Dear Friends,
Yesterday I received a wonderfully encouraging call. It was from three of my good friends with whom I played football, while attending Virginia Military Institute. They were attending a 55th reunion at VMI, the same reunion I had planned to attend, however, the Lord had other plans, and dealing with some recent health issues, I decided it just wasn’t prudent to be away from home at this time.
One of those teammates who called was Chuck Beale, who became one of my best friends while at VMI. Chuck was instrumental in leading me to the Lord, and while over the years we have periodically communicated, it has been only recently that our communication has increased. I will always be indebted to him for the influence he has had on my life. Chuck always had a great desire to make Jesus known to me and to others, and because of his great love and passion to serve Jesus, many have come to know Christ personally. He was a great encourager, and like Onesiphorus whom I mentioned in my “Musings” last week, his presence always had a way of refreshing me. (2 Timothy 1:16)
Don’t you love those kind of people who come alongside you and who possess the ability to refresh you? They always leave you smiling, encouraged, and feeling better than you felt before you met. They are truly the “wind beneath your wings.” They are the kind of people who always add value to your life and to the lives of others. Mother Teresa once said, “Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier”, and Chuck modeled this principle to me.
I had never met anyone so on fire for the Lord. There were some who resented his passion for Jesus, but that never deterred Chuck from fervently sharing his faith with whomever would listen.
When we first got to know each other, we spent time praying with and for one another. The most frequent location of our prayer time was my room. That wouldn’t have been too unusual, except that Chuck decided that it didn’t matter whether my roommates were present in the room or not. He would get down on his knees beside my bunk and begin praying, unconcerned by my four roommate’s presence. They were not believers, and to this day I still wonder how they felt about those times of prayer. Chuck’s great passion for Christ emboldened my personal faith, although I must confess I always felt like my faith was a tiny ember compared to the fire that burned within his heart.
I had grown up in a church that had not talked much about a personal relationship with Christ and while I considered myself to be somewhat religious, I also recognized there was something missing from my life, especially when I was in his presence. To make as long story short, he exhorted me to attend a Fellowship of Christian Athlete’s Conference in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin the summer of 1962. At the conference I heard many outstanding college and professional athletes share their faith, but the message I most remembered was the witness of Jessie Owens, the winner of four gold medals in the 1966 Olympics. To this day, I don’t remember everything he said, but I vividly remember the challenge he presented those athletes in the audience to follow Jesus. That night, I fell to my knees beside my bed, and asked Jesus to come into my life. And my life has never been the same. I then realized why Chuck’s faith and my faith were so different. He had personally met and knew the Savior; I only knew about Him.
Is there a person in your life to whom you are indebted because he/she played an instrumental part in your salvation? Maybe a friend, a pastor, a teacher, a family member or someone you may have met for just the first time? Why not take a moment to call or write that person a note of personal thanks for making it possible for you to live eternally?
Your communication could be a wonderful encouragement to that individual. Just like Onesiphorus who was present to encourage and refresh Paul and others, or just like Barnabas in Acts 9 who risked his reputation in defending Paul before the Jerusalem elders, who questioned his commitment and feared he was a wolf in sheep’s clothing only seeking to infiltrate and expose the Christian community. What if Barnabas lacked the passion and boldness to defend Paul before those who questioned the veracity of his witness? Perhaps Paul might have wiped out spiritually. He might have renounced his allegiance to Christ, and the Christian community would have been left without any of Paul’s letters, which today comprise almost one half of the books of the New Testament?
Pick up that pen or that phone today. Be an Onesiphorous. Be a Barnabas. Be a Chuck Beale. Be bold and passionate about your faith, the way Chuck Beale was. You will be glad you did, and so will the one you encourage and refresh.
Yours because of Calvary,
Pastor Tom
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