The first is the woman who mentored me in the early years of my Christian life. And of course my parents whose sense of humor and loving instruction never leave me. Or the aunt who let me sleepover and put me in the highest, softest bed in her home. Or the teachers at Bible school who reinforced my theology and challenged me to think and act more like Jesus. And my hubby who is an amazing example in many ways.
As author Phil Callaway says, “Standing ovations end. Applause dies down. Awards collect dust. Things we thought so important today are forgotten next week. ‘Failure,’ perhaps, could be defined as succeeding at something that doesn’t really matter.”
Every sport has a hall of fame. Musicians too, and others skilled in their line of work are in museums and art galleries, but who would be in my hall of fame? It has to be those whose lives accepted me and led me deeper into the goodness of God.
Turning that around to what God wants from me, it is easy to see that His hall of fame is filled with people who listened to Him and in faith did what He said. Read Hebrews 11 for a good number of MVPs in the kingdom of God.
As Callaway says, success has to do with the direction we point others who follow us. From God’s hall of fame, I most often think of Moses, not so much by what he did but because of what he didn’t do:
By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them. (Hebrews 11:24–28)This man refused entitlement and personal glory. He accepted being ‘one of the people’ and all that went with that, rather than wanting what he could have had as a result of the opportunities that sin would give him. He chose boldness rather than fear and obedience, rather than letting the opinion of others govern his actions.
I also think of Joshua who led the people and obeyed God’s almost laughable command. “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days.” (Hebrews 11:30) These two OT men, plus Isaiah and Jeremiah, have shaped my life even though they are not alive on earth today.
Yesterday we had lunch with two people whose words were a blessing. We haven’t seen them for a long time so how did they know the words they said? It can only be explained that they were listening to the Holy Spirit and He put His encouragement on their hearts.
So have some authors. Stephen Charnock has changed my life and is still doing it, more than 100 years after he died. John Piper and other contemporary Christian leaders also affect me. So do those ‘iron sharpens iron’ people in our church, sometimes with words, sometimes with actions. Our pastors are amazing and it is easy to tell them so. These actions are not about headlines or statistics, but about simply living in the power of the Holy Spirit and doing what He gives each of us to do.
PRAY: Jesus, from all this I am even more certain that to bless others, I need to listen to You, be filled with Your Spirit, and in His leading, just say and do what You put on my heart. It might not make sense to me, but You are able to use it to enhance the hall of fame in the lives of others, just as You have used others the same way to edify and encourage me. Walk by faith in the simple life of: “He has told me what is good; and what does the Lord require of me but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with my God?” (Micah 6:8)
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