~ “Well Done, Good and Faithful
Servant” ~
Recently (March
14, 2012) my cousin Don was promoted to glory and eternally united with his
Lord.
Don and his
wife Jean were prayer warriors. They were active in prayer rooms in their city
of Vancouver, B.C. In the months prior to becoming ill Don was working on a
prayer walk of his entire city and he physically walked and prayed for all the
north—south streets in Vancouver. Then due to his unexpected illness he was
unable to physically walk the east—west routes. But, using a map he prayed over
the people living and working on those streets from his bed!
This
reminds me of what I call my “senior verse.” “But
those who wait on the Lord
shall renew
their strength; they shall mount up
with wings like eagles, they shall run
and not be weary, they shall walk and
not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). Notice the progression
from flying with eagles, to running without tiring, and then to walking without
losing heart. Experientially we know that in many cases we regress from flying,
to running, to walking, to standing, to being bedridden, prior to meeting our
Creator.
In other words, physical life is not a continual upward
climb. The moment we are born we have started the process of dying. But Don,
like so many other of God’s redeemed children, was in an upward progression
spiritually. “Therefore we do not lose
heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being
renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16).
Don fully
understood the concept of being renewed in his inner
being and of laying up treasures in heaven as he considered his eternal
existence. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust
destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor
rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your
treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21). His heart
aligned with the love of God for his neighbors and his city; however, he looked
forward to the eternal city, his final and eternal destination.
The
Apostle Paul wrote, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I
live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall
choose I cannot tell. For I am hard-pressed
between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful
for you. And being confident of this, I know that I shall remain and continue
with you all for your progress and joy of faith, that your rejoicing for
me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again. Only let
your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see
you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together
for the faith of the gospel” (Philippians 1:21-27, emphasis added).
Have
you, like Don, experienced the joy of standing fast regardless of your outward
circumstances, and to trust your small life to the One who created you?
~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW
