This past weekend my husband officiated at the funeral of a devout, loving man. God gave him 100 years of life on earth and in that time he lived "a slow, steady obediance in the same direction."
George D. was an amazing man, not in and of himself, but because of the manner in which he got out of the way and let God have His way.
When we were notified that he had gone on to be with Jesus, we couldn't help but feel envious. To be with Jesus, to behold His glory, to never, ever sin again! That is something worth envying.
George and Ann were like parents to us when we first moved to that tiny little parsonage northeast of nowhere. They loved us genuinely and generously. I can look around my home and see their love in the wooden handcrafted gifts they gave (made with skill and devotion): Bill's desk and matching file cabinet, our jewelry boxes, lovely wooden bowls, my sewing cabinet, and cutting board.
But the greatest gift, far outdistancing the lovely woodcrafts, was the long-term, devoted love they shared with one another, their family and us.
We will be grateful way on into eternity.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Snatched from R.C. Jr.
I found the following extremely convicting (and we homeschool!), yet it brought up images in my own life that are idolatrous. It was written some time ago and I ran across it by accident (I'm a Calvinist, nothing is by accident!) while I was cleaning out my library, desk, files, etc. in preparation for the upcoming legislative session. Funny the things you save...and find later. It is not reading for the faint of heart. And if you find yourself making excuses throughout the reading, well, then.....
Idols for Destruction
By R. C. Sproul, Jr.
I'm confident that many Christians have not slept well these last few nights. I suspect that tonight they won't do much better. Over the last several days, as I write, the stock market has not performed well. It has reached a five year low, having lost over forty percent of its value since its peak. It is not difficult to muster sympathy in these difficult economic times. Forty percent is rather much to lose, though only slightly more than half of seventy percent.
I lose sleep at night not because Christians have lost forty percent of their investments. I lose sleep at night because Christians are losing seventy percent of their children. They spend their days in institutions where Jesus doesn't matter. Seven hours a day, 180 days a year, Jesus doesn't matter. I am not surprised that when they graduate Jesus doesn't matter to them. The children of professing Christians who are schooled by the government are more likely than not to reject the faith. And we're worried about our stock portfolios.
Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount that where our treasure is, there will our hearts be as well (Matt. 6:21). Our treasure is in our treasure, rather than in our children. We lose our children by the millions, but only cry when we lose our millions. The Christian church is a willful band of idolaters. We send our wives off to work because we worship mammon. We send our children off to 'free' schools rather than private schools where Jesus is honored because we worship mammon. And we mourn at the death of our mammon, rather than the death of our children's souls.
Every time tragedy hits, Christians fall back on this same chestnut of wisdom--we pray that so and so will learn something important from all the suffering. My prayer is the same. My hope is that as God destroys the idols in His church, as He shows that He is almighty, rather than the almighty dollar, that His people will repent and turn to Him. My prayer is then that He might turn our hearts back to our children, that we might in turn raise them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. God could do this. Or, He could lead us into physical starvation, even as we have starved our own children of His Word.
The more likely scenario is this. Professing Christians will continue to cry out to Washington to be their savior. Washington will continue to fail. And some, a very few, but some will in their financial pain turn and repent. Narrow is the path of life, and wide is the way of destruction. Before you get on your knees, asking God to deliver us from financial calamity, confess your sins. Confess that all of us, even those who homeschool, value too much that which bears Caesar's image, and too little that which bears His image. Then, do not ask Him to fix your portfolio. Ask Him to help you invest in the only investment that bears dividends into eternity, your children.
Idols for Destruction
By R. C. Sproul, Jr.
I'm confident that many Christians have not slept well these last few nights. I suspect that tonight they won't do much better. Over the last several days, as I write, the stock market has not performed well. It has reached a five year low, having lost over forty percent of its value since its peak. It is not difficult to muster sympathy in these difficult economic times. Forty percent is rather much to lose, though only slightly more than half of seventy percent.
I lose sleep at night not because Christians have lost forty percent of their investments. I lose sleep at night because Christians are losing seventy percent of their children. They spend their days in institutions where Jesus doesn't matter. Seven hours a day, 180 days a year, Jesus doesn't matter. I am not surprised that when they graduate Jesus doesn't matter to them. The children of professing Christians who are schooled by the government are more likely than not to reject the faith. And we're worried about our stock portfolios.
Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount that where our treasure is, there will our hearts be as well (Matt. 6:21). Our treasure is in our treasure, rather than in our children. We lose our children by the millions, but only cry when we lose our millions. The Christian church is a willful band of idolaters. We send our wives off to work because we worship mammon. We send our children off to 'free' schools rather than private schools where Jesus is honored because we worship mammon. And we mourn at the death of our mammon, rather than the death of our children's souls.
Every time tragedy hits, Christians fall back on this same chestnut of wisdom--we pray that so and so will learn something important from all the suffering. My prayer is the same. My hope is that as God destroys the idols in His church, as He shows that He is almighty, rather than the almighty dollar, that His people will repent and turn to Him. My prayer is then that He might turn our hearts back to our children, that we might in turn raise them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. God could do this. Or, He could lead us into physical starvation, even as we have starved our own children of His Word.
The more likely scenario is this. Professing Christians will continue to cry out to Washington to be their savior. Washington will continue to fail. And some, a very few, but some will in their financial pain turn and repent. Narrow is the path of life, and wide is the way of destruction. Before you get on your knees, asking God to deliver us from financial calamity, confess your sins. Confess that all of us, even those who homeschool, value too much that which bears Caesar's image, and too little that which bears His image. Then, do not ask Him to fix your portfolio. Ask Him to help you invest in the only investment that bears dividends into eternity, your children.
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