Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Tuesday August 28, 2007

Phillips Brooks a fabulous clergyman from an earlier era commenting on the power of hope wrote:

"The glory of the star, and the glory of the sun, we must not lose either in the other. We must not be so full of the hope of heaven that we cannot do our work on the earth: we must not be so lost in the work of the earth that we shall not be inspired by the hope of heaven."

The good preacher said in a nice, crisp and intellectual way what many of my red neck peers state so eloquently, "Don't ye get so heavenly minded that ye ain't no earthly good."

Balance is the key.

When you find a person who insists they are heavenly minded, but who are doing nothing of value for the benefit of humans, thus for the coming Kingdom of Christ, you may be certain that a pure hope is not a real force in their life. Eternal hopes are rooted in Christ and His teaching and will, when properly understood, move us to a deeper love, this deep love compelling us to find an earthly hope which He has for us in addition to the heavenly. Stephan gave grand witness to the work of Christ on earth while he gazed into heaven and saw Jesus. The martyrdom of Stephen is a text book (biblical) case of serving here below while our focus is on the heavenly.

Samuel Johnson stated it well, (No surprise here) when he wrote:

"Whatever enlarges hope will also exalt courage."

I have used stories of courage from concentration camps, prisons and ordinary life to illustrate that the heavenly vision will keep us going when all of things that matter so much to us on earth have faded into oblivion. A line from an old gospel song states in graphic language: "Tho all the world forsake me and Satan tempt me sore, I rest upon His mercy and trust Him more." The phrase implies that we are doing something of eternal consequence and even if every thing apparently goes, we will "Hope in God," literally trust Him even in the dark times of life.

I have walked on God's earth come September 13, for 66 years and during 46 of those years as a preacher I have never heard one person glowingly state, "I sure hope the Lord puts me in a nursing home and the children never bother me." Many in the nursing home have no comprehension of their whereabouts and they are blessed. Others spend long and lonely hours in the seclusion enforced by age and debilitating health. And for the most part this group is the saddest on earth. Yet, a few in spite of reality, in spite of a good clear mind, do not lose hope, even though they have little reason for hope in this life, they have discovered for themselves the beauty of the hope eternal.

Many years ago I went to the county home to visit my dear friend Rev. Harry Hybarger. He was near to time to enter God's chariot and go on home. He had literally been kicked out of his church, (I read the letter) and the years had their toll. His beloved wife, Dorothy, had made the trip across the river a few years before. Now Harry lay in a paupers bed, needing his adult pamper changed, and looking at me he said something which I will remember always, "Larry, this is not all there is to it, we are going home." As he spoke he pointed up. Harry had the courage to fight off bitterness and stay in love with Jesus. He was possessed of a better hope.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2007 Use with credit.

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