“Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”
(Psalm 2:11-12, NIV)
Famous Christian apologist, Ravi Zacharias, died this past week just two months after he announced a cancer diagnosis. He was 74. Though I did not know him personally, I have his books on my shelf and I have long admired his ability to answer some of the toughest questions about the Christian faith while doing this with clarity, conviction and compassion. At Billy Graham’s funeral, Ravi shared these thoughts:
“Charles Wesley said God buries his workmen but his work goes on. Wesley came, he left, Sunday game, he left, Moody came, he left. He had all these great speakers. Billy served his time. We can never live in the past but we must stand on their shoulders— we must stand on their shoulders to look forward because they are followers like the Apostle Paul and Augustine. They stood on their shoulders. We cannot lose heart nor can we place the ultimate confidence in just a human being. Our confidence is in the person of Jesus Christ—the Word becoming flesh and dwelling among us. That's who we preach. Paul says we don’t preach ourselves. Billy never preached himself. So a great voice has been lost but the message goes on and that's what we will continue proclaiming. We are living in a confluence of great uncertainty with great hunger…We must honor God with the truth.”
Ravi was a man who served the Lord with fear and trembling as he contended for the faith throughout the world. Ravi lived faithfully before His King and now is home with the One in whom he took refuge in while on earth.
In these troubled times of great uncertainty and great hunger, may we carry on Ravi’s ministry of sharing God’s truth wherever He leads us.
Living Out God’s Word
Just as Ravi spoke of Billy that “a great voice has been lost but the message goes on,” now we give the same respect to Ravi. We can carry on this message of hope because God uses each of us in His own ways and times. In these uncertain times, will you choose to be a messenger of God’s truth that the only lasting refuge is found in Jesus Christ our Lord? Invite someone to watch this Sunday’s service believing in faith that God can use you to bring His truth into someone’s life.
Prayer
Lord, thank you for faithful servants like Ravi Zacharias. By how own words, he was an unremarkable student with ordinary abilities. But when he put himself into Your remarkable hands, Ravi shined Your remarkable light. May his life and death inspire me to live more fully for you. We know that we are not promised tomorrow so we live for You today with holy reverence in joyful service. We give our unremarkable lives to You. Use this weak vessel to reveal Your goodness and truth. Amen.
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