it been since your LAST “Mountaintop Experience” with God? Sermon after sermon, devotional after devotional, focus on how life is lived in the valleys, in the trenches, but rarely about the mountaintops. That can lead to thinking that having a life-changing, awe-inspiring, eternity-glimpsing time with God is only some memory of an event that happened in the much-too-distant past, perhaps as far back as your conversion. Are you one who thinks, “Easter is over this year, Jesus won. Now can’t we just go back to the drudgery of everyday living”?
Yes, God is with us in the shadows of grief and the struggles of parenting and the pressures of paying the bills. Praise God, He NEVER leaves nor forsakes us. As His children, we can never be loved by our Heavenly Father more—or less— than He already does. But when was the last time you climbed to the mountaintop to present your body again as a living, holy, sacrifice to God, intentionally surrendering your all to Him?
It was those very feelings that inspired Frances Ridley Havergal on February 4th, 1847, to compose one of my favorite hymns. She would later write, “I just yielded myself to Him, and utterly trusted Him to keep me.”
Take my life and let it be,
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days—
Let them flow in ceaseless praise,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands and let them move,
At the impulse of Thy love;
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee,
Swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my voice and let me sing,
Always only, for my King
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee,
Filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold--
Not a mite would I withhold;
Take my intellect and use
Ev'ry pow'r as Thou shalt choose,
Ev'ry pow'r as Thou shalt choose.
Take my will and make it Thine--
It shall be no longer mine;
Take my heart--it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne,
It shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love--my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store;
Take myself--and I will be
Ever only ALL for Thee,
Ever only ALL for Thee.
May this hymn be my lasting testimony.
“I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God which is your spiritual service of worship.” (Romans 12:1)
Grace,
Tom
Meadow Minute Archives
Previous ten articles of the Meadow Minute can be located by date and content.
The story of David and Goliath has likely been used for more devotionals and sermons than any other single event of the Old Testament. I certainly turn to the spiritual truths found there on a regular basis. I am sure my starting this Meadow Minute with those two names has already reminded you of what you know of the story. Well, how ‘bout this?
When David was ready to go into battle against the giant Philistine, Saul wanted to hold David back because the boy wasn’t a hardened fighter. Do you remember David’s response to the king of Israel? David says in 1 Samuel 17:36, “Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear…”
David recalled to his memory how God had helped him in the past. Recalling God’s goodness, David steadied himself for what lay ahead. He found courage against fear and doubt by remembering how God had been there before. And not only did he remember it, but it became part of his testimony about God’s goodness.
Try that. When feeling the pressure of a situation—a coming confrontation, a looming medical diagnosis, an inevitable financial crisis—try David’s approach at facing your future. Reminisce a minute about God’s accomplishments in your life. It would serve us all well to intentionally recall the blessings we have received from God.
With Easter having just passed, you will certainly remember how His great love and grace and mercy has covered your sin by Jesus’ shed blood on the cross. And His promise of an eternal home in heaven because of the Lord’s victory over death—what a great place to start! But
keep going. Look at all the paychecks He has provided. All the prayers He has answered. All the friends who have supported you. Your children. Your parents. Your spouse. Your health. Your education. Keep going. There’s more. There’s lots more and you know it. If it’s difficult to recall all that God has done for you, is that a reflection of God’s limited goodness or your well-developed attitude of ingratitude? His blessings are there and have been there through every season of your life. It’s time we all learn to imitate the psalm-writing king known for being a man after God’s own heart. Let’s all live more grateful. If we do, we’ll find such reminiscing not only beneficial in encouraging ourself, but also effective in our witness to encourage others.
I have friends and family who are minimalists. With regularity, they intentionally take a look at their possessions and decide what is really necessary to hang on to. If they haven’t used something in a certain period of time, it must not be worth having, and they pitch it. After all, there’s no point in hanging onto those old bowling trophies or that killer 8-track tape collection. (On the other hand, Diane and I have caught ourselves keeping an empty box out in the garage because, well, it’s a really good box!) Whether you’re a minimalist or not, never throw out the vivid memories of God’s rich blessings. Use them regularly. Cling to the blessings from the God who has assured you He will never leave or forsake you.
“Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow.” James 1:17
Count your many blessing, name them one by one; and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.
Grace,
Tom
One of the people I follow on Facebook is a man by the name of Jeff Brown. I have never met Jeff personally, but on the “I Love the Smoky
Mountains” Facebook page, he is known as the Waterfall Wanderer. Jeff travels across much of the Blue Ridge Parkway taking hikes, taking pictures, and taking people via his hikes and pictures to the waterfalls found in the Great Smoky Mountains. Look him up. You just might fall in love with that part of the country like I have. While daydreaming of my happy place and planning our next visit to the mountains while viewing some of Jeff’s posts, I wondered about wandering.
Wanderings and wonderings. For those of us from West Texas, both those words come out sounding pretty much the same because of our accents. And in a spiritual sense, while they obviously mean two different things, they are quite connected. Wanderings and
wonderings. A bit of a conundrum.
Psalm 119:10-11 says, “With all my heart I have sought Thee; do not let me wander from Thy commandments. Thy word I have treasured
in my heart, that I may not sin against Thee.”
That first verse presents an issue. “I have sought Thee,” but then, “don’t let me wander…” Is seeking things out the same as wandering or wondering. I wonder which. It is quite easy to find ourselves wandering in our Christian life. Wonder how? Perhaps, some time ago, you came to Christ in true repentance and faith, accepting His free gift of salvation and asking the Holy Spirit to come into your life and lead you. But then somehow, gradually, you have packed Him and His church neatly away for special or necessary occasions. Easter. Christmas. Mother’s Day. A funeral or wedding. And you’ve found yourself consistently wandering from Him, wondering why your life seems a bit off tempo, out of sorts, missing something. Wandering while wondering why God is not blessing your wanderings. Wandering
and wondering.
I’ve heard it said that some people make what happens happen. Some people only watch what happens happen. Some people simply wonder what happened!
There’s no need to wonder how you might have started wandering. In a real sense, the answer is there in Psalm 119:10-11. Try saying it like this: “My Lord, keep me from wandering by keeping me from wondering. Your Word has the answer for my wanderings and my wonderings.” Do you treasure in your heart the promises and assurances of God? Can you recall them, and is your life led by those promises and assurances? I’m just wondering. Do you find yourself wandering more and more aimlessly in life wondering—in doubt, in sin, in unbelief, in indifference—because the close relationship you once shared with the Father seems now very distant and out of focus?
No matter how far you’ve wandered, don’t wonder if He’s waiting. He’s closer than you think. Those promises and assurances of God are still available, still within reach. Getting there takes honesty and re-commitment. Like Jeremiah 29:13 say, “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” His Word is “Wonder-full.”
Grace,
Tom
How many reading this Meadow Minute remember as I do hearing your mom saying something like: “This ain’t no buffet, darlin’. You git what you git, and you don’t pitch a fit…” Sound familiar? At all? Don’t get me wrong. My momma could cook. At my family’s house where I grew up the youngest of three boys, my dad provided for us all and my mom prepared delicious meals. Sometimes those meals
were “creative.” Sometimes they stretched into multiple-day leftovers. But I never went to bed hungry, except a few times for talking back. Even then, I remember Momma sneaking me some later, and I ate it willingly. Only one person on this planet can prepare meals better than my momma…and I married her…so there’s that. But there was one solid rule growing up. We had one option at mealtime—eat what was put in front of us. Mom never considered herself a short-order cook ready to grant the wishes of entitled little picky eaters!
Sometimes, looking for options is a good thing. But sometimes, looking for options brings on consequences of separation and punishment.
By some estimates, the entire earthly ministry of Jesus lasted around 3 ½ years. Our minds are filled with the stories He told and the wonderful things He did. Still, apart from the events of His birth in a manger with angels and shepherds and wisemen attending, we most often speak about the days leading up to and including the crucifixion and the resurrection of our Savior on Easter Sunday morning. We choose to accept His sacrifice on our behalf as the Only Begotten Son of God, or we don’t.
Maybe you have heard it said, “Jesus is either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord.” As recorded by Scripture, Jesus never said the exact words, “I am God.” But He did make the claim in several settings to be God, and everyone listening understood what He was saying.
For instance, the Jews took up stones to kill Jesus in John 8:58, when the Lord said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM,” equating Himself with the Name of God given to Moses on the mountain.
The same thing happened in John 10:30, when Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.”
And during Passion Week before Jesus was condemned to die, He was questioned by Pilate, the governor, “Are You the King of the Jews?” Every Jew in Jesus’ day knew that was a term for the Messiah, the Promised One of God. Jesus answered Pilate, “It is as you say.”
So, while we who heard, “you git what you git…” had limited choices in the food we ate, God has given us all the free will to choose our eternity. Jesus is either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord. Claiming to be God if He is not, would make Jesus a liar, and not “a good man.” If He is just a man, some might opt for being kind in deciding Jesus was a bit misguided, a lunatic, claiming to be the God-Man. Or, as I and countless millions with me confess, Jesus is Lord. He is Lord of all, and every knee WILL bow, and every tongue WILL confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord. One group will make that confession by faith unto eternal life. Another group will be forced to make that confession even unto eternal death and separation from Him having rejected His free offer of saving grace. Wheat vs tares. Sheep vs goats. Saved vs lost.
Call that narrow-minded, hard-hearted, mean-spirited, but God’s Word makes it plain. There is but ONE OPTION, ONE WAY to heaven. “And there is salvation in NO ONE ELSE; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
Praise God for the Cross. Praise God for the empty tomb! Hope to see you at the SonRise service this Sunday at 7:30. Then stay for the churchwide breakfast and 9:00 worship. We’ll be done for the day around 10:00.
Grace,
Tom
How God’s Spirit has moved to bring about the Great Hymns of our faith has always been of interest to me. In my personal Bible study, I often find myself humming familiar melodies I’ve cherished since I was just a boy when I come upon the inspiration for many of the most
loved songs while reading God’s Word. Read this verse and see if you start humming.
Deuteronomy 33:27a says, “The eternal God is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”
Here’s the story of this wonderful hymn: One afternoon in 1887, music teacher A.J. Showalter dismissed his class and returned to his rooming house in Hartsville, Alabama. The mail had run that day, and Showalter found letters from two former students, each with a similar story. Both of them had lost their wives, and both wives had died on the exact same day. Showalter immediately began responding by writing letters of condolence. The Scripture that came to his mind was the one above from Deuteronomy, the assurance of God’s “everlasting arms” supporting us, even in the darkest moments of life.
After writing to both former students, this music teacher wrote a third letter to Elisha Hoffman, a hymnwriter in Pennsylvania. Showalter suggested that Hoffman write a hymn on the theme and even suggested the wording for the chorus. Hoffman responded quickly with three stanzas, and Showalter supplied the music.
“What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
Leaning, leaning,
Safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning, leaning,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
O, how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
O, how bright the path grows from day to day,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
Leaning on the everlasting arms?
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.”
So very often we find ourselves longing for God’s arms beneath us, and His love surrounding us. Close to Him, we can find strength in even the most sorrowful situations. This does not mean we deny the emotions of loss and grief and struggle. When a loved one dies, it’s normal and right to mourn. But the follower of Christ knows that He is still in control. He never abandons His own, praise God!
There are still four more weeks in this cycle of GriefShare at FBC, Meadow. We meet each Tuesday evening for about an hour starting at 6:15 p.m. If you are dealing with the loss of someone precious to you and sense the need to lean on the arms of God—even on others who are currently dealing with their grief—you are welcome to come and be a part.
Grace,
Tom
Trevor Brockway and Gina Solberg from our church, along with nine other Texas Tech students, just got back from a Spring Break mission trip to Ecuador. They went with Filter of Hope, a Christian ministry that introduces Jesus to smaller communities in various parts of the world by providing access to fresh, clean water. Last Wednesday evening, both Trevor and Gina told our Mid-Week group at FBC how they and another similar group introduced faith and filters with a very unique testimony. Gina shared how they used a glass of the area’s murky water, and another glass of pure, clear water produced using the filter each family was provided. Each household was told it is the same
difference between a life lived without Jesus and a life that allows Him in. Our missionaries explained to those they met who would listen that everyone sins. Everyone brings their contaminated situation to the Filter, and the Filter transforms the situation. The Gospel says the old is gone and the new has come. Trying to re-mix the two—pouring some of one into the other—never works. That just re-contaminates the whole lot. There is no middle ground. Both Trevor and Gina told us that again and again, “a light seemed to come on” in the faces of many people as they listened in their own homes. The members of this community in Ecuador did not choose to live with dirty, contaminated—bitter--water. Up to this point, they just had no other choice. Then, they were provided not one, but two choices. Clean or dirty water, and a changed or condemned heart. The combined efforts of these godly students and their Christian interpreters not only brought much needed potable water to over 90 people in just a few days, but the Spirit of God blessed their efforts, and more than 70 people who heard the Good News of Jesus were born again! Everyone who surrendered to the Lord was immediately connected individually to someone from the nearby church for discipleship, support, and follow-up. Praise God!
Living a bitter or a blessed life. Is it always a choice? Wait Just a Meadow Minute. Is life automatically easy or hard? Are the circumstances of our lives always a result of our own actions and decisions? Tough questions. Yes, we must choose how to react to various stimuli when we are put in a situation, good or bad, even when not of our own actions. In one season of life we might see ourselves
about to be a winner in life’s lottery, and then in an instant, we end up feeling like Job, just without all the boils!
Right now, water—or the lack of it—is a hot topic around Meadow. The land is dry, and we need rain, amen? The weather app on my phone keeps teasing some coming moisture, and then…nothing. Like the testimony of the students in Ecuador, there’s a lesson to be found in my weather app about living bitter or living blessed. Very few people in West Texas take water for granted. If anything, our agricultural
community is likely more attuned than others to just how precious the gift of regular rainfall can be. People here farm on faith, trusting the Lord to send the rain in His perfect timing. But, while waiting for the showers God WILL send, are we missing the blessings He’s ALREADY sent and sending? Are we living bitter or living blessed?
While we don’t take water for granted around here, do we take for granted the Living Water of God’s Spirit with us? In bitterness of soul we call out to God for the rain so desperately needed, yet so many neglect the readily available blessing afforded us to gather in praise and thanksgiving to the Supplier of our hearts cry. In all circumstances, good and bad, your fault or no one’s fault, are you living bitter or blessed? There is no middle ground. Situations we find ourselves in are not always a choice. But our response is. Do you trust God? Show it.
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7.
Grace,
Tom
In your mind, what is the theme of the Bible? What is the Number One, First and Foremost, Over-riding, Consummate Theme of the Bible? If you were to test your knowledge of the Scriptures, how would you describe what the Bible is all about? Wouldn’t that have to be found in
Jesus’ own words of Revelation 1:8, “I am the Alpha, and the Omega,…who is and was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Our Lord’s existence has no beginning. His existence is on-going. And His existence will be forevermore. That’s the message of the Bible. All other characters found in Scripture play only a supporting role.
Of course there are plenty of lesser themes…justice, peace, redemption, forgiveness, love…just to name a few. I am drawn to the biblical theme of faithfulness. God’s, and ours. There are many passages in God’s Word that includes some form of the phrase, “because God is faithful.”
2 Thessalonians 3:3 says, “The Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.”
2 Timothy 2:13 says, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.”
Hebrews 10:23 says, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”
God is faithful. You can write that in indelible ink, and chisel that in stone. Or, as my dad would say, “You can take that to the bank!” God’s faithfulness is not a part of who He is—the Almighty is not a sum of parts. Like God is merciful and God is truly righteous, He is faithful. And in Malachi 3:6 He says, “For I the Lord, do not change.” He is and was and will always be faithful.
We are likewise called to be faithful. Yes, we stumble. We backslide. We drift. We sin. But God calls us again and again to seek forgiveness and start again.
1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
We are called to live our lives in such a way not to be thought of by others as good, but because God is good, “because God is faithful.” Not to be “re-saved” over and over, but to be renewed in our minds again and again, “because God is faithful.” We are called to remain firm in our faith, unwavering in our commitment, and uncompromising in our resolve. No matter the societal circumstances, no matter the earthly consequences, unaffected by the world’s influences. We are called to be faithful, “because God is faithful,” and one day, we’ll be like Him.
1 John 3:2b says, “We know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.”
Wow! When I check my personal “faithfulness meter,” I see how far I have missed His standard and how far I have yet to go to “be like Him.” Oh, how I need His mercy and His forgiveness. But praise be to God, the One “who is and was and who is to come” is faithful.
Grace,
Tom
During over 30 years in the USAF, my father had two extended deployments overseas. He spent 15 months in Peshawar, Pakistan during the U-2 flights when I was just a kid. And he also spent 12 months in U-Tapao, Thailand on the Gulf of Siam during the Viet Nam conflict when I was a teenager. There was no internet or cell phones during the times he was stationed overseas, so Dad would send home audio tapes as a one-sided conversation to talk with us. While in Pakistan, he whistled for our dog Ginger, and she sat and cried at the sound of his voice. While Dad was in Thailand, his tapes were constantly interrupted by B-52 Bombers taking off and landing in the background. If you’re old enough to remember newsreel footage each night on TV showing bombers attacking North Viet Nam, you were likely looking at a B-52 that had taken off from U-Tapao. The hooch Dad lived in was next to the tarmac, and the constant roar of the planes eventually took his hearing. Dad always ended his audio tapes with the same thing. After the mushy parts where he told Mom how much he loved and missed her, he ended with a message to his three sons. “You boys rest easy. Dad’s on the job.” Like most other military family kids, my first real-life superhero was my dad.
In my teen years, Dad and I didn’t always see eye to eye. The first thing I remember we argued about was our favorite fighter jets. Dad’s was the F-4 Phantom from the Viet Nam era. My favorite was the F-4U Corsair that was used in WWII and Korea. Interestingly, both are NAVY aircraft. The Phantom was an amazing fighter. But the look and sound and ability of the Corsair always impressed me. We later
laughed about how one letter, a “U”, kept the whole thing stirred up! Our differing opinions on aircraft was small and silly, but the rough patches with my Dad would become harder and longer as I sought and found my independence.
It got to where at times he and I could go long periods without saying a single word to each other. Oh, it wasn’t a constant fight. I cherished the times with Dad in the woodshop. And we both loved Tom Landry and the Dallas Cowboys. He was a part of many Scouting trips to Camp Sol Mayer and Camp Fawcett. And I introduced him to “Rocky Mountain High” by John Denver. Still, my “hippy haircut” was wayyyyy toooo long for a “high and tight, crew-cut, spit-shined” Chief Master Sargent.
Dad once showed me his favorite Mark Twain quote, “When a child reaches 13 years of age, a parent should place the child in a barrel, nail the lid shut, and feed the teenager through a knot hole. And when the child turns 16 years old…plug the hole!” He never went that far, but we did struggle Eventually, we found grace for each other.
So, you probably have figured out where this Meadow Minute is headed. Yes, I also have a favorite Mark Twain quote. The humorist once said, “When I was 18 years old, I thought my father was the most ignorant man alive. When I turned 21, I was surprised how much the old man learned in just three short years.”
How I miss him. Like so many of the relationships between parents and their kids, there was a learning curve for both Dad and me. I’m proud to say that today I can “rest easy. Dad’s on the job.” You see, he lives larger than life, rent-free in my head and heart. And while we can’t converse anymore, he taught me well, and I seek his counsel through the vivid memories he left. I look forward to our reunion in Glory.
Ephesians 6:4 says, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger; but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
Proverbs 20:29 says, “The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair.”
Grace,
Tom
One of my fondest memories of hanging with my dad and two older brothers when we were very young involved playing “Hide and Seek.” The way Dad did it, he would send two of us to the backyard and then he would hide one of us somewhere in the house himself before letting the other two come back in and seek.
I have been stuffed in the dryer with wet laundry. Fortunately, part of the fun did not include Dad turning it on! I’ve been hidden among
the cleaning supplies under the kitchen sink. Dad once took the bottom drawer out of a dresser. He had me crawl in and then he put the drawer back as far as he could. He pulled a couple others out a little bit to complete my camouflage. My favorite memory was when he rolled me up in a blanket and made his and Mom’s bed using me for the pillows. I won that day. It was great!
The children’s game of “Hide and Seek” can be a lot of fun, but…
Every one of the world’s false religions includes the idea that a god is hiding, and it’s man’s responsibility to seek out that god, to justify being worthy of that god’s attention. Every false religion on earth is based on earning acceptance. Only Christianity reveals that because of sin, man is incapable of justifying himself to God and earning redemption. Only Christianity recognizes there is nothing mankind can do to erase the punishment of sin and earn the love and grace and forgiveness of God. Christianity calls mankind to admit we ARE unworthy and hopelessly condemned but for the mercy and grace of the Savior. Unlike every false religion of the world seeking to find a distant, elusive god, Christianity is man’s only hope because through Christ, God came seeking man. It’s been that way from the very beginning.
The very first game of “Hide and Seek” found in Bible history wasn’t fun. The Father didn’t do the hiding. He was the one who came looking for Adam and Eve after they disobeyed the Lord and ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Hiding from God then didn’t work. It still doesn’t. The conviction of the Holy Spirit from unrepentant sin in one’s life can cause a person to try and hide from God or at least attempt to hide his or her sin from God. But nothing in us or about us or around us is hidden from His eyes.
Corporate worship is a weekly invitation to come out of hiding, and despite whatever the world has done to us in the last week, to put ourself before the loving and forgiving, all-knowing God, and be refreshed by His grace once more. That is why it is good that nothing in us or about us or around us is hidden from God’s eyes. He knows. He cares. Worship is acknowledging that we are ever before His eyes.
Hiding from God doesn’t work. Avoiding God doesn’t work. If you find yourself in the middle of spiritual “Hide and Seek” with the Lord,
it’s time to acknowledge there is no hiding from a loving, seeking God. He already knows of your open failures and your hidden sins. And He is a God of forgiveness. He is worthy of our praise and thanksgiving and surrender.
Hebrews 4:13 says, “No creature is hidden from Him, but all things are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account.”
Never let anything separate you or keep you from dwelling in the “shadow of the Almighty.” God loves you. He’s rooting for you. Instead of trying to hide from God, try finding shelter in Him. “Under His wings. Under His wings. Who from His love can sever? Under His wings my soul shall abide, safely abide forevermore.”
Grace,
Tom
It is so easy to become overwhelmed by the onslaught of information our minds are expected to process involving all that is happening in our world. It does seem that there is much more bad news than good anywhere we look. We often find ourselves as a people divided in what the best course of action will be for the nation, our communities, and, yes, in the church. We pick sides, seeing only the good of our fellows, and only the bad of the opposition. We choose fallible leaders to solve any and all of our issues, placing those leaders in an untenable position of attempting to satisfy everyone. Where should we go for leadership.
At the First Baptist Church in Philadelphia during the Civil War, the pastor at the time was Joseph Gilmore. The unsettling news of the war was all his congregation wanted to hear about or talk about, and everyone had an opinion. Lines were being drawn, so Gilmore turned to Psalm 23 for his text. “The important thing,” his notes read, “is to know that God is leading—no matter how or where He leads us.” At a deacon’s house after church, while several church members continued to speak about God’s leadership, Joseph Gilmore wrote the words of this hymn, gave it to his wife, and forgot about it.
Almost three years later, Gilmore was a pastoral candidate for a church in Rochester, NY. The church had a hymnal, but Gilmore was unfamiliar with it and began thumbing through the pages. Imagine his surprise to find his own hymn, He Leadeth Me. Without his knowing it, Joseph Gilmore’s wife had sent the words to a Christian periodical, and someone there set the words to music. Gilmore later wrote, “That was the first time I knew that my hymn had found a place among the songs of the church.”
He leadeth me! O blessed thought!
O words with heav’nly comfort fraught!
Whate’er I do, where’er I be,
Still ‘tis God’s hand that leadeth me!
He leadeth me, He leadeth me,
By His own hand He leadeth me;
His faithful follower I would be,
For by His hand He leadeth me.
Lord, I would clasp Thy hand in mine;
Nor ever murmur nor repine,
Content, whatever lot I see,
Since ‘tis Thy hand that leadeth me!
And when my task on earth is done,
When, by Thy grace, the vict’ry’s won,
E’en death’s cold wave I will not flee,
Since God through Jordan leadeth me!
GOOD on Joseph Gilmore’s wife! There are delightful surprises for those who are led by the Lord. And GOOD on God’s Word.
Psalm 23:3b says, “He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”
Grace,
Tom
I saw something this week that has stayed with me. I have no way to give sufficient credit to the anonymous author, but it is very much worth sharing.
“The only thing that you even have a chance of bringing into heaven is your children. We can’t bring our home. We can’t bring a big yard. We can’t bring a nice car. We can’t bring our money. But we get to create these little lives that we’re in charge of. And we get to guide them. ‘Bone of my bone.’ They are our blood. And we get to take them into heaven and present them to God and say, ‘Look what we did with what You gave us.’”
It is in the lexicon of today to say, “It takes a village” to raise our children and young people. Many people have left the job of raising their children to the schools or to the church.
I agree that as a community, we must guide and support and watch out for our precious children and youth. Social skills will be vital to their success for the rest of their lives. I agree that we should count on our schools to give our children the basics of education and knowledge in preparing them for a career, for their calling in life. And you will never hear me espousing the idea that the church is not a special place for children to learn of God’s love for them. The church is tasked with providing the way to Jesus as Lord and Savior. But none of that excludes the involvement of parents.
It is by the parents’ examples that children learn community involvement like the responsibility and privilege of voting. It is by the parents’ examples that children learn to respect the rights and possessions of neighbors.
How well do you know your child’s teacher(s)? How often does your child see you in the halls at school, volunteering to be a part of the things important in their world?
And is it the church alone that is expected to give your kids an occasional dose of morals, of right and wrong? Or is the church to be the reinforcement of spiritual things first espoused in your home. Is your being a part of the family of God so vital for your family that your kids know your “together time” with them includes Bible Study and Worship, and yes, even times at home where Mom and Dad lead out in prayer and faith-based activities?
We cannot give our children eternity. But through the privilege of parenting, God grants us the opportunity to guide and direct our precious charges to value His precepts, and to live by His standards. It is a parent’s responsibility to introduce the young to Jesus. We must not count on our children sneaking into heaven by clinging to the hand of even the godliest grandparent or other close friend or relative who shows an interest in their spiritual well-being. Each of us—you, me, our children, our youth—comes to Christ on his or her own, in faith surrendering to the forgiveness and grace of God. And parents are given the very best opportunity to impact the forever of their children. Take seriously the time God has granted you to be a role model for your children in their social skills and their education and in finding “success” in this life. AND have the courage to take the lead in connecting them with the Savior as you grow in your own personal relationship with Him. Be involved in the spiritual aspects of your children’s lives. AND praise God for the privilege.
“Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6
Grace,
Tom