16 May 2007 Devotion for Today "Dr. Jerry Falwell" Ephesians 5:15-17

16 May 2007  Devotion for Today  “Dr. Jerry Falwell”  Ephesians 5:15-17

 

            By now you have heard or read of the passing of one of the spiritual giants of our time, Dr. Jerry Falwell.  I had the privilege of meeting and talking to Dr. Falwell on at least two different occasions- both times he showed me how interested he was in me in spite of the very busy schedule which he held.  Not surprisingly,  Jerry Falwell comes across on national television as a bigot and a buffoon, but I found him very affable and friendly and extremely intelligent.   He was also not afraid to admit that he was wrote if he made a comment that was insensitive.  He has apologized on many occasions yet still standing firm in the truth of what was said.  That showed me that Dr. Falwell humility as a man of God.  Many of his remarks were very funny, but in the humor demonstrated the firm stand that he believed God desired him to take for decency and against immorality.   He said about the behavior of students on the campus at Liberty University, “At Liberty University we allow no alcohol, no drugs, no tobacco products of any kind, and if we find a boy in a girl’s room, we shoot him! Or make him wish that we had!”   Some would say that he was not the greatest in the pulpit, but  no one could deny that Dr. Falwell was exceptional in his leadership.  All one has to do is to visit the campus of Liberty University  and his church at Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, VA and see what a man of vision Dr. Falwell was.  Its one thing to be a man of vision, but its another to bring that vision to reality.  

 

            Also not surprisingly, Jerry Falwell did not die in his bed or on a golf course- he died in his office, working.  He detested being idle.  When I was on campus last November, I heard Dr. Falwell say that age 73, God had given him an “option to renew,” meaning that he was given an extension on his life which should have ended in May 2006.  He also said he was going to live out that year as though it might be his last whatever that option turned out to be.   It turns out that it was.

 

            Dr. Falwell lived out the truth of this passage of Scripture in Ephesians 5:15-17

 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise,  redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

 

            My oldest son, who is planning to attend Liberty when he graduates from high school next year, asked, “What are we going to do when all these great men of God are gone?”  We were talking about Dr. Falwell’s death and other men like the late Dr. Adrian Rogers who have recently gone to be with the Lord. 

 

            “We are to be those men,” I said.  The challenge God gave to men like Dr. Falwell is what we now have to take up, and it will take more courage, faith, and determination than ever.  Their legacy will be our legacy.  May we redeem all the time that God has given to us right now that we may have an even greater legacy to pass down to our children if the Lord tarries.

 

            Have a blessed day!

 

 

Rev. Jeffery C. Russell
Salem Baptist Church
Elizabeth City, NC
jefferyrussell@earthlink.net

jcrussell@liberty.edu

 

Church website:   http://25621.lifewaylink.com
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