Read: James 1:22; Proverbs 11:30; 1 Corinthians 13; Romans 5:5; 2 Corinthians 4:7
Sometimes we lament the fact that someone who was very young has passed away; however, this week, we learned that someone who was three weeks shy of 100 went to heaven. George Sweeting is that man, and he died on September 11. I knew nothing about George Sweeting except that he had been the president of Moody Bible Institute; so, I listened to a tribute from several people who knew him well. That is where I learned that he had not only served as Moody's president but also as their chancellor. Along with many other titles he held that were parts of this storied man's life. He battled cancer as a young man and he was told that he would never have children and that he would likely die young. Nevertheless, he was married to Hilda for 77 years, and they had four sons. There was a funny story about his insistence on punctuality which meant being 15 minutes early. There was the story of his love for the Jewish people and how he stood against antisemitism. All good, but what I found the most intriguing were the scriptures that were precious to him during various chapters in his life. Truths that had shaped this man. I would like to share them now. Not explaining why he found them so foundational. I don't remember his comments well enough to do that; rather, if I may, I would simply like to look a bit into each verse to discover how the truth might help us grow in our every-day walk with Jesus.
1. James 1:22: What a good place to begin. James paints a simple picture that anyone between the ages of five and ninety-nine could understand. He exhorts us to actually live out the truth we read or hear from the Bible whenever we open it. Bible truth isn't something to be merely admired for its beauty; instead, with the enabling of the Holy Spirit, we are to incorporate what God says into our lives. For example, today I read 1 Corinthians 4:1-7. Verse 2 says that we are stewards of God. As stewards, we aren't called to be successful. Merely faithful, 1 Corinthians 4:2. That truth is a game changer for me because with God's enabling, I can be faithful. Faithfulness is not dependent on anyone else. It comes as I rely on God and do the work He has given me. That is a truth that can bring each of us joy because in truth, God is more easily pleased than many people we know.
2. Proverbs 11:30: The Bible gives us many descriptions of how wisdom looks from God's point of view. The most important perspective anyone can know. In Proverbs 11:30, we are reminded that someone who wins souls is wise. Imagine it. When we tell people how to come into relationship with Jesus, we are participating in work that has eternal significance. The Bible speaks of this work as planting or watering seeds, 1 Corinthians 3:5-7. We don't always know what happens when we are involved in this task, but how good it is to know that God considers us wise for doing so, and someday we will know how God used the seeds we planted or watered. I had a fun example of this in the natural sense this summer. In the corner of the garden, I noticed a plant was coming up. At first, no one knew what it was, and I considered uprooting it reasoning that it was probably a weed. After several weeks, someone who knows much more about plants than I do, said it was a sunflower. Most likely, the wind blew the seed into just the right place where it could come up and grow on its own. In John 3:3-8, Jesus spoke about how the Holy Spirit moves as He chooses. He does His work in the lives of people like the wind does. We see its effect, but we can't know how it will blow. Like the seeds that we plant and water when we speak about the wonderful things Jesus has done. We don't know what God will bring about, but we are wise when we participate with Him in this most precious work.
3. 1 Corinthians 13: Could there be a sweeter description of love than the one we read about in this chapter? The description here is the perfect way God loves us. Far different than the one many grew up with. Sadly, many people were taught that God was simply waiting to crush them. The God they learned about was hard, apathetic or distant. How different it is to know that the Bible describes God as patient and kind, along with the rest of the descriptive words found in verses 4-7. Yes, I know that we long to love others like that. One way to begin that quest is to realize that God loves us with that all-encompassing love. When we fall short and don't love that way, He is ready to lift us up. He doesn't look at us to condemn but rather to cleanse us and strengthen us, Romans 8:1;1 John 1:9. That is a God that we want to run to and learn about, Matthew 11:28-30.
4. Romans 5:5: This verse reminds us that the love God has for His children has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit. That means we don't have to grit our teeth and try harder to love others. Something we really can't do. Instead, we have an unlimited reservoir of God's love within us at our disposal, and I remember a time when we surely needed to rely on that provision. I won't mention her name. Except to say that I have lost track of her. I can say that she caused my husband and I pain through her words and actions. Everyone most likely has tasted this kind of bitter water. One day, we learned about a difficult time she was having, and because God's love had truly been poured out into our hearts, we were able to send her a little gift and a note that we were praying for her. God's love did that. Not our efforts. It Was His doing, and He deserves all the honor for it.
5. 2 Corinthians 4:7: What a beautiful picture Paul gives us here. We who belong to Jesus are all His treasure boxes. The verse calls us clay pots. I have lots of little pots. No, they aren't made of fragile clay; instead, they are made of very thin plastic or something else very disposable. However, come springtime, they will likely hold tomato and melon seeds. Something precious in a non-distinct container. What a good description of us. Flawed and fragile people who have been given a treasure. The Word of God. It is the most valuable treasure we could carry. All over the world, there are people who don't have their own Bibles. Because of that, they memorize scriptural truths. They know how valuable God's truth is. Psalm 19:10 reminds us that God's Word is both sweeter than honey and more priceless than gold. Who would place something of inestimable value in a weak and fragile container? God. That way, when His power and beauty is seen, it will be obvious that He is the One Who caused it to occur.
May He help us to value the treasure way more than the place where it has been deposited.
Lord, Thank You for the long and fruitful life that You enabled George Sweeting to live. Like us, he was a sinner whom You saved by Your grace, Ephesians 2:8-9. He did not forget that most precious truth. Please comfort those who love and miss him.
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