Headlines around the world announced the news “The King Is Dead.” People from all walks of life are drawn to the title that means power, wealth, and luxury. A title often misused in modern society; this was a real King. He lived in royal splendor and reigned over a country that has 1/5 of the world’s oil. That oil created a vast fortune, resulting in great power and influence for his small desert country. With all his power and wealth, he couldn’t stop the effects of time. Yes, his 90 years was longer than the average life span, but he finally died like everyone else.
My younger brother Michael was born exactly one year to the day after I was. His first challenge was a bad heart that affected his health, his entire life. His thin, weak body and oversized head made him the object of cruel jokes. His glasses never seemed to fit and were often broken and held together by tape. My older brother and I should have stood up for him, but our own insecurities led us to add to his misery. To make matters worse, Michael also struggled in school.
One place where Michael found acceptance was in Church. When he discovered JESUS loved him just the way he was, he loved it. I remember him carrying a big Bible and sitting on the front row in Church. He eventually received his credentials and was allowed to preach. Michael was accepted into a special needs training program and briefly worked as a flagman with the Tennessee Highway Department. He died at 19 years of age (1978), after doctors tried to correct his heart problems. At his funeral the small Church was full of people he had touched during his brief life, but only a few lines in the local newspaper mentioned his passing.
You might say Michael’s life didn’t amount to much in comparison to the King’s. However, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 KJV). Michael didn’t have many advantages, but he accepted JESUS as his SAVIOR and is in Heaven. If the King didn’t accept JESUS and is in Hell, which life really amounted to anything?
Wayne Lance (2015) – That’s Good News to Share!