One of Tulsa's more famous preachers is Victory Christian's Billy Joe Daugherty. We have been friends for nearly twenty years. Our exchanges of notes far outweigh a few moments of getting to share a breakfast here and there.
I shot an email of congratulations to my friend this morning. He should hear from me.
A winner of a Peace Prize? A promotion? A nation reached? Funds raised? None of those.
Billy Joe is found to have cancer.
What an incredible opportunity for the very work this man does. His entire life is given to shine the light that God might be glorified. If I know Billy Joe, and I do, this cancer will not serve as a bulb burnt out but yet another light added to bring clearer focus to God.
Everything is a "Yes" and cancer is one of them. I know. It looks/sounds so strange. But God uses every crumb of life to advantage the believer. Billy Joe just became even more advantaged....and such is worthy of our congratulations.
Believers? What for? Because we think God runs the show....and every issue can be transformed into opportunity for even more glory! My friend....he is a believer!
2 comments:
Mr. Rush, thanks for sharing about Billy Joe -- sounds like a great guy. Reminds me of a gentleman in my congregation, one of our greatest pray-ors -- he actually THANKS God for...his STROKE! And it's so heartfelt, and will bring a grown man to broken humility to hear him offer that prayer of thanksgiving, b/c of how God's used it in his life.
Such are amazing believers that so brightly shine praise to the Father, and such wonderful examples of courage that have lead me to actually appreciate, in a very meek and modest way, the Alzheimers of one of my own parents. God is indeed too good to us.
Your post reminded me of when John Piper was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He wrote a post on his blog titled, "Don't Waste Your Cancer," in which he shared his determination to glorify God in his cancer. It was a powerful piece because I had never considered how such difficult times could be used to glorify God. Thanks for the reminder.
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