A
final word: Be strong in the Lord and in
his mighty power. Put on all of
God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of
the devil. Ephesians 6:10-11 (NLT)
I just finished reading a novel
entitled “Gilead” and was quite moved by what an old man wrote to his six year
old son. The old man is a preacher
coming to the end of his days. He has
lived his whole life in Gilead, preaching in the church his father ministered
to before him. His was a simple life, a
simple pulpit and filled with midwest simple and honest ways.
A widower with no children, the old
preacher married a second time at sixty-eight.
They had a child shortly after, and the entire novel tells the story in
paragraphs the old man writes each night about his life, friends, family and
ministry, so that when he is gone the boy will know him.
At the risk of spoiling, here is one
of his last paragraphs to his son:
Theologians
talk about a prevenient grace that precedes grace itself and allows us to
accept it. I think there must also be a
prevenient courage that allows us to be brave – that is, to acknowledge that
there is more beauty than our eyes can bear, that precious things have been put
into our hands and to do nothing to honor them is to do great harm. And therefore, this courage allows us as the
old men said, to make ourselves useful.
It allows us to be generous, which is another way of saying exactly the
same thing. But that is the pulpit speaking. What have I to leave you but the ruins of old
courage, and the lore of old gallantry and hope? Well, as I have said, it is all an ember now,
and the good Lord will surely someday breathe it into flame again.[2]
The ruins of old courage are
only an image the world sees, of a life lived faithfully and simply. But underneath the ruins are glowing embers
of faith, reborn in the lives of others as the Spirit fans into flames with
holy breath all that God has planned.
Paul told Timothy to be courageous –
strong in the Lord. The reasoning then
is the same now, as it was for the old preacher: faith is never wasted; faithfulness will
become fruit in somebody’s life.
For You Today
Have you got grand dreams for your life? Good!
Just don’t let them become confused with God’s grand
plans for His Kingdom. He is still the
Master Gardener, and the vineyard is still His.
You can be a faithful servant today if you remember
you have the opportunity to be courageous and strong in the Lord because somebody
you watched made your pathway clear and your resolve possible.
Stake your claim in the Kingdom of God on the ruins of
that old courage!
Thank you so much for this, Russell. "Prevenient Courage" ... aren't they powerful words (and truth!)? Now to live into that combination of prevenient grace and courage!
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