George Beverly Shea

“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped;

therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him.” 

Psalm 28:7 (Bev's life verse)

This afternoon I found myself attending the funeral of a man I had never met.  For the past two years I have lived just down the road from George Beverly Shea.  His celebration service was held within walking distance of my house.  So, I went.  And it made me wish I had just taken the time to walk down to his house, knock on the door, and introduce myself.  Because not all giants of the faith are recorded in the Bible… some live just down the street.  And oh – what we can learn from those whose lives are focused on Jesus! 

 

George Beverly Shea died this past week at the age of 104.  He was a close friend of Billy Graham for 70 years.  Before Billy preached, Bev sang – and it was mentioned this afternoon that Billy Graham once said, “I’d rather hear Bev sing than anyone else in the whole world.”

 

It’s no wonder.  His voice was incredible.  I almost teared up listening to the recordings of it during the service today.  But – it was more than just his voice.  Bev loved Jesus – and it showed up in his songs, his interactions with others, and his entire life. 

When he was younger, Bev found the poem “I’d Rather Have Jesus” by Rhea F. Miller on his piano and came up with a tune for it.  Here’s a recording of Bev singing it in 1965. 

 

But look at the words:

“I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause

I’d rather be faithful to His dear cause

I’d rather have Jesus than world-wide fame

I’d rather be true to His holy name.”

Although he won a Grammy (1965) and a Lifetime Achievement Grammy (2011), composed many songs, recorded more than 70 albums and sang hundreds of concerts, fame was not the focus of Bev’s heart.

Here are some of the comments made during the service:

·         In the opening prayer, Richard White stated that if all we did was talk about Bev “…that would be to miss the point of his life.” 

·         “He was a big, strong man – but he was strong in heart…a Gentle Giant.”

·         “He loved life, loved people, and loved laughter because he loved the Lord.”

·         “When we get to heaven, something about Jesus’ face will seem familiar to us because of Bev…”

·         “Without Jesus, Bev may well have been a singer, but not one of eternal significance.”

·         David Bruce got up and shared about a song called “The Longer I Serve Him” that Bev sang.  It was written by the Gaithers after an older woman (I believe Gloria Gaither’s mother) was asked at the end of her life whether it was worth serving Jesus, she replied, “The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.”   David Bruce added that it seems that the longer people serve Jesus, the sweeter they grow.  Look at this video of Bev last year at the age of 103.

 

This was a precious man.  And he was precious because he spent his life serving a precious Savior.  The point of his life was to point others to the Lord Jesus Christ.    

What a life!  Whether we live to be 104 years old or only 20 – may we find our significance in an unwavering focus on Jesus.  Then, truly, our funeral service will be called a celebration.

Things That Are Not

“…the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.”  

Romans 4:17b

Things that are not. 

Interesting.

I don’t think I would describe myself that way very often.  I like to think of myself as something.

But that phrase comes up in I Corinthians as well.  

“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.  He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.”  I Corinthians 1:27-29

That phrase has always stuck out to me...but God knew that I needed to hear these verses this afternoon.  Sometimes I get caught up in thinking that I need recognition – the pat on the back or the words of praise.  Or sometimes it's just not wanting someone to whisper negative comments about me or my work.  And then God reminds me…that He is everything.  And if it wasn’t for Him – I would just be something that is not. J

I was reading in A.W. Tozer’s The Pursuit of God a few weeks ago and loved this passage:

“Let us examine our burden…First, there is the burden of pride.  The labor of self-love is a heavy one indeed.  Think for yourself whether much of your sorrow has not arisen from someone speaking slightingly of you.  As long as you have set yourself up as a little god to which you must be loyal there will be those who will delight to offer affront to your idol.  How then can you hope to have inward peace?  The heart’s fierce effort to protect itself from every slight, to shield its touchy honor from the bad opinion of friend and enemy, will never let the mind have rest.  Continue this fight through the years and the burden will become intolerable.  Yet the sons of earth are carrying this burden continually, challenging every word spoken against them, cringing under every criticism, smarting under each fancied slight, tossing sleepless if another person is preferred before them.

Such a burden as this is not necessary to bear.  Jesus calls us to His rest, and meekness is His method.  The meekman cares not at all who is greater than He, for he has long ago decided that the esteem of the world is not worth the effort.  He develops toward himself a kindly sense of humor and learns to say, ‘Oh, so you have been overlooked?  They have placed someone else before you?  They have whispered that you are pretty small stuff after all?  And now you feel hurt because the world is saying about you the very things you have been saying about yourself?  Only yesterday you were telling God that you were nothing, a mere worm of the dust.  Where is your consistency?  Come on, humble yourself, and cease to care what men think.’

The meek man is not a human mouse afflicted with a sense of his own inferiority.  Rather, he may be in his moral life as bold as a lion and as strong as Samson; but he has stopped being fooled about himself.   He has accepted God’s estimate of his own life.  He knows he is as weak and helpless as God has declared him to be, but paradoxically, he knows at the same time that he is in the sight of God of more importance than angels.  In himself, nothing; in God everything.”

Isn’t that always the key?  We are nothing.  God should be everything.

So, to bring it back around – let’s look at a larger chunk of the I Corinthians passage:

“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.  He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.  It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God – that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.  Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.’” 

I Corinthians 1:27-31

May we always boast in the Lord. 

Let’s face it.  Without Him – we’re just not. J