I can't tell you how many times I have heard this statement! Besides that, I cannot tell you how many times I have bit my tongue to keep from reminding people that God does not call perfect people to the ministry! Do you now why? Because there are no perfect people! That's right! No matter how good or Godly a person may be,"All have sinned and come short of the glory of God!" Yet, the bad-mouthing and grumbling goes on, not only from the secular world,whom I can excuse, basically because they don't know the word of God, and therefore just like little children, don't understand the whole situation...but also from the church world! This is upsetting to me. Not because it hurts my feelings to hear Jimmy being vilified by those who don't understand. Not even because those same persons then consider me to be stupid to listen to a preacher who is less than perfect.Of course he's not perfect. Only God is perfect, and Jimmy never claimed to be God!( And, just to clarify. I am not a follower of Jimmy Swaggart. I am a follower of Jesus Christ, and to my mind, Jimmy Swaggart is the best preacher, pound for pound, that ever graced a pulpit. 'Nuf said on that score.) But because when they put down Jimmy Swaggart, they are in essence turning away from one of the few men of God that will tell them the truths of the word of God that they so desperately need to hear. Now, understand me, I find no pleasure at all in the fact that Jimmy sinned. It was a dark day when that came to light, and I cried right along with him when he went on national television,and did as the word of God tells us to do, and repented before the whole world. Every believer is expected to do just as he did, just the way he did it, as he had been preaching all along. But when I stumble, and have to repent, I don't have to go in front of television cameras,with every nuance flashed around the world, every tear and tremble of my lips to be recorded over and over, to be hashed out by pundits,and laughed at, as I pour out my heart to God, and apologize to everyone I have hurt by my inability to resist temptation! I can just turn to the Lord, in the privacy of my home,and pray, and weep and beg forgiveness, and when I get up off my knees, I know it is the sea of God's forgetfulness,and he will never bring it up to me again,and I can dry my eyes, make my apologies,and it is over! But Jimmy does not have that luxury. Whatever he has said, whatever he has done, will follow him around for the rest of his life, and I imagine that is one of the reasons that the Lord allowed Jimmy to fall into the trap set for him when he fell to temptation. He will never be arrogant, or think himself as someone special, but will remain humble, regardless of the huge victories he has won for the Lord, or the heavy anointing upon his ministry, or the millions of souls he has led to the Lord,or the blessing his music has been to the whole world. Which makes this sainted,sanctified, justified in the Lord man of God all the more amazing to me, because he has not lost his fire for God, or his power to preach the unalterable word of God without fear or favor! As he said himself, many times, he has no reputation left! None whatever! So he is going to go right on preaching the word of God, as the Lord leads him to do, and say what God gives him to say to a lost and dying world who desperately need the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ,and turn a deaf ear to those who still laugh at him and call him names. 'Cause see, he doesn't care what people think of him.Even though he is tender-hearted,and like any man he wants to be liked, and gets his feelings hurt when others speak badly of him,long ago he gave that whole mess to the Lord, and that keeps him from taking it personally. What would be the point to doing that? Those who put him down shall never understand the spiritual forces that have come against him, simply because he has dedicated his entire life to the work of the Lord. Or, that the more effective one is, the more the enemy will try to undo all the good you have worked for. And considering all of that, I should be doing as the word says...rejoicing when men revile you and say all manner of evil against you, for my (Christ's) sake, for great will be your reward, in heaven. And,little do those who revile Jimmy know, that he turns around and prays for them,because he loves them! As do I. For God will not hold them guiltless who mistreat his anointed! God will get them for that. Like all of us, they shall have to account for every idle word that has passed their lips in this life.Brr! Not a pleasant thing to contemplate for anyone's future.
And remembering all of that calms me,knowing that this soldier of the cross, a dear brother who was instrumental in leading me to the Lord, and led me in the sinners prayer when I got saved, shall have that ultimate blessing, when he goes home to be with the Lord, will hear his Father say to him, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant!"
While I was writing this post, a terrible storm came up. I had saved at least the first paragraph, and had gone to visit Mrs.Murphy, when it hit,and rain lashed against the house,and came down in buckets,there was hail,and lightening, and the next thing I knew, the whole house went dark! While I yet sat there, searching for a way to light my way back to my chair, the lights came on,so I was only without power for a minute or two, but when I finally got back to my desk, the damage had been done,and the computer was down. Plus, the modem only flashed three green lights. I spent the rest of the night trying to get back on the Internet. I did everything I could think of to do, but it just wasn't working,and since the storm was still going on, I didn't want to use the phone. When Yon son came home, he woke me up, still sitting here, waiting for a response. I shut it down, had breakfast,and went to bed, knowing that it would be resolved later, and I was too tired to try anymore then. Sure enough, when I did get up, it only took a few moments, zip-zap, and the modem straightened right out,and I was back online. I only relate this, because I know the enemy really didn't want this post to make it into print, however, I serve a great big God, and the devil didn't have a chance against him!
OUI?
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