Philippians 1:20-21
I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Way back in the 1960’s I was an Air Force Personnel Officer stationed in Shreveport, Louisiana. The church we attended had a guest speaker who was a professor at a well known seminary. The Sahara Desert could not have been any dryer than this man’s message. He seemed to delight in using terms that even the most learned would find difficult to understand. The best thing about his message was the Amen at the close!
Many years later I had become an ordained minister and attended a pastor’s conference in Portland, Oregon. As I reviewed the program there were many wonderful sessions with speakers I was eager to hear. Then I looked further and to my shock I saw that the same dull seminary professor was speaking at all of the general sessions. How could the organizers do this to us?!
As the professor began to speak he assumed the person of the character he wanted to highlight. The first character was Joseph. He spoke as if he were actually Joseph. To a room filled with pastors and their wives he became Joseph. He expressed the thoughts Joseph must have felt at all the stages of his life. It was incredible that we were all leaning forward to listen to him live out the inner feelings that Joseph must have experienced.
We could hardly wait for the next session when he lived out another Bible character. In like manner the Bible should come alive. We need to experience it in such a way that it is alive. LIVE IT!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil