53. Wala ka sa Lolo ko. He started good, midway he failed, by God's grace, he got a second life to serve the Lord.
7 November 2020
Ernst Josephson, David and Saul, 1878.
Ernst Josephson • Public domain
Acts 13
21 Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years.
22 After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’
They have the same name. One starting great, yet finishing miserably. One starting miserably, yet finishing well.
Here's something I wrote earlier, 22 August 2017.
“Saul the Pharisee was at that time already referred to as the Apostle Paul, and he spoke of his namesake, Saul, first king of Israel.
The Prophet Samuel was Israel’s leader as judge when the people clamored for a king, like the other nations (1 Samuel 8:5-20).
Kish had a son named Saul, as handsome a young man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than anyone else (1 Samuel 9:2).
Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel forty-two years (1 Samuel 13:1).
Saul had an imposing appearance ideal for a king, yet he fell from God’s favor. “I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions. Samuel was angry, and he cried out to the LORD all that night” (1 Samuel 15:11).
King Saul became jealous of David. He was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. “They have credited David with tens of thousands,” he thought, “but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?”(1 Samuel 18:8).
King Saul ended failing miserably. For Saul the Pharisee, God’s mercy turned him around to be His faithful servant.
“Lord, as Samuel had said: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams” (1 Samuel 15:22). Nothing pleases You, Lord, other than an obedient heart. As a parent, I am the same. As a follower of Christ, Lord, I ought to have submission in heart. This I will not be able to do, Lord, for my own efforts will simply fail, but only by Your grace, by Your Spirit; this may You grant, in Jesus’ name. Amen.””
Let's look at the conclusion of the Book of Ecclesiastes.
Ecclesiastes 12
1 Remember your Creator
in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble come
and the years approach when you will say,
“I find no pleasure in them”—
7 and the dust returns to the ground it came from,
and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
8 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher.
“Everything is meaningless!”
The Conclusion of the Matter.
Ecclesiastes 12
13 Now all has been heard;
here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the duty of all mankind.
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.
Only one life 'twill soon be past.
Only what's done for Christ will last. - Poem, “Only One Life”, Charles Studd
Charles Thomas Studd, often known as C. T. Studd (2 December 1860 – 16 July 1931), was a British missionary.
Studd emphasised the life of faith, believing that God would provide for a Christian's needs. His father died while he was in China, and he gave away his inheritance of £29,000, specifying £5,000 to be used for the Moody Bible Institute, £5,000 for George Müller mission work and his orphans, £5,000 for George Holland's work with England's poor in Whitechapel, and £5,000 to Commissioner Booth Tucker for the Salvation Army in India.
Studd continues to be best remembered by many for the poem, “Only One Life”. Its memorable verse states:
Only one life 'twill soon be past.
Only what's done for Christ will last.
This poem inspired the song “Only One Life” written by Lanny Wolfe in 1973.
I started good, midway I failed. By God's grace, I got a second life to serve the Lord.
One day my children's children will say, wala ka sa Lolo ko, he started good, midway he failed, by God's grace, he got a second life to serve the Lord. Amen.
May you be blessed.
Maraming salamat.
However difficult we face life, my prayer is that we will all finish well for God's glory. Thank you for inspiring us Picoy Christian Gonzales with your blog. 💙
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