Dear Praying Believers,
Rachel and I would like to express our thanks to each one for your willingness to pray for our prodigals and for revival. Prayer makes a difference!
Yesterday, August 6, marked the five year anniversary of the death of a very dear friend of mine, George Whey. He lived in Gander, Newfoundland and faithfully served God’s people. George was only 58 years old and left a good wife and son, along with parents, heartbroken brothers and sisters in Christ, and many friends. He also left a legacy: the beautiful example of true godly character, servant leadership, and genuine love for people. This verse in Proverbs reminds me of George’s life, “The integrity of the upright guides them” (Prov.11:3). He was a man of integrity.
George was a businessman, but he spent his life sowing the seeds of the gospel and bringing much glory to God. At his graveside service, I read three passages of Scripture about sowing.
The first was about sowing the Word: “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow” (Mark 4:3). George was a sower. He loved the gospel and he taught me to never give up on a soul. One of the things he did every summer, was pull a little gospel trailer from town to town in rural Newfoundland, and share the message of the good news about Jesus with listeners who would not normally enter a regular gospel service. There were plenty of obstacles but he never let that deter him. I look back thankfully to those days when we worked together on various outreach trips.
My second text was on the words of Jesus,
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life (Jn.12:24-25).
This refers to the sowing of a life. We know it was true of Christ, who was that seed who willingly died in order to reap the abundant harvest of His precious bride. I often think of George, who was a very successful and prosperous businessman, but he never let material, worldly things govern his life. He lost his life as far as this world goes, but in the end, he gained eternal blessing. God desires this from each of us; as we lose our lives for the sake of the gospel, we live for what truly matters.
Lastly, I read the words of Paul to the Corinthians,
So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual (1 Cor.15:42-46).
For George, it happened five years ago, and those who knew him, miss him immensely. The sowing of the body will happen to each of us one day, but it will yield a spiritual body. What a bright future we have before us!
The final exhortation that Paul gave to these believers in light of this wonderful truth was, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Cor. 15:58). As we spend our lives sowing the seed of God’s Word, and although our bodies may be sown in death we can have confidence that when we stand before God in a coming day, we will rejoice with our Lord in the resulting bountiful harvest.
Thanks for praying!
Love in Christ,
Bryan and Rachel
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