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 I
lost my voice while preaching in Bowling Green, Ky., and bro.
Wayne Earnest, local evangelist, preached the closing sermon of
the meeting. The doctor ordered at least one week of silence, so
my part in the following meeting, Richmond, Ky., had to be
canceled. Bro. Paul Earnhart came, on short notice, to do an
admirable job there. Now, I am struggling to keep an appointment
in Providence, Ky., and others are standing by to continue the
work if I should fail. As an early vaudeville comedian used to
put it, "I feel soooo unnecessary!!"
Man
seems to vacillate between two attitudes: he and his work will
affect the destiny of the world; or, he is nothing, an
infinitesimal speck of inconsequence. Neither position is true!
Given the slightest encouragement, or none at all, we magnify
our place in life and imagine that the world, or at least the
church, hangs by our hook. This seems the greater of the two
errors. But should we seriously adopt the second position and
live by it, we would destroy the self respect necessary to make
our life meaningful. The Creator sees us, not as other gods, nor
as inert crud; but as intelligent beings having a place in the
total scheme of His universe. In a small yet significant way we
do affect the total picture, even though there are far too many
replacement parts for us to consider
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ourselves indispensable.
Man's
true position can be defined only by the Master Planner. It is
God who gives meaning to your little corner, and mine. Lacking
faith in God — trying to run the show without Him — we find
ourselves on the balloon of egoism, or deep in the trough of
despair. True faith in God is the stabilizer. Such faith is
possible only for the humble, yet it lifts earth creatures to
useful places in the family of God.
As
free agents, we are not pawns of fate. But as God's creatures we
seek the role He has assigned us. We can serve, with honor;
thankful that there are others to take our place as we finish
our course. Our trust in God, and in His love, is such that
abject fear is cast out; yet our awesome reverence for Deity
will not let us forget that His purposes will be fulfilled,
regardless of our success or failure as individuals. His
sovereignty will be vindicated in a final and irrevocable
Judgment.
"If
the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that" (Jas.
4:13-15). That can be a dirge of despair, or a healthful
reminder that "Now is the time" to use ourselves to
His glory.
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