A Legacy of Consistency

Last January I was wrapping up a fulfilling holiday vacation. It had been a wonderful time of rest, recreation and family.

One of those special family moments occurred one evening around 11:00 PM when I, along with my 17-year-old grandson, took a shuttle bus to St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in Palm Desert, California, to pay our respects to Gerald R. Ford, the 38th President of the United States. We stood in a long line of people who had come to recognize a man who was the only unelected President of the United States. He was asked to serve in a time when our nation was in great turmoil. He served for only 29 months, but he did so as a humble man of faith and courage.

At his funeral, one of those who delivered a eulogy said, "He was in public what he was in private."

With that one statement, a man's legacy is built. To be consistent in one's quiet private times is the genuine reflection of what a person of faith says and does in public.

My prayer for you is a simple one. I pray that your private life will be a reflection of Paul's words to the church at Colosse, "Put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, bearing with one another, and forgiving one another ... But above all things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts." (Col. 3:12-13).

And again as Paul writes, "Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it." (Col. 4:17).

Let us not forget our commitment to the Shepherd's Covenant. May we each renew our attention to the five concepts of GRACE each and every day. 

In fact I just shared the timeless principles of this covenant in one of my podcasts.  Have you had a chance to listen?  You can access the link at our Web site at www.parsonage.org.  Or just click here for immediate access.

Have a wonderful week.