One Life...

I remembered this poem today and thought that I should share it with you. It was a driving force for me in my decision to go into ministry, the two repeating lines in this poem really struck at my heart. I hope it does for you as well.

“Two little lines I heard one day,

Traveling along life’s busy way;

Bringing conviction to my heart,

And from my mind would not depart;

Only one life, ’twill soon be past, 

Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one,

Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet,

And stand before His Judgement seat;

Only one life,’twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, the still small voice,

Gently pleads for a better choice

Bidding me selfish aims to leave,

And to God’s holy will to cleave;

Only one life, ’twill soon be past,

Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, a few brief years,

Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;

Each with its clays I must fulfill,

living for self or in His will;

Only one life, ’twill soon be past,

Only what’s done for Christ will last.

When this bright world would tempt me sore,

When Satan would a victory score;

When self would seek to have its way,

Then help me Lord with joy to say;

Only one life, ’twill soon be past,

Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Give me Father, a purpose deep,

In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;

Faithful and true what e’er the strife,

Pleasing Thee in my daily life;

Only one life, ’twill soon be past,

Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Oh let my love with fervor burn,

And from the world now let me turn;

Living for Thee, and Thee alone,

Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;

Only one life, “twill soon be past,

Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one,

Now let me say,”Thy will be done”;

And when at last I’ll hear the call,

I know I’ll say “twas worth it all”;

Only one life,’twill soon be past,

Only what’s done for Christ will last. ”

CT Studd 

F.R.O.G

On this day last year, May 19 2011, my grandfather lost his battle with cancer and was taken home to be with the Lord.  The months leading up to this were some of the best and worst times in my life. It was near the time I had decided to change my major from Engineering to Biblical Studies that I learned the news that my grandpa was fighting for his life with pancreatic cancer.

If you never knew my Grandpa Green let me fill you in. He loved. No matter who you were or are my Grandpa genuinely cared for and loved you. That love also came out in the form of correction, he was not willing to take a blind eye to anyone's faults but would in love give correction.

He was a man of prayer, he and my grandma would pray for each person in my entire extended family before going to bed. I can remember one time my family was staying at my grandparents house for a visit I was watching TV and my grandparents had gone to bed about an hour before and when I went to the bathroom I could still hear them praying. I am certain that these faithful prayers contributed to each and everyone of my family and extended family's lives. My brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousin are all believers and I can't help but think those times in prayer had something to do with it And this was the time he spent praying for our family let alone any other times he would be praying for other people and things.

He was for many years a major influence to the college of Cedarville in Ohio, I have no idea the countless lives he impacted in his time there. He was an artist, he painted and drew many pieces that I still love to look at when we visit. He also did woodworking and carving. I am almost certain that my love for woodworking came from him even though I missed out on the drawing/painting gene that my sisters got. He was truly a handyman who would do it all around the house.

Lastly he was a man of God and Scripture. Obviously he was not perfect and had flaws like all of us but he was a student of the scriptures and did almost everything with his eyes set on God and his will. He was famous for giving out little rubber like frogs to most everyone he met. I can remember a couple times him giving them out to waitresses we had. But when he gave them out he would always ask do you know what FROG stands for? and says FROG mean Fully Rely On God or when you add an S for FROGS it is Fully Rely On God's Son, and then he proceeds to ask them how he could pray for them. My grandpa was a man that I hope I can become more like, a Christ follower.

As a kid I could always remember my Grandpa and I getting in these sort of wrestling matches where he would get hold of me and I would try to escape but I never could. My grandpa was a strong healthy man that I loved to be around as a kid. I am ashamed to say that I loved my grandpa more for the fun side of being around him than for who he was as a Christ follower. It wasn't until my first year of college that I really appreciated the man he was the pillar my family could stand on proudly and yet his fight with cancer had weakened him greatly.

I never truly knew what strength was until I saw my grandpa at his weakest physically yet so strong spiritually. He wasn't afraid of death he was one who truly believed that "to die is gain." My grandfather taught me that physical strength and health is no substitute for a loving relationship with Jesus Christ. I will never forget the great lump I had in my throat during his funeral it was hard to breath let alone speak. He became my role model especially after my change in majors and it was so hard to see him go.

I am writing this to celebrate the life my grandpa lived and the impact he has left on me. I also hope that my grandpa would be an example for all of us on how to live life. Put God first and foremost in the center of our lives, love other to a greater magnitude than ourselves, be willing to give up your own life for the sake of knowing and loving God, do not fear death for we will not be taken one second before our time and when we are taken we will see the Lord and that is our whole desire and joy.

Fully Rely On God

To Die Is Gain?

I was listening to a song by a Christian rapper, Trip Lee, and in this song is a line that goes,

I'm good, here come the pain.
I'm good, ya they can kill me,
I'm good, to die is gain.

And I as I was listening to these lines, I was just pumped up by it. I found myself thinking, "AMEN," or as my pastor so ecstatically preached the other week, "I AGREE!"

But as I continued to think on those words, "ya they can kill me...to die is gain," I began to think, "do I agree?" "Do I truly believe, 'to die is gain'?" Does how I live line up with that belief, "death is gain." And I was broken, it didn't line up. Intellectually I believe that five hundred percent but the evidence of my own life shows only a reluctance, a fear.

This is the challenge I want to present in this post. First, do we as Christians truly believe to die is gain. And second are we living like it.

I can't help but admire the man that was Paul. He truly lived like death is gain. Paul's desire was to depart this earth and be with Christ (Philippians 1:23) and yet he knew that God's plan for him was to remain (Philippians 1:24) and so, as I talked about in a much earlier post http://theprisonerssetfree.blogspot.com/2011/10/untuchable.html, Paul lived in an untouchable manner. He lived for Christ while in the back of his mind he knew death was much better (Philippians 1:21).

Trip Lee later on in the same song tells us why death is gain,

I know that I must suffer, that'll only make me tougher. 
Death is just a doorway to take me to my faithful lover....
Let the storms come hunt us and hurt us.
They can't take our Lord from us, we got us a verdict. Not guilty.

Romans 14:8 says,

For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.

Again the message is the same, we are the Lord's in life and death.

So again the challenge for me and that I am extending to you, Will we live in a manner that shows our "desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better?"