Let it be said of us

This is the third song/hymn that cousin Prabhu  taught us from among the songs they sing in his church in Livermore, California.

‘Let it be said of us’  by Steve Fry

Let it be said of us that the Lord was our passion,
That with gladness we bore every cross we were given;
That we fought the good fight, that we finished the course,
Knowing within us the power of the risen Lord

REFRAIN
Let the cross be our glory and the Lord be our song.
By mercy made holy, by the Spirit made strong.
Let the cross be our glory and the Lord be our song
‘Til the likeness of Jesus be through us made known.
Let the cross be our glory and the Lord be our song.

Let it be said of us: we were marked by forgiveness,
We were known by our love and delighted in meekness.
We were ruled by His peace, heeding unity’s call,
Joined as one body that Christ would be seen by all.

This lyric has so many thoughts from the scriptures:

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  2 Tim 4:7

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, Jam 1:2

that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, Phil 3:10

But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Gal 6:14

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ Phil 3:8

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son . . . Rom 8:29

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Eph 4:32

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”  John 13:34-35

I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ 2 Cor 10:1

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Col 3:15

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” John 17:20,21

Do you really really believe that God exists?

In 1978, in Clarence High school, the scripture curriculum for Std VIII included memorising the RSV rendering of Hebrews chapter 11. Our teacher would announce as soon as he entered the classroom: “Say your memory verse,” and sit down at his desk.

And it would begin.

In a very orderly fashion, one by one my classmates and I stood up to say the memory verse and sit down. For instance, let’s say we were doing the ninth verse, it might go something like this:

Student stands up

Heb 11:9 “By faith they sojourned in the land of promise as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.”

Student sits down.

Next student stands up

Heb 11:9 “By faith they sojourned in the land of promise as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.”

Student sits down.

Next student stands up

Heb 11:9 “By faith they sojourned in the land of promise as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.”

Student sits down.

We were about 35 students, and soon the teacher would not be really listening to us.

Next student stands up

Heb 11:9 “By faith they sojourned in the land of promise as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.”

Student sits down.

Next student standing up might say something like

Heb 11:9 “By faith the aeroplanes fly in the sky and even if you don’t believe me,  its true, heirs with him of the same promise.”

Student sits down.

Still in the same orderly fashion, more classmates would say the most ridiculous things when it came to their turn after starting with “Heb 11:9 By faith”.  I would usually be the last to notice what was going on, finding out only after the class was in fits of giggles, which was about the same time the teacher broke away from his reverie and started listening again.

However imperfect those classes were, I memorised the passage (we got up to vs 21, I believe) and what a blessing it has been.

It is easy to understand why people like Enoch, Noah, and Abraham are included in this list of the stalwarts of faith. But Jephthah!? And Samson?! Why are they included?

I thank God that they are included—obviously imperfect men who were nevertheless saved by God because they believed. Somewhere somehow, they were given that gift of saving faith to believe that God is really really real.

“And without faith it is impossible to please God; for whoever would draw near to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him. “

Do I really really believe that He exists? Intellectually, I know He exists. To add to this, I have also experienced His protection and care time and again. But how do I conduct myself when the next big problem comes my way? Do I behave as if I really really believe that the God of the universe exists and that He takes a personal interest in me?

The Lord had led the children of Israel out of Egypt with a strong and mighty hand. They had lived through this experience. They thus had intellectual and experiential knowledge. They had seen the Red Sea part. They had walked across as if on dry land. They had seen the waters fall back on the army of Pharoah. What did this blessed people do when they came up against the next hurdle? Why did they start complaining so soon and so bitterly? Because, they were not a spiritual people and did not have the saving faith that can be ours only by grace.

How is it with me? When the next big problem comes my way? Do I waver a wee bit, do I worry? I am ashamed that often times I do, at least initially, until I am reminded to believe. But thanks be to God, it is not long before I can sing: Jesus, I am resting, resting / In the joy of what thou art; / I am finding out the greatness / Of thy loving heart, while I wait for Him to act in His own way and in His own time.