by Eugene Higgins
“A time to build up”
Recently, I heard about two of the Lord’s servants who were ill. Because of the spread of COVID-19, I felt a momentary chill at the possibility of losing them (to Heaven; I know – wonderful for them!) But I thought of how we could ill afford to do without the wisdom, guidance, and knowledge of these men, these specially gifted and beloved men. Then I realized that everyone is beloved and special to someone. Now, as Hallmark card-worthy a moment as that was, I am glad that it quickly led me to the thought/reminder that ALL of God’s people are loved by Him, and loved by Him equally. When R. C. Chapman wrote in one of his hymns, “On His heart our names are graven, on His shoulders we are borne,” he was alluding to the fact that the High Priest wore the names of the tribes of Israel engraved on costly gemstones. Two onyx stones, one on each of his shoulders, had their names, (6 names engraved on each stone). Twelve jewels were also on his breastplate, (1 name on each stone).
Think of its significance to Israel: Benjamin and Joseph were Jacob’s favorites. Reuben was his firstborn. Levi was chosen for the priesthood. Judah was the progenitor of kings. Some of these sons displayed a less than stellar character. The other sons were comparatively non-descript and, for the most part, played only minor roles in the record of the sons of Jacob. And yet – and yet! – with all their differences, difficulties, and deficiencies, there they were, all 12: on his shoulders (support and representation) and on his heart (sympathy and affection). No favorites; no specials; no ranking based on worth, fame, personality, appearance, or accomplishments.
Think of its significance to us: The Lord Jesus said, “As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you” (John 15:9). One would think that there has to be a typo, a mistake in translation, a problem with manuscript authority. Surely it cannot mean what it says! Does the Lord Jesus love you the way the Father loves Him? That is what He states. When the Savior said this, He was looking at one disciple who would deny him and all the others who would desert Him. Yet it did not alter His love for them. He did not allocate or prorate His love based on their loyalty. Having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them to the uttermost.
If that is how He loves us – impartially and selflessly – then that is why we should have “the same care one for another” (1 Cor 12:25); always seeking the spiritual good and welfare of our fellow-believers. This present emergency gives us the opportunity (and for some, uniquely, the time) to be a help to our fellow-believers. While the fear of infection has made this, for many, “a time to refrain from embracing,” it should be, for us all, “a time to build up” (Ecclesiastes 3).
I read once that mountain climbers are roped together so the sane ones won’t turn around and go home. But, of course, the ropes are for another reason altogether, as can be seen in the experience of Sir Edmund Hillary, the 1st man in history to scale Mt. Everest. He and Tenzing Norgay, his Sherpa guide, had reached the top, and were climbing down, when Sir Edmund lost his footing. With lightning reflexes, Norgay dug his axe into the ice and held the line taut, keeping them both from falling to their deaths. Later Norgay modestly said “Mountain climbers always help each other.” Simply put, in a hostile environment, surrounded by dangers, climbers look out for each other’s welfare.
Perhaps you and I could do the same today. There has to be someone on your heart – someone who is shut in, discouraged, wondering when things will ever lighten or brighten. “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose …” We could all make this a season, a time to build up. If climbers always help each other, maybe Christians could also. We are exhorted to “bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” This is one way to be “law-abiding” Christians. God loves His people, and He takes note of anything that is done to help, encourage, strengthen, and care for His own. Our lives are very brief and fleeting. It is Christlike behavior that imparts eternal significance to a Christian’s life; having “the mind of Christ,” caring for others – even the supposed “least” of His people – will imbue our lives with an enduring value and quality. That is why the poet wrote, “Only what’s done for Christ will last.”
On June 23, 1940, having won the “Battle of France,” Adolph Hitler toured the city of Paris. However, he was not there as a tourist but as a conqueror. He relished the opportunity to visit the burial site of another conqueror, saying of his visit to Napoleon’s tomb, “That was the greatest and finest moment of my life.” Before leaving Paris, he ordered the destruction of two World War I memorials he had seen. One was to General Charles Mangin, a French war hero. The other was a memorial honoring Edith Cavell, a British nurse who, during the 1st World War, helped more than 200 Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Belgium. Constantly endangering herself to help others, she stated, “I can’t stop while there are lives to be saved.” After her capture and the travesty of a mock trial, she was condemned to death. Early on the morning of October 12, 1915, the brave nurse was shot to death in the prison courtyard by a German firing squad. Now, in 1940, with all Europe lying at his feet, Hitler wanted no memorials to past German defeats. He wanted nothing to sully his “Thousand-year Reich.”
Today, if you visit St. Martin’s Place, just off Trafalgar Square, in the city of London, a mere stone’s throw from the National Gallery and Lord Nelson’s monument, you will see another monument – a statue in honor of Edith Cavell, the nurse who cared for others and died alone in a prison courtyard, far from home, in Brussels, Belgium, in 1915 …….
Last I checked, there are no statues to honor Hitler anywhere in the world.
“For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as He that serveth” (Luke 22:27).