It would appear he had everything in his favor, coming as he did from one of the richest families in England When the demand was there he could take brush and paints in hand and create some of the most beautiful pictures Yet I knew him for most of the time as a man addicted to drinking wine, any kind of wine he could lay his hands on When sober he had little time for Billy Graham talks as he called my attempts to reason with him His past was in a bottle and he refused to let any of it out Caught off guard though he did release the cap to spill a few drops of his life
He had separated from his wife and his one daughter meant more to him than anything else in the world Though she lived in another city, unawares to her he kept a watch on her Periodically he was able to control his drinking habit sufficiently to shave, clean up and wearing a borrowed suit, go and visit his daughter One thing I never learned about my friend was why he had become addicted to liquor I only had one clue Some where in his early past an obstacle had got in his way and he refused to accept the challenge The longer he stood and looked at it the larger it got The larger it got the more frightening it became The bottle became the only temporary escape from it
How many of us have encountered such road blocks on life s journey? Yet we belong to the richest family on the earth, The Family of God We were called upon to take up the cross of Christ and almost immediately obstacles littered the road we had desired and vowed to walk along Some obstacles were put there by ourselves Disappointments in our ability to serve our Master Deterred by the attitude both real and imagined of others toward us Our ecclesia not functioning as we expected it to Chastened by the hand of God
On leaving Egypt, Israel encountered obstacles all around them and the longer they looked at them the mountains got larger, the sea wider and the Egyptian army more formidable by the hour Yet there was a man in their midst who stood before them and saw the moment as an experience to stand and see the salvation of the Lord
He saw in this supposed calamity the opportunity to see the right hand of the Lord his God extend and sweep aside anything that stood in the way of His children s progress
In the song of Moses he expressed such confidence Thy right hand, 0 Lord is become glorious in power, thy right hand, 0 Lord hath dashed in pieces the enemy A similar scene was depicted when the twelve spies were sent into the land of Canaan True the reports of all the spies were correct The cities were surrounded by great walls The men were as giants Joshua and Caleb fortified with faith and courage said, nevertheless, Let us go up at once, and possess it, for we are able to overcome it The other ten looked at the situation and the longer they looked at it there was no way they could go any further Their report was, It is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof, and, There we saw giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants, and we became in our own sight as grasshoppers
After baptism one is given the right hand of fellowship, representing the extended right hand of God and all the brethren and sisters throughout the world God s right hand is always there for those who trust in him to grasp But what about the hand we extended ? Is it withdrawn as quickly as we extended it? Or are we constantly alert to the help required of our fellow pilgrims to be able to progress, removing the stumbling blocks that would hinder their way ?
The lesson is given in the beauty of the Law of Moses, speaking of our concern for others The farmer taking in his harvest is reminded to leave the corners and certain parts of the field so the poor and the stranger can go in and have sufficient food
It has been said, “To plant a tree whose full growth and glory you will never see is also one of the most eliquent ways of demonstrating that you think more of others than of yourself.
There is happiness and peace within our ecclesial life, but the walls do have from time to time unsightly pictures hanging on them. Perhaps a picture of someone who no longer desires to fellowship with us around the feast of remembrance. Or that of a brother excusing himself from serving his Master any more. The heart of another no longer singing the song of Moses, “He is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation.”
We must then be on our guard at all times to prevent our signature appearing at the bottom of such a picture, heeding always the warning of the Apostle Paul, “but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.”
Rather let us encourage one another with the words of Moses, “Be strong and of good courage: fear not, nor be afraid of them for the Lord your God, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”
I had not seen my friend for a very long time and inquired about his welfare. I was told, he had set out for another city but was found dead in a ditch by the roadside.
How sad if any one of us should fail to reach that city whose builder and maker is God because of our seeking escape in sedatives of the world instead of faith and courage sufficient to hurdle life’s obstacles.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One