June,
2001
"Two
Good Men"
"Two
Good Men"
Two men of
God - Fred, age 44, and Walt, age 83 - went home to be with the
Lord this past month. I know they are in a better place - the
place of eternal life, love and the ever-present face of their
God shining upon them. They are enjoying the full and complete
intimacy with their Lord - no more pain, suffering, or tears.
And yet…to those left behind - the sorrow, the questions,
the seeking of the Lord for the comfort only He can bring…
Walt lived
a good life. He had a wife who passed on before him, but was blessed
with a daughter, my friend of twenty years, who loved him and
took him into her home to care for him in his later years; a son-in-law
whom he loved as his own son; two grandchildren to carry on his
legacy; and he even 'adopted' my new grandbaby as his "great
grand God-child"!
Walt, a structural
engineer, knew the importance of a good foundation and thus not
only in his work but in his spiritual life, built on the Rock,
Jesus, according to His words in Matthew 7:24-27. "Therefore
everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice
is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came
down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that
house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the
rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not
put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house
on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the wind blew
and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
He lived for
the day when he would get to see the "heavenly home"
his Savior had "built" for him. It is not surprising
that his favorite verse was John 14:1-6. The words of Jesus -
" Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust
also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not
so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place
for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
You know the way to the place where I am going….I am the
way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except
through me."
Walt lived
a strong, yet quiet faith, and I know his legacy will live on
- and so his family is comforted in this.
Fred, friend,
husband, father of four children (whose ages range from high school
to preschool), deacon of his church, businessman…lover of
God…
Fred and his
wife - my friend, former choir/orchestra buddy and occasional
golf partner - have been tested in the fires of affliction these
past several years. But I want to testify to their victory in
God as they learned to trust Him with their own lives, and the
life of their family. They learned to stand in the fiery furnace
- that same place of testing that the three Hebrew children stood
in because they would not bow to a false god. (See Daniel 3) They
chose to serve their God whom they knew as able to rescue them.
The beauty of our God is that He also stood in the fire with them.
Fred and his wife learned to say, "No matter what, we will
worship and serve our God only."
Fred has passed
through this fire to his eternal home. His wife and children and
loved ones remain on this earth to carry on and share with the
world the fruit of this man's life. Only just a few weeks ago
did my husband and I send him a card of encouragement and love.
I shared a verse of scripture that I felt described his life.
Psalm 1:1-3
"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the
wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates
day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers."
All that Fred
has done in the name of the Lord will continue to prosper - and
so his family is comforted in this.
It is infinitely
more difficult to release someone to the Lord that still has so
much life yet to live - a man in his prime. But, who am I to say
how his days are to be numbered? And yet we struggle under the
sovereignty of God when His timing doesn't fit our human thinking.
Have you lost
a loved one and are unable to make any sense of it all? Perhaps
you have even experienced the greatest of all grief in the loss
of a child? I have no answer for your questions - no relief for
your pain. I can only ask you to turn to the One Who knows and
loves you and Who has experienced the ultimate in the giving of
His Only Son - so that we could become children of God. (John
3:16) Take refuge and comfort in Him and His word.
"I tell
you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent
me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed
over from death to life." (John 5:24)
"Do not
be afraid. I am the First and the Last - the Alpha and the Omega.
I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever
and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." (Revelation
1:17-18)
For more insight
in understanding the Resurrection, read 1 Corinthians 15. Here,
Paul helps us to understand what Jesus meant.
"'Death
has been swallowed up in victory.' 'Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?' The sting of death is sin, and
the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us
the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear
brothers (sisters), stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give
yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that
your labor in the Lord is not in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:54-58)
What kind
of fruit are you producing? Are you leaving an eternal legacy
for the glory of God? Thanks be to God for the victory!
L.O.V.E.,
Patty
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