Sunrises and sunsets are two of my favorite things. From the time I was a small child, I have loved watching them. I remember getting up early Easter morning . . . while it was still dark . . . and watching the sky turn from purple-blue to red to orange to pink at our little church’s outdoor Sunrise Service. And I remember sitting with my dad on the the field bleachers, after playing second base on our community softball team, and simply being with him as the summer sun slipped behind the green tree-line of the park.
The best part about sunrises and sunsets is that you don’t have to be in any special place to see them. I thoroughly enjoy watching the sun come up through my bedroom window. And I stand outside on my front porch to watch it set over the tree-tops at the edge of our western meadow.
You don’t have to live anywhere special . . . or travel anywhere exotic . . . or earn any special credentials to enjoy sunrises and sunsets. They are always there . . . every day . . . for everyone . . . everywhere. You just have to be up early enough or stop hurrying long enough to watch them.
I think Truth is like that. It is there for everyone. All the time. As dependable as the sunrise and the sunset. And even more beautiful. But we can miss it.
I started reading my Bible the other day and turned to the book of 2 Timothy. It is one of my favorites because it is the last letter the apostle Paul wrote before he was martyred. In this book are the last words, last encouragements, and last counsel of a very great man . . . communicated to his beloved son-in-the-Lord.
So I started reading verses 1 and 2:
Paul,
an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus,
To Timothy, my beloved son:
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
2 Tim 1:1-2 (NASB)
Then I looked at a commentary to see what Matthew Henry had to say about the first few verses. I was riveted by two simple sentences in his essay:
True believers have in every age the same religion as to substance. Their faith is unfeigned; it will stand the trial, and it dwells in them as a living principle.
I started thinking about all the things believers in Jesus cannot seem to agree upon. All the nuances of doctrine. All the interpretations of scripture. All the “special revelations” that I hear from preachers and see on Christian Bookstore bookshelves. It seems that we have done such a thorough job of muddling Truth that the clarity of Christian living has become lost in all of our cacophony and posturing.
Matthew Henry’s statement is so simple.
And clear.
And elegant.
And I think he is right.
All true believers . . . in any age . . . are of the same substance.
And there must be no muddling of what that really is.
First, our faith is unfeigned. It is genuine, sincere, real, not counterfeit, not hypocritical.
Second, our faith will withstand any trial. Steadfast. Sure.
Third, our faith is alive in everything we think and feel and believe and do. It is the breath and the heartbeat of who we are. It is not a dead assent. It is not a mysterious revelation. It is not an unattainable hope. It is a living principle.
There is quiet strength in a faith like that.
Real Christians.
Never giving up.
Living as honest testimonies of Jesus.
I have met people like that and am humbled by their living, active faith in God.
I think that is what Paul had on his heart as he began to pen his words to Timothy.
And I think Isaac Watts believed that too when he wrote the words to this hymn in the late 1600’s. The third verse is sung as a doxology in many churches . . . of various denominations . . . even now .
True believers in every age . . .
From all that dwell below the skies
Let the Creator's praise arise!
Let the Redeemer's grace be sung
In every land, by every tongue!
Eternal are thy mercies, Lord!
Eternal truth attends thy word!
Thy praise shall sound from shore to shore,
Till sun shall rise and set no more.
Praise GOD, from whom all blessings flow!
Praise Him, all creatures here below!
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host!
Praise FATHER, SON, and HOLY GHOST!
Amen and Amen.
- Isaac Watts, born in 1674
With every morning sunrise,
‘till He comes again . . .
grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord
be unto
us
all.
Lesa K. Reid
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for your comments!