A Legacy Etched in Granite

My Dad passed away in 1999. His long bout with cancer gave him the opportunity to choose what he wanted written on his gravestone. This is what you will read if you come across his place in Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier CA:

Nothing in my hand I bring
Simply to thy cross I cling
Toplady

I always thought Toplady was a just a poet, until recently. I read the history behind one of the most famous hymns of all time, “Rock of Ages. I noticed that it was written by a man named Augustus Toplady. The words on the piece of granite over my father’s grave were taken from the second verse of this well-loved hymn. Toplady was a serious young boy, who by age 12 had started preaching sermons on the street. He started writing hymns by age 14, and was ordained in full time ministry at 22. He was a staunch Calvinist, and disliked the Armenian theology preached by the Wesleys in his day of the wrath of God and the fires of hell. The words to the hymn above were from a poem at the end of an article he wrote in 1776 about resting in the sufficiency of God’s forgiveness. His legacy is one of commitment early in life and of writing and speaking out strongly for the truth he believed in.

It is interesting the similarities between my dad and Augustus Toplady, though I am sure the words he chose were based entirely on the merits of the lyrics and not the author’s life. My dad also had a unique name: Leland B. Good. But how fascinating that my father started preaching on the street corners of San Francisco for Youth For Christ when he was only thirteen. He was called into the ministry as a teenager and began his full-time ministry also at age 22. He too was always one to speak up against anyone he felt had gone doctrinally astray. He poured his life into a seven volume commentary on the New Testament as well as numerous doctrinal books, notes, and teachings. He was a modern day Augustus Toplady.

It impacts me when I visit my dad’s grave, staring down at these words timelessly etched in stone, remembering his legacy. He was a man beyond reproach, of the highest standards and impeccable integrity. And he held us, his family, to the same standards, as well as the churches he pastored. Yet his personally chosen epitaph says more about the truth he lived by than the sometimes stark and rigid boundaries he set up within his life. I can see now that along with enforcing uncompromising standards, he embraced unmerited grace. He worked like Wesley, but he rested like Toplady. He understood that in the end, he had no righteousness of his own. I would think that if anyone had a reason to boast in a righteous life, my dad would fall in the top five or ten percent. But as he anticipated his imminent journey to be with his Master, the final self-analysis of his life was of an empty-handed sinner washed by the blood of Jesus, forever indebted to the power of the cross to make him worthy to stand before the Father.

I don’t know what I want on my gravestone. But I hope it will speak as loudly as do the few short words of Augustus Toplady that my dad chose to speak for him to future generations.

Now and Then

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I turn 45 tomorrow. I never did well in math, but that number doubled is a bit higher than the upper-echelon projections of even the most generous life expectancy charts for a white, middle-class American. So I guess I am at mid-life no matter how you cut it. But since they say now that 50 years old is the “new” 40, I guess you could say, in sort of baby-boomer dog years, I am still thirty-something. Well, at least my waist-size still is.

OK, I am supposed to be now in my prime, they say. Just before heading over-the-hill next year in the general direction of a hip-replacement and prostate problems, I would like to just savor the moment here at the top of the mountain and take in a bit of the view. But as I look around, I am not seeing myself sitting at my own book-signing table, or receiving the majority of a church pastoral vote anywhere. Shoot, I haven’t even been the keynote speaker at a conference, sat on the board of an important organization, or been featured on a podcast. My phone doesn’t even ring most of the time, and that from pastors who I have called four or five times. I guess I better contact Verizon and cancel my call-waiting service. Something is wrong with this snapshot.

There are times in a person’s life when they can feel pretty anonymous. And that can make us feel pretty insignficant, or worse. It's hard to feel that way after reading Matthew 19:30, though. Here is how it reads in the NLT: “But many who are the greatest now will be least important then. And those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.” There are three key words here that I would like to try and highlight the way the Holy Spirit did to my heart when I read that passage a few days ago. I don’t think I can come close, but maybe He’ll zap your spirit with the same bolt of revelation as well.

NOW. It is so easy to let our “now” define us. Especially since our now can appear to be the sum total of all our yesterdays. But even if the math adds up to a big zero, it doesn’t really define us or determine our value. Right now there are those who are at the top of the world and the top of everyone’s short list for the receiving the promotion, invitation, or plaque. Right now there are those whose numbers of Facebook friends or Followers on Twitter are right there in duadruple-digit black and white, dwarfing the pitiful numbers of the have-nots of the social networking world. But Jesus says that right now, right this very moment, there are those who in our view seem important. And this just may be their only moment. This now.

That’s because there is surely coming a THEN. This “then” is not just one future moment in time. Jesus’ then actually refers to all the immeasurable moments of eternity – a non-ending succession of days that stretches forever. So what happens in that then is incredibly important and truly vital. And what Jesus says is there is a huge discrepancy between the fleeting now and the interminable then. In fact, if you’re going to hope for something really good to happen either now or then, you had better put your money on then. Because then will make now seem like so much of absolutely nothing. Jesus said it in another way in another place, “The first will be last and the last will be first.”

That’s not what it SEEMS like now. But that is just what Jesus is trying to point out. All is not as it seems. We place such a high priority on what seems good, seems important, or seems valuable. But to seem is to appear. And we all know that appearances are deceiving. Jesus said that everyone who appears to receive all the applause, accolades and accomplishments now may seem to be important. But He is the only real and accurate Judge of value and worth. So if you are struggling with the lack of trophies on your shelf or the abundance of fourth place finishes in your first half now, remember this. It is not over now, nor even when the next half of life comes to an end. There is coming a then. And it is what the Father thinks and says about us then that will make clear the difference between what and who once seemed important in this now and those who really are valuable, precious and worthy of reward and recognition to Him.

Remember this. When your cell phone doesn’t ring, e has He has already called you. When you are passed over, He has already chosen you. And when you are not recognized, he will acknowledge you before all who have ever lived and reward you with high honor. If not now, wait - just wait until THEN.

Star of morning, Star of night

--> As fall has progressed, my normal morning prayer time begins in increasingly greater darkness. As I go out to our living room to walk and pray, the first thing I do is usually stub my toe on something left on the floor. But after that, I like to look outside through a little window at the top of our front door. The window faces the east, and eventually, I get a great view of the sunrise. But that’s not what I see first as I peer out into the early morning blackness. There is a quite brilliant star that sits just above the point where the sun will crest the horizon within the ensuing hour. It is quite interesting because it outshines by far any other stars that might still be left over from the nighttime display. This star quite literally captivates my attention, as it dances and sparkles brightly. I find myself staring and admiring it, curious as to how this star is able to shine so brightly well into the dawn, as the sky begins to lighten with the approaching sun. I realized that I was getting a glimpse of what the Bible calls the Morning Star. The physical morning star is in actuality the planet Venus shining so powerfully. I sensed the Lord say to me that there was great significance in this imagery for me, and I began to search the scriptures for what truths God might be speaking through this natural and spontaneous early morning object lesson. Let me share with you a few things I found and what profound meaning they have for me prophetically.
In Revelation 22:16, Jesus says to us directly, “I, Jesus, am the bright and morning star.” Jesus as the Morning Star reveals much about who He intends to be to His people as we get closer to His return. Following this description is the verse “The spirit and the bride say “Come” (v17) and “Yes I am coming soon! Amen! Come Lord Jesus!” (v20) The Morning Star speaks of the end of night and the soon return of our Lord Jesus and his coming kingdom. Scripture is clear in its imagery that in the end times evil will grow worse and there will be an increase of wickedness. It can seem that as darkness increases, we wonder where is God in all of this? For anyone who has suffered through sickness, pain or insomnia all night, it can seem like the surrounding darkness will never give way to the sunrise. We can feel that way now. With shamelessness, public flaunting of evil, and the disintegration of morality and purity all around us, it can seem like the night can’t get any blacker. But in the same way that my eyes were drawn to and fixated on that star, He desires that our eyes be fixated not on the depth or the length of the darkness, but on His brightness and glory.
Focusing on the morning star in the midst of great darkness is what the church of Thyatyra was chastised for not doing. (Rev. 2:26) They had lots of outreach and faith and love for their common man, but they tolerated a spirit of adultery in their midst. They had been compromised by the darkness and had slipped into drunkenness and immorality. But for those who overcome that lapse into participating in the darkness, there is the promise of being given both power over the nations and the Morning Star. (v. 28) This is the promise of spiritual authority and power that comes from increasing levels of faithfulness and consecration to Him in the midst of a powerful seducing spirit. And it is a promise of a deep and intimate relationship with Jesus for those who will stand strong against the spirit of compromise during the dark days of immorality that precede Jesus’ return. We must keep ourselves fixated and focused on our Bridegroom, doing whatever it takes to stay alert, ready, and lovesick for His return and chaste and pure in preparation for meeting Him, even as others lose heart in the lingering night and slip into drunkenness, partying and uncontrolled anger (see Luke 12:45 and Matt 25:48)
But when Jesus as the Morning Star is prophetically revealed and highlighted to our spirits, it is an indication that we are drawing closer to the end of darkness and the coming of the dawn. Much like when the morning star shines brightest and begins to rise higher above the horizon like a herald announcing the coming day. 2 Peter 1:19 says “We have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place and Christ the morning star rises in our hearts.” The prophetic revelation to our hearts that the darkness is soon giving way to the coming of the day of the Lord is like the appearance of the morning star on the horizon and its rising just ahead of the sun. The Holy Spirit is moving on hearts and giving them a sense of urgency regarding the soon coming of the Lord. The bride will hear what the Spirit is saying and join Him in calling out, “Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus!”
One other thing to note about the morning star. As the sky begins to brighten, if you look away from the star, it is easy to lose sight of it and not be able to spot it again at it rises. You have to keep your eyes on it, or you lose sight of it.
What God is saying to me through all of this imagery is:
1) He is coming soon. It is time to be ready and to be watching and waiting for His soon return.
2) We must keep our eyes fixed on Him. He wants to captivate our attention, our focus, our desires and our time. This is a very crucial kairos moment we are entering. It is not a time to frivol away what is precious and valuable (our time, affection and resources) on cheap and trivial things (i.e. media, possessions, self-pampering, etc. and the chasing after these things)
3) The prophetic rising of the morning star in our hearts means we must realign our priorities, pursuits and passions to match what His are for these unique end-times (winning the lost, discipling the nations, bringing justice to the oppressed, being consecrated and intimate with Him in unprecedented measure)
4) It is time to be His bridegroom, fixated on Him, madly in love with Him alone and captivated more and more by His beauty and not lured by the false beauty of counterfeit attractions.
5) It will be easy to lose sight of where Jesus is as the day of tribulation approaches. Those who have trained their eyes on Him will have the confidence and authority to walk among the confusion and devastation with a sense of His real Presence and what He is saying and doing. Those who did not buy oil for their lamps in the quiet place of intimacy before the trial will long to know this intimacy, but it cannot be bought so quickly. NOW is the time to press in to Him in intimacy and uncommon consecration as never before.