A man died last week. His name was Todd. He had a regular name, he was a regular guy. He just happened to be living in Togo, West Africa, and working as a physician’s assistant helping the African poor in a hospital called Hope. His death was shocking: his body shut down after battling with both malaria and typhoid fever. He left behind a wife and four boys. He was 46. His wife made this statement concerning his passing: “My heart is overwhelmed with unspeakable grief – for myself, our boys, our extended family, our spiritual family and the Hospital of Hope team. I cling only to the gospel and the certain hope of our salvation through Jesus Christ. I long for the men, women and children of Togo to know the Savior that Todd served so faithfully. Even in my pain, I am confident that our sacrifice – that Todd’s sacrifice – was worth it. I believe that the great commission is a cause worth dying for. And in the midst of my grief, I fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith.” She believes her husband’s willingness to risk his life and his family's well-being was worth it. I was listening to the radio this morning and the broadcasters were discussing the life of another man. I won’t mention his name, but he also is young. But unlike Todd, he is very famous. He owns his own jet, owns a multi-million dollar house and is admired by many. If he wants to meet his friends who live across the country for a day, he hops on his jet, and he is able to hang out with them sipping drinks on a yacht. This man is “living the life.” And no one is questioning if it is worth it - - in fact most people I know would sell all they have to be where this man is. This is probably not the case when people look at Todd’s life. I find people have more pity and offer a lot of patronizing sentiment, “Wow, he gave his life for such a just cause, he clearly was sold out for Jesus...but what will become of his kids?” Was Todd’s life really worth it? Is sacrifice for Christ really necessary when I can have drinks on a yacht? I know that it is possible to have both, but the probability of having your cake and eating it too is very minimal. As Jesus says in Matthew 6, “Either you serve God or money.” When I heard about Todd’s death I couldn’t help but evaluate my own choices. Am I living a life that is “worth it?” This isn’t the first time I ever asked this. I can remember when my dad, after 40 years of working his tail off for his family, lost it all after he was fired. It was then my dad started asking the question, “Was all that hard work worth it?” I can remember how my family, right before that earth-shaking moment in my dad's life, was caught up in a very entertaining and leisurely lifestyle: Every weekend we would have big family get togethers, watch two or three movies. play cards, make family movies on our video tape recorder, and laugh late into the night. But when my dad lost his job, we all did reassessments of worth, “Is life simply for hanging our with your family laughing, watching movies, eating large meals or were we made for more than this?” My dad decided to start reading the bible. So did my mom, so did my brother and after a while, so did I. During this time of questioning meaning, I ran across this verse in Revelation 3:16, “Because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” I wasn’t much of a bible scholar at the time, but I knew this verse was calling me out of complacency. It chilled me to my bone. I was a man of leisure, living for comfort, with few if any convictions about anything of substance. This verse described my soul acutely, I was lukewarm; even worse, I was aimless. Meaning, worth, purpose and even the answers to ‘life after death’ started haunting me and most of the rest of my family. We began to hammer God with questions, we started to placing more weight on our daily decisions - - we knew we were responsible before an Eternal God. Overtime we became members to a local church, we started loving our neighbor, and as a result we each felt called to serve people in a very unique way. For the next 12 years both my mom and dad led bible studies with BSF (Bible Studies Fellowship), my brother became a missionary to the Indians in Bolivia, my sister Gina began working with prisoners in Los Angeles jails, my sisters Stephanie and Tam began giving and contributing in major ways to the local church, and God called me to a life of pastoring. We didn't do it to earn points, or even impress God, we just wanted our lives to count. The only problem with these choices is that we no longer could make family movies or spend Saturday nights together watching old re-runs like we use to. Was it worth it? I think so, but I still am not sure until I see my God face to face. And in a way, I don't care because I really hated the feeling of being lukewarm - - I like being hot. It helps me sleep better at night, and it is actually rewarding to see people completely change because I was able to introduce them to a man named Jesus. While writing this blog in a nearby coffee shop, a song came over the speakers and the words were rather simple, “I’m singing in the shower.” Just think, a person has become wealthy and famous because they wrote a song about singing in a shower? If that is all I had to take with me into eternity I would feel pretty silly before God. For that matter, if I was only famous for shooting a round ball and sipping drinks on a yacht I think I would still feel rather naked before Holiness. I know this, even though Todd died in relative obscurity, I don't think he is embarrassed before God at all. Nor do I think God is embarrassed by him. Listen to what Hebrews 11:13-18 says, "These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out,they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city." That to me is how worth is measured...is God ashamed of me? If the answer is no, life has been good, really, really good!
2 Comments
Tom Tom
3/3/2016 12:30:32 pm
Thanks so much Chris. This blog has helped me keep perspective in these strange times.
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Chris
3/3/2016 03:28:23 pm
It is my honor dear sir!
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