Headstone Ponderings

Several years ago, I was blessed to have visited a place nicknamed, 'The Town too Tough to Die' - Tombstone, Arizona.
There were three memorable things about Tombstone. The first is that I was with my father, who has since passed away. The second was one of the restaurants - 'The OK Cafe,' owning a play on words from the one event which made the town famous: The OK Corral.
The third is a cemetery located just on the edge of town.

In this old cemetery, the people of that era had a knack for putting odd and even amusing writings on the headstones. The one which stands out in my mind gives the name of the man who died, it has the date, and then it apologetically states, 'Hanged by Mistake.'
That has to be one of the biggest 'Oops moments' in history. But I digress.

When you have been told you have a life threatening disease as I have, you tend to think about things that you normally wouldn't think about - one of which is what I would like to see on my own headstone. This may sound odd or even morbid, but let me explain.

I have thought about my family, the church, people I know and friends - I am certain the world will carry on just fine without me. Though for some it will take time and there may be many tears shed at my passing, soon after a death things return to normal for most people.
That's not good or bad, that is just the way things are in life.
And if you think about it too long, it does get depressing.

So, in my 'different' sense of humor, I began to think about what might be put on my headstone.

'Father & Husband' is one I have seen many times, and this is admirable and honorable - especially since our society seems to constantly trash the traditional role and importance of a father and husband.

'Veteran' is always a good one; it speaks of honor, duty and sacrifice during a person's life.

'Man of Extreme Intelligence' crossed my mind, mostly just to make people chuckle after I am gone. Yet, in future generations, someone may pass by my grave and think I was so stuck on myself that I had to carry it into eternity with me. So, this one will never do.

'Beloved.' Although this is a simple word, it does speak volumes for I am beloved by my wife and children; more importantly, I am one of God's beloved children.

But if I could pick the one phrase to place on my headstone, if it could be true, the phrase I would want more than any would be - 'He was a Man of God.'

As I read through Scripture, many men have been given the title of 'The Man of God.' Let me tell you about a few of them.

Moses
He was born to Hebrew parents, raised in an Egyptian palace, tried to hide the fact that he murdered a man in a passionate rage - but God always uncovers sin. As a result, Moses spent 40 years on the backside of the wilderness hiding out.
Yet, no person can hide from the true call of God on their life; as the Lord appeared to him in the Burning Bush, Moses removed the sandals from his feet and God removed any thought of Moses staying in the desert.
He returned to Egypt, led the people out of bondage, received and established the Law, the priesthood, the entire religious system of the Nation of Israel and died as a servant of the Lord.
In short, He was a Man of God.

David
Much can be said of David, the great king of Isreal.
King David was said to have been a man after God's own heart; yet, this is not what we remember of David. We mostly remember his one great sin with Bathsheeba - adultery and murder of her husband.
But long before David let his eyes get steamy watching her take a bath on the roof top, his heart searched for God and truly loved the Lord.
And if you read Psalm 51, you will find that David's repentance before God for what he had done, was as real as the heart which beats within your chest at this moment.
No, David wasn't perfect - but God has never required perfection from us; He requires our faith in redemption for Christ is perfect.
He was a Man of God.

Elisha
He is one of my favorite Biblical figures.
In fact, Elisha had but one title throughout the Old Testament histories - 'The Man of God.'
So, what made him the man of God? He did much, but it was what he did first which percipitated all other acts which followed.
As Elisha's mentor Elijah was about to be taken to heaven, Elijah asked him what he could give to him. Elisha answered that he wanted a 'double portion of the Spirit which rests on you.'
Elija responded that he had asked for a difficult thing - but it was this very thing Elisha received.
Throughout his life he ministered for the Lord; he prophesized, he preached, he performed miracles; yet, if he had not asked rightly in the first thing the others would not have come to pass.
He was a Man of God.

And there are others, many of whom we don't even know their names but we would classify them as men of God.
In Hebrews 11, it speaks of many men of faith by name; yet, in the later verses of that chapter it speaks of men who, for the name of Christ, were tortured, stabbed with swords, beaten, stoned and some were even sawed in two.
Of them, the Bible declares that these were men 'of whom the world was not worthy.'
Yes, these unnamed saints were truly Men of God.

As I read of these men, I know deep down that I don't have within me what they had - they possessed something special, something intangible, something only the Holy Spirit gives to believers. And yet, I am reminded of a few other people in Hebrews 11.

- Abraham - This man is called the Father of the Faithful, but he also had a tongue that had trouble telling the truth at times. Twice he lied about his wife's age; twice he was chastized. Still, Abraham is revered as a man of true faithfulness and servant of the Most High God.

- Rahab - Everytime she is mentioned in the Old Testament and even in Hebrews, her name appears this way, 'Rahab, the harolt.'
That's right, this woman of God was once a woman of ill-repute; it is believed she was a high-priced prostitute in the city of Jericho.
But that isn't the end of Rahab's story.
This woman accepted Joshua's spies by faith, was spared in the battle with her family, incorporated into the people of God and would become the great-great grand mother of King David and an ancestor to the Lord Jesus Christ.

- Jacob - If there ever was a shady character, it would have to be Jacob; whose very name means 'deceiver.' He couldn't even get along with his twin brother in the womb.
Jacob once deceived his own brother of his birthright and then had the gall to deceived his own father to receive the blessing Esua was to receive as the firstborn.
And one night, Jacob wrestled with the Lord until dawn; when it was over, he was injured and walked with a limp the rest of his life - but he also walked differently in a spiritual sense.
Though Jacob would have one of the most checkered lives of any Biblical figure, he would be the man who gave birth to the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

Do you get the point of this short history lesson?

None of these men or women had it within themselves to be men or women of God.
They weren't sages. They weren't religious geniuses. They weren't even good, decent people at some points in their lives; some you would even expect to meet in a county jail.
But who they were wasn't all that they were meant to be - and neither am I nor are you.

Christians are a ragtag group at best. We reflect today the same things these Biblical figures demostrated. The Bible NEVER cleans up any of the people it speaks of - it leaves them just how they are, which is human.
These men and women did not embody super-sainthood, they did not breathe different air than you or I; these men and women were normal, human beings who fell short, who sinned, who dishonored God and still, they became great men and women who loved and served the Lord.

So, what is it that made a prostitute, a murderer, a liar, a deceiver and an adulterer men and women of God?
Well, it is the same thing that makes us men and women of God today.

These men and women were not 'great' in and of themselves; neither are you or I. What made these men and women wonderful saints of God is what they allowed the Lord to do with their hearts and lives after they had trusted Him by faith.
And friend, God wants to do the same with you.

The truth is that no person can earn the title 'Man of God,' it is something God makes you to be and conforms your heart to become.
And the title 'Man of God' is not nearly as important as another title, the first title any Christian becomes when they receive Christ by faith - 'Child of God.'

Before any of us can become all that God desires us to become through His grace with the power of the Holy Spirit, we must first become children of God by trusting Him by faith.
Another way of putting it - we have to become one of the good guys; for the good guys are His children by adoption in the faith.

Soon I will travel to the Cleveland Clinic once again; they will begin doing all they can to prolong or even save my life.
Remember - all healing either comes from the hand of God through the Holy Spirit or through the hand of God in the knowledge He has allowed the medical profession to have.

While I feel as if I am engaging the unknown, I know that God knows what is happening and what will happen, even if I don't. And that's good enough for me.

I expect by faith that I will make a full recovery; I believe God is moving even now.
But if this entire situation turns out otherwise, I don't expect to see "He was a Man of God" on my headstone from heaven.
No, it may be better to have the first thing I was in the faith placed there for it will forever be a true witness - 'He IS a Child of God.'

Until next time, win one for the Good Guys.