A Page from My Heart
Most everything we own will outlive us. The question is: will our influence? I am wearing a dead man’s shoes. I love the shoes, they are comfortable. But remembering the one I got them from is even more comforting. Jim is a good man. The reason I say this is because he is still as alive as Moses or Abraham. Yet, his time here on earth is done, as mine will be soon.
Dear Christian, what are you doing that will last? Will your influence outlast your possessions and your body? How can we make sure that our influence doesn’t fade when our life does? The key is to not make our possessions our focus because they will be somebody else’s soon enough. But to make our influence on our loved ones and those that we are called to love our focus.
Does Matthew 28:18-20 guide your life? Are you living each day, each moment for the Gospel’s sake? Now you and I know that no one makes 100%, but is it our focus? You see, success is not what we are called to, but obedience is. Every time we fail is an opportunity to start again.
Recently, we as a people (Christianity) have been dealt a punch in the gut with the revelations of Ravi Zacharias and his moral failings. Many of us who were blessed, encouraged, and instructed by his teachings have struggled with how to answer people on the fallout. A friend of mine that we sharpen each other through text for the gospel’s sake, asked me what I thought. This is my answer:
I do not believe that man’s flesh negates the Spirit’s instruction. Now, does it make it harder for mortal man to stomach it? Well certainly, but that gets us back to the “he who has no sin cast the first stone” discussion. Am I saying that it’s no big deal? Absolutely not! It’s about the worst-case scenario a Bible teacher could experience, as far as stumbling at the finish line. For those who do not want to believe the difficult truths that the Spirit taught through him, they now have their excuse! And for those of us who want to believe, we have our doubts because of the fragility of someone we thought was the Rock of Gibraltar!
Personally, I believe that everything he taught that is confirmed by the Word is still valid and usable; we just will probably have to leave his name out of it when we quote him, which most likely should be judgment enough. I can only imagine the pain, the grief, shame, doubt, and despair that his wife, children, family, friends, and associates are going through because every one of them knows the validity of the truths that he taught. They know the validity of scripture, and here their crown jewel teacher has marred all of that. Obviously, we can rise above this, but we’re going to have to seek the Spirit’s healing and navigation through this.
So again, dear Saint, I implore you be obedient to the Gospel and the righteousness that the Gospel demands, and one day soon you will hear your Master say, “well done, thou good and faithful servant, enter thou into your rest.” And maybe, just maybe your nephew or niece will gain a possession you once had and remember the influence of a loving uncle or aunt more than the possessions.
Please remember Bro. Juan and his lovely family as they labor for souls. A special thanks to all our churches for your prayers and support of the missions department of Missouri.
Ben Kingston
