Daily Strength for Men: An Unspectacular Life – Part 1
Solomon lived a spectacular life highlighted by untold riches, 1,000 wives and concubines, and the construction of a majestic temple. But at the end of his life, he wrote that, “all is vanity and a striving after wind” (Ecclesiastes 1:14).
At a 2017 high school commencement ceremony, teacher Eric Ling told about someone who lived a far less spectacular life: his father, who had died 18 months earlier. As Ling grew up, his father spent a lot of time alone in his study. In the house for the first time after his dad’s death, Ling went into the study.
“In his desk drawer was a long prayer list of specific people and exactly what they were going through,” said Ling, “with a reminder to himself: pray daily. Next to this was a second list; a list of people my father knew who needed help and exactly what that help might be. Several of these he was crossing out, one by one. What a testimony! In his most private and alone times, my father was living out what he believed—not for personal recognition, but for the Kingdom.
“At the funeral, person after person spoke to us of how my father just showed up —whenever someone was in need, he was there. This was significant for many reasons, but mostly because my father was painfully quiet. He would blend into any room, unnoticed, and he actively spurned recognition of any kind.
“He lived, by earthly standards, an unspectacular life and experienced limited professional success. Yet he had a high calling. His vocation was to show God’s love to others by being faithful with his gifts. And everyone he encountered, including myself, saw glimpses of the Kingdom through this simple man: humility, self-sacrifice, love of God, love of others, generosity.”
May each of us live such an unspectacular life of obedience and Faithfulness.
source: Eric Ling’s address at the Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy
commencement, May 28, 2017.
Chris Bolinger. After 27 years in tech, mostly as a product manager, Chris started Revitalize Ministries to help small-church leaders. He also served as an executive producer of the film “The Song.”
So, he decided to write a Daily Strength for Men Book which has sold over 200,000 copies. The book is the foundation of CLC’s Getting Real program, and a Spanish translation is now available. Chris’s latest devotional, 52 Weeks of Strength for Men, became available in April 2022.
A native of Akron, Ohio, Chris splits his time between northeast Ohio and southwest Florida. He became a grandfather in 2019. Find out more about Chris and his books at mensdevotionals.com.
0 Comments