My Early Story (23)

 

The Gospel According to George Will

 

It occurs to me that I should unpack what George taught me for those who might not be familiar with my passing reference to only God being able to live the Christian life; in so doing I’m demonstrating that George did in fact mentor me in the greatest possible way – he kept my focus on Christ.

 

In a recent conversation with George I heard, “I am nothing, I can do nothing, I can be nothing – Christ is everything.” That is exactly what I heard from George in the 1960’s.

 

In John 5:19 Jesus says, “The Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing.” Then in John 5:30, “I can do nothing on my own initiative.” “The Father abiding in Me does His works,” 14:10.

 

In John 15:15:5 Jesus says to us, “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

 

These are some of the passages that George used in his preaching when I was with him, passages that have become one with him over the years, passages that he still speaks of with passion.

 

Another passage I often heard from George, a passage that I was reminded of when listening to a recent sermon by my friend Michael Daily, is 1 Corinthians 1:30-31:

 

“But by His [God’s] doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the LORD.”

 

I’m getting to the place where I can really say that, “I’ve lived a long time.” I’m also getting to the place when I can say, “I’ve been a Christian for a long time – almost 60 years.” This then also allows me to say, “I’ve seen a lot of religious fads and fancies, I’ve seen a lot of substitutes for Jesus in the Christian community, a lot of substitutes for knowing Him relationally (is there any other way to know Him?) and a lot of substitutes for actually knowing the Bible – and none of them amount to anything worth keeping.

 

More than ever we live in a time of religious personalities with quick fixes, but I ask, “Where is Jesus? Where is the Christ of the Cross and the Cross of Christ?” I don’t believe that I’d be asking those questions were it not for George.

 

I have not always been a good testimony for Jesus, but God has always been merciful. There have been times I have sought the quick fix, but God has always brought me back to the Cross. And there have been many “Christian” things I’ve walked away from because I haven’t seen Jesus.

 

Even today George is enigmatic to me, there is a lot about him I don’t understand – but he certainly was used by God to build a foundation in my life.

 

“I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).