On Friday, June 11, 2004 as we all know, the 40th President of the United States, President Ronald Wilson Reagan, was laid to rest. In the nation’s capital it was an overcast drizzly day that seemed as if Heaven was shedding tears with the nation whose outpouring of love for former President Reagan was an extremely moving experience. Following the state Memorial Service in the Washington National Cathedral, which was filled with dignitaries from many countries, four living ex-presidents, and friends, the former President, Mrs. Reagan, and family, flew back to California to thousands of mourners lining the streets wanting to catch one last glimpse of a leader they greatly admired and a man they deeply loved. Above was a cloudless sky and a smiling sun in the Golden State that Ronald Reagan loved dearly and called his home.

At the grave-side service at the Reagan Memorial Library set on a hill overlooking some of the majestic California mountains, the Air Force Band and the Army Choir were playing and singing, I presume, some of the former President’s favorite songs, not only “Hail to the Chief,” and “America the Beautiful” but old-time hymns that were of great significance such as “Just as I am, and waiting not to rid my soul of one dark blot, to Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.” And “Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, calling for you and for me … Calling, O sinner, come home.”

These grand hymns of the Christian faith, with the testimony of son Michael Reagan regarding his father’s faith and trust in Jesus Christ, was a bright, shining light shattering for at least a brief moment of time the ever-increasing and lengthening shadow of an insidious spiritual darkness that is currently reaching across the American nation. President Reagan talked of the evil of Communism and helped end its tyranny and the cold war. But that was an enemy without—and as another said—an enemy that wore a uniform and could be recognized.

The evil enemy today, however, dwells among us and wears no uniform. It is seen, not only in the evil of fanatical religiously motivated terrorism, but in an ever-increasing force that rears its ugly head and is heard in the voice of radical left-wing judges who defy the vote of Congress, the vote of the Senate, and the will of the President. It is seen in the demands of vocal minorities who are seeking to destroy marriage and the family as God designed it; in the vote of politicians who allow innocent babies to be murdered; in the continual flow of words published by certain media, and in the attitude of all who join them in their determination to get rid of every vestige of Christianity, Christian prayer, God’s Word, and God’s name from every area of the public arena. One wonders what their home-going will be like. What a contrast to those who have faithfully trusted and served God, whose names are written in God’s Book of Life.

For example, if you listen with your heart you can hear the Lord’s welcome home to Ronald Wilson Reagan with the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord.”

And you can imagine hearing the angelic choir singing, not only for Ronald, but also for you and me. Let’s join with them in our prayer for today: “Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, Calling for you and for me; See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching, Watching for you and for me. O for the wonderful love he has promised, Promised for you and for me; Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon, Pardon for you and for me … Come home, come home, Ye who are weary come home; Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, Calling, O sinner, come home!”²

NOTE: If you have never “come home” to Jesus and accepted God’s gift of forgiveness and his promise of eternal life to be with him in heaven forever, why not do that today. To help you do this click on the link to God’s Invitation at: https://learning.actsweb.org/invitation.php.

1. Psalm 23:4, 6 (NIV).

2. Will L. Thompson (1847-1909).

Many definitions have been given to describe friendship. Some time ago an English publication offered a prize for the best one, and, “A friend is one who understands our silence” was one of the thousands of entries. But the one that took first prize was this: “A friend—the one who comes in when the whole world has gone out.”

To me, a true friend is one who knows all about you and loves you still, who gives you his or her presence, who listens with his or her heart and actually hears what you are saying—who accepts you for who you are and not for what you have or haven’t done. A good friend is one who doesn’t judge you, try to fix you, or tell you what you should do. He or she will appreciate your friendship and tell you so, will rejoice with you in your successes and weep with you in your sorrows. And, at times, a good friend will confront you and graciously point out a fault, but no matter what, he or she will stand by you. These friends are rare and precious.

But the greatest friend of all is the One who stepped out of the ivory palaces of heaven and came to earth as a man—clothed in a garment of human flesh—to identify with us, and who died on the cross to save us from our sins, to give us a free pardon and the gift of eternal life. He is “a friend who sticks closer than a brother” and will “never, not ever, no never leave us or forsake us.”² His love is absolutely total, unconditional, and eternal. His name is Jesus.

Prayer: “Dear Jesus, thank you that you are a friend of sinners and, as such, you have accepted me as a friend of yours. Help me to show my appreciation for your dying on the cross in my place by my living for you in every way possible. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Proverbs 18:24 (NLT).

2. See Hebrews 13:5

If you know Bible history, you will recall how the Israelites had been slaves in Egypt for some 430 years and God was calling Moses to return to Egypt to confront Pharaoh to let God’s people go. This was to deliver them from slavery and lead them to the Promised Land—the land that God had promised them many years before through Abraham, the father of the Israeli nation.

Because he wasn’t good at speaking, Moses didn’t feel that he would be able to take on this seemingly impossible task. So God challenged Moses by saying, “What is that in your hand?” and then performed an unusual miracle with Moses’ stick. This was to ensure Moses that God would be with him to convince the Israelites that God had called him, and to assure Moses that God would perform any miracles needed to convince Pharaoh to ultimately let God’s people go.

As an aside, last year Joy and I were in Egypt and when visiting the great pyramids, I couldn’t help but wonder if the Israeli slaves were used to build or help build these massive structures. I asked our tour guide if this were possible and she didn’t know.

Fast forward to today’s world in which God has a work for you and me to do in each of the worlds in which we live. Unfortunately, many of us don’t feel capable of doing anything significant for God and consequently sit back and virtually waste our lives by not fulfilling God’s purpose for it. So God’s question to each of us today is: “What is that in your hand?” Or to put it in local talk, “What is your schtick (or ‘staff’)?”

In other words, what God-given gifts do you have? What do you enjoy doing and do reasonably well? What would you like to be doing if you had the opportunity? These activities usually indicate what your stick is; that is, what gift or gifts that are in your hand. Whatever these are, be sure to put these abilities to good use in serving God, remembering that we serve God by serving people.

If you are a gifted teacher, then perhaps you could teach a Sunday school or Bible class. If you are a gifted speaker or writer, then look for ways to use these gifts to help spread the gospel and message of Jesus Christ. If you are good at encouraging people, then use this gift generously. You can serve through your local church, through local community services, by helping local or overseas missions, by helping with and supporting para-church organizations, by reaching out to a neighbor in need, by being a volunteer with a local service group—or in any of a hundred other productive ways.

Remember, too, that when you stand before Jesus and give an account of your life, be sure that you won’t just stand there holding your schtick that appears as if it were just taken out of the gift box. With God’s help, I hope that when this time comes for me, my schtick will appear to be almost completely worn out from having put it to productive use.

Suggested prayer: Dear God, thank you for the schtick (gift/s) you have placed in my hand. Help me to get the best training possible so I can make the best use of my stick for effective service, and to find ways to use my stick to serve and bring honor to you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Exodus 4:1-4 (NIV).