The Life behind the Words

 

This week it was my privilege to officiate at the funeral of a father of an AFC member. The tributes given in honour of this ‘gentle-man’ were touching and one has lingered with me. He would often encourage the family with the single word ‘steady’.  I am sure it would have been said when they were facing a complex decision or needed strength and courage to take certain actions.  Well, his grandson said in tribute to him, that now he often says that word to himself, ‘steady’, when he’s up against it.  The influence of his beloved grandpa lives on.

It does in my own life too. For my grandfather would often say ‘life isn’t a rehearsal’, meaning everyday was the ‘real thing’ and needs to be lived with energy and determination.  I often think of that, as I often think of him.

The point, I think, is this: we recall these words and phrases because they were matched with a life that authenticates them. Both the words and the life speak and validate each other.

I sense it is the same with the Lord Jesus Christ. His words speak truth to us and guide us, and his life inspires and motivates us.  The gospels brilliantly contain not just the SAYINGS of Jesus but also His STORY.  We are the beneficiaries of both.