Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Wednesday March 5, 2008

On Tuesday evening I spent some time musing as I read through some notes/quotes in several old Bibles. It sure brought memories of people who along the way had been dear to me and then, as it often is in every life, these dear ones just faded off the scene for any number of reasons. I noted a few had fallen out with me over health reasons. They were sick of me. Such is life.

Joes Mares. Jose is or was what would be known as Spanish American, Hispanic or back then a Mexican. Jose preached in the church I pastored in those days several times. During one of those meetings, April 1983, he gave a new Bible to me. I noticed this as I looked at the beautiful cover. He had written the secret of composure during his imprisonment as a POW in Korea. He really had a story worth listening to and he told it often. His secret to inner calm during brain washing exercises and physical torture was a piece from Pilgrims Progress written by John Bunyan who had endured 13 years in the Bedford, England prison for his faith in Christ and refusal to accept a license from the State to preach. Bunyan learned in the filthy straw bedding of the jail a truth that kept him together during this horrible ordeal.

"What a fool am, thus to lie in a stinking dungeon, when I may as well walk at liberty. I have a key in my bosom, called promise, that will, I am persuaded, open any lock in Doubting Castle."

Bunyan knew the King of England could and did imprison his body in a stinking dungeon, but his spirit was free, as is yours to walk about at will in God's vast kingdom by faith and to further turn the down time in prison to good use as that is where on tiny scraps he wrote the classic Pilgrims Progress.

Jose Mares told me that while he would often pass out from the pain of hunger and beatings, he could during his waking hours claim the promises of God, and in spite of the current circumstance see the city of God in the eye of his mind and heart. Jose knew that while being in a Korean prison he could still see the hand of God and he could still bear witness to the strength of Christ and also be faithful to his commitment as an America soldier. He was told time after time it was over no one cared, he would die in Korea, Korea was winning, his leaders had sold him out and on and on it went day after grueling day, night after starless night.

Jose Mares physically survived the Korean prison, in the spiritual ideological war for his mind and heart he prevailed. He limped out of the camp at the end of the "Police Action" but his spirit leaped like a thirsty dear at the smell of fresh water. He knew that by clinging to the promises of the Lord Jesus, even though his body was failing, his spirit was indestructible because Christ was putting his strength in him, where the torturers tools could not come.

One of my pet peeves with modern Christianity is that somewhere around 92% of feel good, warm and fuzzy believers have never read Bunyan's classic journey of the soul of a believer. And there did come a day when the writings of Bunyan, Mares and a host of others were used by Christ to keep me in focus and to in many ways, prevail over the forces committed to my destruction. Like Bunyan and Mares, if you know, you really can take a lickin and keep on tickin.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2008 Use with credit

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