Every now and then i guess we will think realistically about that one day where we fall victim to what i call one's mortality, our life's final common denominator - death. Every now and then I ask myself, "What is it that I would want said of me?"
If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don't want a long funeral. And if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy, I will tell them not to talk too long. Every now and then I wonder what I want them to say.
Tell them not to mention that I have made many accimplishments, that isn't important. Tell them not to mention that I have three or four hundred other awards, that's not important. Tell him not to mention where I went to school.
I'd like somebody to mention that day, that Ma ZhengXuan, tried to give his life serving others. I'd like for somebody to say that day, that Ma ZhengXuan, tried to love somebody. I want you to be able to say that day, that I did try, in my life, to clothe those who were naked. I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity.
"If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven played music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well." - Marin Luther King Jr.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Monday, August 07, 2006
Strength of a Man
So with the Lord He takes and He refuses;
Finds Him men whom others deny.
Neither strong ones nor mighty he chooses;
But such as John, or Gideon or I.
- F.B. Meyer
“Be strong and courageous”, an imperative that has occurs many times in the bible. The verb “be strong” when translated means, “play the man”. The Jewish scholars who first translated the Hebrew bible to Greek rendered with a corresponding Greek word, andridzomai. Paul borrowed the verb and made significant use of it when he wrote in 1 Corinthians 16:13, “…Play the man, be strong.” The verb, andridzomai, is passive and in that context would be rendered” be made strong.” I think Paul understood well, the only way to be a man is to be made that way.
It's only the weak that can be made truly great. The strong bluster and get in God’s way; the strong can't be trusted with greatness. This principle is best illustrated in the story of Gideon, an ordinary man whom God made extraordinarily strong.
One day, the Angel of the Lord came and sat down at the oak in Ophrah, and said to Gideon, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor.” Now look, Gideon was then found threshing wheat in the winepress. Gideon was greatly afraid of the Midianites, and he had to hide there to save his grain crop. He was a cowardly and insecure man, and he replied saying,” O my Lord (Jesus in angel form), how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”
The Lord shrugged of Gideon’s retort and said, "Go in the strength of yours and save Israel out of Midian's hand". I sat contemplating this point, for indeed, what is the strength in Gideon that You say he shall go. What strength? Gideon has none! He was the least in his household, he was insecure and greatly afraid. He was nobody. Exactly! Suddenly it dawned upon me and I came to realize that was his strength. He has nothing.
When President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself," I think he was dead wrong. It's the absence of fear that we should fear. Fear is the natural human reaction to any difficult or dangerous undertaking, and God does not condemn it. BUT He does not want us to be dominated by fear. Jesus’ consistent word to His disciples is,” Don’t be afraid.” You know what this means, it is to say, “ Don’t keep on fearing.” God can turn our fear into strength; from weakness we are made strong.
It was about that time that the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the people from the east conducted one of their annual raids and encamped in the valley of Jezreel Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, who mustered his clan, along with the three tribes of Israel located in that vicinity -- Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali… Judges 6:33-35
Here we began to see Gideon having nerve failure, something that often happens on the eve of doing the thing we fear. Gideon asked for a sign that God was still with him. Twice Gideon asked for something contrary to nature, but God met Gideon where he was, giving him the assurance he needed. I think God acceded to his request because He knew the demand on Gideon's faith was greater than he could bear. Faith is a growing thing. We grow from faith to faith as Paul said and as the disciples prayed for an increment in faith. Jesus said, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.”
The next scene God, wanting to teach Gideon to operate on his strength, stripped him of every human resource. But knowing the state of his fledgling faith he gave him another assurance: "If you are afraid to attack, go down to the enemy camp with your servant Purah and listen to what they're saying" - Judges 7:10 And of course we know that Gideon was afraid, and so he and his servant made their way under cover of darkness to the outskirts of the camp where they heard two soldiers discussing a dream: one of them had seen a round barley loaf roll into camp and flatten their commander's tent. The barley loaf was none other than Gideon.
In the gathering of these crowds of warriors, in the notoriety he had achieved, in the loyalty of the three hundred, there was much to inflate his pride. Therefore God had to bring him face to face with himself. He was only a cake of barley bread at the best. Before God can uplift, use, and anoint us, He must show us what we are, humbling and emptying us, bringing us into the dust of death. Before God can use thee to work a great deliverance, He must convince thee of being only a cake of barley bread. – F.B Meyer
Here I will show you a revelation. Remember the feeding of the 5000, we see a miracle of a little made much. Gideon is a "five barley loaves, and two small fishes" which God uses to topple a tent, or a kingdom, to demolish strongholds. - 2 Corinthians 10:4
And the story ends with Gideon making an end route of the Midianites and resounding victory of the Lord.
Just like Uzziah, Gideon was greatly helped until he became strong. - 2 Chronicles 26:15
"And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies"
- Hebrews 11:32-34
I only ask one thing of Thee;
Give Thou Thyself and all is given
I am not strong nor brave nor wise;
Be Thou with me -- it shall suffice.
- Annie Johnson Flint
Finds Him men whom others deny.
Neither strong ones nor mighty he chooses;
But such as John, or Gideon or I.
- F.B. Meyer
“Be strong and courageous”, an imperative that has occurs many times in the bible. The verb “be strong” when translated means, “play the man”. The Jewish scholars who first translated the Hebrew bible to Greek rendered with a corresponding Greek word, andridzomai. Paul borrowed the verb and made significant use of it when he wrote in 1 Corinthians 16:13, “…Play the man, be strong.” The verb, andridzomai, is passive and in that context would be rendered” be made strong.” I think Paul understood well, the only way to be a man is to be made that way.
It's only the weak that can be made truly great. The strong bluster and get in God’s way; the strong can't be trusted with greatness. This principle is best illustrated in the story of Gideon, an ordinary man whom God made extraordinarily strong.
One day, the Angel of the Lord came and sat down at the oak in Ophrah, and said to Gideon, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor.” Now look, Gideon was then found threshing wheat in the winepress. Gideon was greatly afraid of the Midianites, and he had to hide there to save his grain crop. He was a cowardly and insecure man, and he replied saying,” O my Lord (Jesus in angel form), how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”
The Lord shrugged of Gideon’s retort and said, "Go in the strength of yours and save Israel out of Midian's hand". I sat contemplating this point, for indeed, what is the strength in Gideon that You say he shall go. What strength? Gideon has none! He was the least in his household, he was insecure and greatly afraid. He was nobody. Exactly! Suddenly it dawned upon me and I came to realize that was his strength. He has nothing.
When President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself," I think he was dead wrong. It's the absence of fear that we should fear. Fear is the natural human reaction to any difficult or dangerous undertaking, and God does not condemn it. BUT He does not want us to be dominated by fear. Jesus’ consistent word to His disciples is,” Don’t be afraid.” You know what this means, it is to say, “ Don’t keep on fearing.” God can turn our fear into strength; from weakness we are made strong.
It was about that time that the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the people from the east conducted one of their annual raids and encamped in the valley of Jezreel Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, who mustered his clan, along with the three tribes of Israel located in that vicinity -- Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali… Judges 6:33-35
Here we began to see Gideon having nerve failure, something that often happens on the eve of doing the thing we fear. Gideon asked for a sign that God was still with him. Twice Gideon asked for something contrary to nature, but God met Gideon where he was, giving him the assurance he needed. I think God acceded to his request because He knew the demand on Gideon's faith was greater than he could bear. Faith is a growing thing. We grow from faith to faith as Paul said and as the disciples prayed for an increment in faith. Jesus said, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.”
The next scene God, wanting to teach Gideon to operate on his strength, stripped him of every human resource. But knowing the state of his fledgling faith he gave him another assurance: "If you are afraid to attack, go down to the enemy camp with your servant Purah and listen to what they're saying" - Judges 7:10 And of course we know that Gideon was afraid, and so he and his servant made their way under cover of darkness to the outskirts of the camp where they heard two soldiers discussing a dream: one of them had seen a round barley loaf roll into camp and flatten their commander's tent. The barley loaf was none other than Gideon.
In the gathering of these crowds of warriors, in the notoriety he had achieved, in the loyalty of the three hundred, there was much to inflate his pride. Therefore God had to bring him face to face with himself. He was only a cake of barley bread at the best. Before God can uplift, use, and anoint us, He must show us what we are, humbling and emptying us, bringing us into the dust of death. Before God can use thee to work a great deliverance, He must convince thee of being only a cake of barley bread. – F.B Meyer
Here I will show you a revelation. Remember the feeding of the 5000, we see a miracle of a little made much. Gideon is a "five barley loaves, and two small fishes" which God uses to topple a tent, or a kingdom, to demolish strongholds. - 2 Corinthians 10:4
And the story ends with Gideon making an end route of the Midianites and resounding victory of the Lord.
Just like Uzziah, Gideon was greatly helped until he became strong. - 2 Chronicles 26:15
"And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies"
- Hebrews 11:32-34
I only ask one thing of Thee;
Give Thou Thyself and all is given
I am not strong nor brave nor wise;
Be Thou with me -- it shall suffice.
- Annie Johnson Flint
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