Love and Faithfulness
“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.”
Prov 3:3-4Dear Family,
We rearranged the order of our worship service last Sunday so that Jayne and I could go to a “Celebration Of Life” service for our good friend, Keith Gaesser.
Keith went to be with the Lord the week earlier and we wanted to be a part of his memorial service. Many of you graciously accommodated my request to change the order of our worship service so that we could drive to Central Illinois and be there on time. The service was truly a celebration of Keith’s life as his family
shared about how much he loved them and most importantly, how he loved the Lord. It was said that some of the last words he said to his family was to always put Jesus first in their lives. What made this so special was that Keith lived his life in exactly this way. He set an example of what genuine commitment to Jesus was. Keith’s two sons led the large gathering of people in worship of the Lord as they also encouraged those who didn’t know the Lord to come to know Him. It was a powerful display of what leaving a Godly legacy means. Keith certainly “had favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.” Prov 16:7 states, “When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him.” This also described Keith’s life as he was liked and loved by many.
When we live our lives is such a way that our heart’s desire is to please the Lord, the by-product is that oftentimes we’ll have favor with people, too. Jesus is the great example of the Son who lived His earthly life to do His Father’s will. He said this about His Father and Himself in John 8:29-30: “The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” Many of the “worst” sinners of Jesus’ day liked being around Him. We can safely say that Jesus never compromised the truth about sin, but He also loved people and those who were around Him knew it. My friend Keith also loved people and they knew it. “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.” Prov 3:3-4
May our lives be known for our love and commitment to Jesus by how we love others and remain faithful to God’s word and the truth therein. I pray that our love and faithfulness to the Lord will get the attention of those around us so that through us we might lead people to the One who changed our lives.
In His Strength,
Glenn