January 4 2018 – Click here to listen
Recently the Jesus Alliance received a small grant completely unsolicited from a foundation. In fact, I’d never even heard of them. Though it was not a large amount of money, it was greatly needed and appreciated as are all donations. A letter came with check enclosed; it wasn’t printed on fancy letterhead and appeared to be hand crafted. The letter read that larger grants were available and if I would like to apply for one go to their website address. The biggest need of the Jesus Alliance is funding, so I immediately went to it.
There I read about the life of the Godly man, now deceased, who setup the foundation. As I looked at his photograph one could readily see the love of Christ in his smiling face. He looked kind and gentle, but it was obvious that he was a gentle giant, because he earned the silver star in heroic action in World War II.
His life was an inspiration and overflowing with great achievements. The site described his highly successful career and various businesses and investments in detail and it was impressive. He was honored to be named one of the 10 most powerful and influential citizens of the large city in which he lived. He received numerous other awards for his civic and charitable endeavors and accomplishments.
The site said he loved people and the Lord and serving them. He was a deacon, elder and trustee at his Church. He was known to many as “Mr. Salvation Army” because of his involvement on its local, regional, and national boards. He supported and encouraged many ministries and countless individuals as well.
I was impressed! What impressed me the most however, was what he considered to be the “pinnacle of his life,” setting up his non-profit foundation. The foundation site stated that he created it “not as a philanthropic or humanitarian foundation . . . but strictly as a foundation to further Christ’s work as described in the New Testament.”
He has left a lasting legacy of generosity and love for the Lord and I pray it will remain strong!
A couple of days ago I had a long discussion with a lady whom I sat next to at a banquet last year. For the life of me I cannot remember speaking to her, but she remembered me and knew pretty much my life story. She asked numerous questions about what I believe the Bible has to say about judgment and the end of the world. She seemed to think it is imminent and she and her husband are preparing for chaotic times by selecting a remote site to ride out the storm.
I’m in deep study of the book of Matthew right now and I’m going to e-mail her a passage that might interest her. Chapters 24-25 detail what Jesus had to say about how we will know when His return is imminent. It is fascinating to read and compare the comments of Jesus to world events today, but the verse that stuck in my mind this morning is Matthew 24:26 – Blessings on you if I return and find you faithfully doing your work. I will put such faithful ones in charge of everything I own.
So, my advice to this nice lady is not to worry about when Christ will return, or if the world as we know it will fall under judgment, or even when she might get called home to glory. My advice is to think like the gentleman who worked tirelessly to help everyone he could and setup a foundation for the singular purpose of “furthering Christ’s work.”
I don’t worry even one minute about the end of the world or dying. In fact, I don’t ever worry about anything. Many of you probably don’t believe that, but I have tremendous faith and trust the Lord and am resolved to just go with the flow through the bad and
good times of this short life. I’m prepared to grit my teeth and hunker down through the dark times, and to smile widely during the good times knowing that both are an intrinsic part of life.
My thoughts are focused on finishing well and hearing the Lord say to me as He did in Matthew 25:21 – ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
I consider the man who setup the foundation that posthumously helped the Jesus Alliance to be a friend and brother in Christ. I look forward to telling him thank you in heaven. I imagine he will hear thank you many times from others throughout eternity.
You might be thinking this is all well and good, but I don’t have the finances to setup a foundation. This isn’t about money. It is about using whatever resources you have to further the work of Christ. Jesus offered a few examples below. Pray about it.
Matthew 25:34
Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat,
I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you took Me in,
I was naked and you clothed Me,
I was sick and you looked after Me,
I was in prison and you visited Me.’ . . .