No Greater Joy

To the left you see my three sons and my daughter-in-law - Ben, Christa, Bobby, and Billy. 3 John 4 says, "I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth." To this I say a hearty amen! I am so blessed by what the Lord has done in the lives of my children. Roberta and I have truly seen the grace of God and the power of His Word at work in their lives. Our children all love the Lord, they devour His Word, and they are all actively and joyfully giving their lives away in service to their Savior. I am humbled and overjoyed that the Lord would bless me in this way.

As a pastor, though, I know that not all families are filled with this joy. Many parents struggle in their relationships with their children. Often parents are discouraged, disappointed, desperate, and depressed. This breaks my heart. It doesn't have to be this way. Many parents don't know what to do. They struggle in this area of parenting.

I believe the Bible is sufficient to equip parents for the hard work of raising their children. I would encourage parents to thoughfully and carefully study the Scripture regarding this subject. I recommend Deuteronomy 6:1-9; The Book of Proverbs; Ephesians 6:1-4; Colossians 3:20-21, and others. I would also draw your attention to Psalm 128. This Psalm paints an incredible picture of a family. It talks about being happy and it being well with you. This Psalm likens the mom to a fruitful vine meaning one who gives life and refreshment. Also, children are referred to as olive plants which speaks of their great value. Who wouldn't want this kind of family? Well, it says that this is the blessing given to the one who fears the Lord. Fearing the Lord involves walking in His ways as verse 1 says. God is gracious and His Word is true. Roberta and I are not perfect parents. Not by a long shot. But God is gracious and as we have followed His Word we have seen Him work in our lives and our children.

Children are seen as a mystery by many. Parents today don't seem to have much hope. It doesn't have to be this way. If we cut the Scripture straight we can see that the Lord who gives us these children also gives us great hope in the raising of them. One of my pastoral responsibilities is to oversee family ministries. My prayer is that parents would find hope, wisdom, and strength from the Lord and that they would walk faithfully (and fearfully) following His Word so that they would know the great joy that comes from seeing their children walk in the truth.

There is no greater joy.

The Rest of the Story

In my last entry I told the story of Patrick Hamilton, the first martyr of Scotland. I showed you his initials which are in the walkway marking the spot where he was burned at the stake. I spoke about how overwhelming it was to stand there and consider the significance of what happened at that very spot.

How do the locals respond to the historical significance of this location? Do they quietly pass by showing respect? Do they stop for a time of self-examination and prayer? Hardly! The initials of Patrick Hamilton are right outside of the campus of the University of St. Andrews. Hundred's of college students walk by these initials every day. The student's have reduced these initials to a matter of superstitious ritual. The belief is that if you want to graduate you must avoid stepping on the initials of Patrick Hamilton. What? Of course others (the more rebellious type) purposefully step on the initials out of contempt for the superstitious tradition. So the intellectuals at the university have reduced the significance of this historic location down to the level of "step on a crack and break your mother's back." It is doubtful if many of the students could tell you very much about Patrick Hamilton or the significance of his life and death.

So what have the "Christians" done in light of Hamilton's legacy? Well, right across the street from the initials stands the Martyrs Church. This looked interesting and even promising so I ventured across the street to get a closer look. What I saw is what you see pictured above (You can click on the picture to make it bigger). You'll notice that the Martyrs Church is pastored by the Rev. Dr. J. Mary Henderson. A woman pastor. We've come a long way, baby! This is a blatant disregard of the clear teaching of Scripture regarding the roles of men and women in the church. And you can imagine that this is not the only compromise that this church has made with the truth. This reflects the watered down, mushy Christianity practiced by so many today. We disregard the Scripture and we accomodate the culture. This is just a guess but I doubt that the Rev. Dr. will ever have her initials put in the sidewalk.

You can imagine the emotional swing I experienced just by walking from one side of the street to the other. You know what? We need more Patrick Hamiltons today. We need believers who will stand up for the truth and willingly make what ever sacrifice is necessary. Patrick Hamilton was gripped by the truth of the gospel. Patrick Hamilton was compelled by the love of His Savior. I want my life to be moved by the things that matter.

The Power of the Truth

For the past week and a half I was on a golfing vacation in Scotland with my dad and two of my brothers. I have been playing golf for the past 43 years. Not only do I enjoy playing the game but I appreciate the rich history of the sport. Going to Scotland is going to the birthplace of golf. We played the Old Course in St. Andrews and it was exciting to be in a place with such a significant past.

But what impacted me the most in St. Andrews was not playing the links of the Old Course. What impacted me the most was standing next to what you see pictured here. These are the initials PH which are in the walkway right outside of St. Salvator's Chapel on the campus of St. Andrews Universtiy. They are the initials of Patrick Hamilton whose story stirred my heart.

Patrick Hamilton was born in a noble Scotttish family and he became a distinguished young man in his own right. He traveled to Germany to study at a university in Marburg. While Hamilton was there he became acquainted with the teaching of Martin Luther. The impact of this teaching along with Hamilton's own zealous study of Scripture convinced him of the truth that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone based on Scripture alone. Hamilton then desired to return and preach these great truths to his own countrymen.

After preaching in Scotland for some time, Hamilton was invited to come to St. Andrews to have his teaching examined there by some church leaders. What happened next is recorded for us in Foxe's Book of Martyrs. "But his enemies could not stand the light, and finding that they were unable to defend themselves by argument, resolved upon violence and revenge." Hamilton was then imprisoned, tried, and sentenced to death. The initials in the walkway mark the spot where Patrick Hamilton was burned at the stake. He was 24 years old.

Wow! It was a humbling experience to stand there at that spot and realize that in 1528 this young man was a martyr for the truth. Hamilton's death was not in vain however. The power of the truth he proclaimed punctuated by his fearless death sparked the reformation in Scotland. As a believer in America today I benefit from the godly heritage of men like Patrick Hamilton. In fact, there is a large monument less than 100 yards from the first tee of the Old Course which is simply called the Martyrs Monument for all the faithful Scottish believers who gave their lives for the truth.

What am I giving my life for? Moments like this are a motivation to examine my own life and realize how much effort and time I can put into things that really don't matter and how much I can neglect the one thing that really does matter - the truth. It would be easy to leave St. Andrews inspired by the memories of Old Tom Morris, Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus, and many other great golfers, but I left moved and encouraged by the example of a young man that many have never heard of. The initials of Patrick Hamilton served as a great reminder to me of the power of the truth. What a privilege to give our lives away for the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.