Looking at this most
well-known old hymn in our song book, plus a survey I read about the other day,
got me to thinking about the subject of “home.” Thank you for letting me
share my thoughts about it with you today.
The survey I referred to
was one that appeared some time ago in a London magazine. It simply asked
the question: “What is home?” Below is listed seven of the answers
received in response to the question.
Home.... A world of strife shut out, a world of love shut in.
Home....The place where the small are great, and the great are small.
Home.... The father’s kingdom, the mother’s world and the child’s paradise.
Home.... The place where we grumble the most and are treated the best.
Home.... The center of our affection round which our heart’s best wishes twine.
Home.... The place where our stomachs get three square meals a day and our
hearts a thousand.
Home.... the only place on earth where the faults and failings of humanity are
hidden under the sweet mantle of charity (love).
Of course the survey and
its answers are related to our “earthly” homes. But, when you look
closely at the answers received by the magazine, don’t you see them as
applicable to our “heavenly” home? As in, a place of no “strife.”
Where nothing bad (evil, offensive, vile or unhealthy) will be found.
(re: Rev. 21:4)
A place where all there
are equal = saved. No class distinctions separate anyone. Whether
“small” or “great” on earth matters not. Definitely a place where we’ll
be treated the best. Where our attention will be centered on the “throne of God” and “The Lamb” who will be there
with Him and where we’ll be fed. (ref: Rev. 7:13-17)
As to the “sweet mantle
of charity (love)” there are so many scriptures relative to the love of God
that we don’t have time nor space to list them here. Suffice it to say
that our heavenly home is the center of love because that’s where the epitome
of love is located. Please read the 4th chapter of 1 John for reference.
Yes, our time here on
earth is spent in a temporary home. But, like Abraham, we are looking
forward to a permanent home, or as the Bible put it; “for a city which hath foundations,
whose builder and maker is God.” (Heb. 11:10)
A famous Roman writer by
the name of Pliny the Elder, a contemporary of Paul when he was captive in
Rome, penned these words that are so familiar to all of us. Yes, he’s the
author of “Home is where the heart is.” Let me close this portion of our
editorial today with this last thought. Let us hope and pray that our
hearts are centered on the eternal “Home Of The Soul” and not on this temporal
home that we occupy while in this body.
Now, for the last
portion of today’s efforts, I’d like to touch on a subject that is familiar in
most congregations of The Lord’s Church. I’m speaking about a perceived
lack of ability by some brethren to offer congregational prayers. The most
often used reason is that they feel their speech to be inadequate, of that they
just feel like they can’t speak properly. I’m going to close with a little
story, said to be true, that speaks directly to this situation.
A
preacher once talked about a man who worshiped at a congregation where he was
ministering. The man had been raised an illiterate orphan and only after
marrying a fine woman who taught him did he learn basic reading and writing
skills. Because of his upbringing and having been raised in what we call
“the back woods” his speech was full of strange and colloquial expressions.
The preacher said that other people used to laugh at him whenever he spoke.
However, without hesitation or the least bit of embarrassment, he would lead a
public prayer whenever called on. He would pray, “Lord God, we air shore
much obliged t’yu. You been a sight better to us than we has
a-comin.” He was so sincere and earnest with his prayers that, according
to the preacher, that only a few dry eyes would be in the audience when he
finished.
The
preacher talked to him about this one day and here’s what the brother said to
him. He said, “What iff’n men do laugh? God ain’t laffin. He
listens to your heart, not your mouth. An my heart talks to him as plain
as anybody’s.”
Does one have to have
great oratory abilities to talk to God? Absolutely not. I recall
the words of Jesus in Matt. 12:34-35 where He said, “...for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth
speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth
good things...”
No where in that passage
do I see, not is it even inferred, that our “mouth”
has to speak eloquently. Only that it speaks “good things.” I will even go out on a
limb and offer my opinion on this point and say that if others should laugh
because of the nature of a prayer’s speech ability, they should examine their
own hearts. I would encourage those who feel orally inadequate to
understand that God is not concerned about how the condition of our language,
He is concerned about the condition of our heart.
Respectfully submitted,
Ron Covey
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