On the Death of a Preacher...

The word came the old man had died.

The young pastor called everybody who was connected with the church and planned the funeral for the Elder who had pioneered the work. The town wasn't large but everybody knew the Man of God who had been there for them even when they weren't in his church. He had shouldered the church when it cried and danced when they rejoiced. He had worked to support his family and the church family when the funds weren't there. He had picked up kids for Sunday School and went to funerals for family members that weren't coming to church. He had loaned money to those who suffered tragedy and never asked for a penny in return. He had cried with mothers and with fathers who had lost their kids both physically and spiritually. He had rejoiced with the young as they would fill the altars after receiving what he was given by God to preach. He had watched as the church grew from infancy to adulthood but soon he realized he couldn't keep the pace he had once kept. Time began to catch up to him and soon his mind and body told him he had to let it go and give it another. He had searched diligently and finally found the young man who could keep his burden alive.

Sixteen years later he died alone in a rest home for the elderly. After his fifth year there his beautiful wife of forty years of marriage had gone on to be with the Lord. When he had first got there the visitors seem to never end but then as time waned they slowly trickled down to one or two. Time was still unkind to him as he battled different sickness's and illness during his time there and he passed away into the night and was received into glory.

When he woke up he looked down at his gnarled twisted hands and saw that wrinkles that were once there were now smooth and supple as young man's hands. He saw the great light and entered in. He looked at the Kingdom of Heaven and was overwhelmed by what he was seeing. He felt ashamed because he felt like he didn't belong there. He knew he wasn't worthy to see such a place because he had always been a humble man. There was an angel standing nearby and the Man of God went over to him and told him,

"I don't belong here".

The Angel looked at the man and asked him, "Why"?

The Man of God said, "I didn't do enough and got old to soon. Some of my visions for God were never realized and some of the goals and dreams I had of doing for God what I could weren't met and the Church never really grew the way I had planned for it to"

The angel smiled a knowing smile and said, "Come here and let me show you something".

The Angel walked over to the door of heaven and opened it and said, "Look down there".

The Man of God walked over and looked out the door as the angel opened it.

He saw the Earth and it was beautiful, he saw the clouds and the oceans and the lands as it was spinning slowly.

The Angel said, "Just keep watching"

And as the Man of God watched a little point of light would flicker and shine bright like a star and then another would do the same and another. One, two, ten, one hundred, two thousand and they keep flickering until there were to just many to count.

The Man of God looked quizzically at the Angel and said, "They are flickering in every state and all over the globe why am I seeing this"?

The Angel looked back at the Man of God and said, "Do you remember Johnny Webb and Pete Thompson and Susan Willoughby"?

The Man of God answered,"Yes, they were Sunday School kids I picked up and brought to church and they received the Holy Ghost"

The Angel said, "Every light you see across the Earth is a person who was filled with the Holy Ghost birthed from your Ministry"

The Angel Continued, "Johnny, Pete and Susan went on to become ministers and teachers and are still winning souls for the Kingdom of God and they are just three of the lives among the hundreds you touched by your ministry and there are thousands of lights flickering because of your work for the Kingdom of God".

The Man of God fell to his knees there on the banks of Heaven and was overwhelmed for a moment. He looked up and told the Angel, "I had no idea, I was just working for the kingdom".



So many times we only see what we see and never realize that the lives we touch can affect the world. The work that we do for God while feeling may never rise to the level we would like for it to may reach farther than our life may ever know. So many times we feel like we not doing enough or we can't see those goals met and yet God uses what we do to reach farther than time will ever allow us to see. And while this story is just using some imagination I do believe that our ministry is greater than who we are and farther reaching than we could ever imagine.

Stay Humble before God do what you can for the Kingdom and let God do what He does best.

Just some thoughts....

Randy