Quote from Forum Archives on May 18, 2010, 11:40 am

Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

 

THE BUCKET LIST

May 16, 2010

 

 

Text: Proverbs 30:7-9

    

 

 

About three years ago, a movie came out starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman called The Bucket List.  They portray a couple of patients with terminal cancer who leave their cancer ward to accomplish things on their to-do list before they die.  Or, as the metaphor goes, before they “kick the bucket.”  Hence the title The Bucket List.  Even though I have not seen the movie, the title still jumped into my head as Lois and I were sharing a devotional with a scripture reference to Proverbs 30:7-9, “Two things I ask of you, O Lord; do not refuse me before I die.”  Seems like Agur, the author of this section of Proverbs, might have had his own “bucket list.”

 

Not surprisingly, an internet search turns up some “bucket list” ideas.  There are some fairly common things listed: travel, skydiving, learn to dance, create a better relationship with a family member or friend, and so on.  Most things have to do with putting off a delayed dream or goal.  Agur’s very brief list got me to wondering, “What might be on someone’s list who is seeking or following God?”  Agur requests two things, which I’ll get to.  What might be some other requests on our “bucket list” we might ask the Lord to provide before we die?

 

I’ll begin with what is frequently the conclusion of an evangelical sermon: salvation.  Agur’s question might be re-phrased, “One thing I ask of you, O Lord; do not refuse me before I die: save my soul.”  In Mark 8:34-37, Jesus declares, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.  What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?  Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”  A “bucket list” may contain any number of dreams and goals, but if it fails to include belief in Jesus as Savior, it is a list that will not amount to much.  Everything is at stake here, for our eternal existence consists of one of two states: we either live in the presence of the Lord, or we don’t.  The disciple Thomas asked Jesus, “‘Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’  Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:5-6)

 

The whole of Scripture reveals God’s redemptive will.  As we aptly and accurately note, a wonderful summation of the Gospel is John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”  It is indeed sad that such overwhelming love as this is dismissed so commonly in our day.  It is indeed sad that far too many attempt to use God’s grace against Him.  Peter dealt with skeptics, too, who scoffed at the notion of a returning savior.  Peter countered, saying, “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.  The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.  He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:8-9)  It’s too bad that movie audiences were deceived with false hope and short term emotional satisfaction instead of with God’s truth of eternal hope and joy.  If seeking salvation through God’s gift in Jesus Christ has never been or is not on your list, then you might as well wad up your list and throw it away.  It is useless.  Begin your list this way: “One thing I ask of you, O Lord; do not refuse me before I die: save my soul.”  The overwhelmingly Good News is that this is exactly what the Lord promises to fulfill, and God always keeps His promises.  He delights in it.

 

It is after asking the Lord for salvation, and receiving it, that we can and should seek His direction on further action items on our “bucket list.”  This is where we return to Agur’s list: “Two things I ask of you, O Lord; do not refuse me before I die; keep falsehood and lies far from me.” (Proverbs 30:7-8)  Imagine all the things that a person might include in his or her list.  If you happened to see the movie, think of the things that Nicholson and Freeman had on their lists.  How many lists do you think included a request for honesty?  Agur requested God to make him an honest person by keeping him from telling falsehoods and lies. 

 

Coming home from work, a woman stopped at the corner deli to buy a chicken for supper.  The butcher reached into a barrel, grabbed the last chicken he had, flung it on the scales behind the counter, and told the woman its weight.  “I really need a bit more than that,” she said.  “Do you have any larger ones?”  Without a word, the butcher put the chicken back into the barrel, groped around as though finding another, pulled the same chicken out, and placed it on the scales.  “This chicken weighs a pound more,” he announced.   The woman replied, “Great!  I'll take them both.”  Honesty really is the best policy.  (Clark Cothern, Tecumseh, Michigan.  Leadership, Vol. 15, no. 4.)  That butcher needed to attend to his “bucket list.”

 

In contrast, Rob Mouw practiced honesty while playing soccer as a senior at Wheaton Christian High School in Illinois.  In the closing seconds of a game against Waubonsie Valley, a team ranked high in the state, Mouw managed a breakaway and kicked the tying goal.  With Wheaton fans cheering the upset and Waubonsie fans protesting the goal was late, Mouw walked to the referee and asked whether the official time was kept on the scoreboard or the referee's stopwatch.  The scoreboard time was official, he was told.  Mouw then explained that just before his kick, he had seen zeros on the scoreboard clock.  Since he hadn't heard a whistle, he kept playing.  But his goal was late, and he didn't think it should count.  The referee reversed his call, awarding the game to Waubonsie.  That night, Mouw went home to his homework.  “I didn't think much about it,” he says.  “I hadn't done anything that great.  For me, acting honestly was just a reflection of Christ in me.”  Nationally syndicated sportswriter Bob Greene heard and then wrote about the event.  “If you're sick of the direction sports in this country have been taking -- from the preening and taunting of Deion Sanders and his many followers, to the tiresome bickering between millionaire professional athletes and the millionaire owners of their teams -- then here's a sports story for you.”  He closed his column by quoting Mouw: “Every time in your life you have an opportunity to do right, you should be thankful.  For a person to know what right is, and then not to do it - -that would be a sin.  To have won the game -- I mean, really, who cares?  Doing the right thing is more important.  It lets you have peace.”  Days later, Mouw received a hand-written letter: “Dear Rob, I read Bob Greene's wonderful column about you.  I love sports and true sportsmen.  My faith in our future was renewed and lifted by that column.  Never lose your principles.  Always stand for what's decent and right.  That's what you told us all when you refused the victory!”  The signature: former President George Bush. (Christian Reader, "Ordinary Heroes," 1995)

 

Sounds to me as if Rob Mouw is getting his list in order at any early age.  Christians have a witness to maintain.  Our witness is not very good if we do not keep falsehood and lies far away from us.  “Keep falsehood and lies far from me.”  By the way, Rob Mouw went on to play soccer for Wheaton College, helping the team to a national championship in 1997.

 

Agur made a second request: “Two things I ask of you, O Lord; do not refuse me before I die; …give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.” (Proverbs 30:7-8)  Again, this is probably not the kind of request that is going to show up on many “bucket lists.”  Nevertheless, it is a useful request to make as we follow the Lord.  Recall that as they began their wilderness journey to the Promised Land, God responded to their request for food: “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘I will rain down bread from heaven for you.  The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day.  In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.  On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.’” (Exodus 16:4-5)  Some of the assembly failed to follow the precise instructions, though: “However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell.  So Moses was angry with them.” (Exodus 16:20)  God provided sufficiently for their daily needs.

 

But God’s grace often exceeds our basic needs.  God loves His people so much that He frequently multiplies the blessings on the endeavors of those faithful to Him.  Moses even anticipated this when he gathered the assembly together to instruct them as recorded in Deuteronomy: “When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.  Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day.  Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.  He led you through the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions.  He brought you water out of hard rock.  He gave you manna to eat in the desert, something your fathers had never known, to humble and to test you so that in the end it might go well with you.  You may say to yourself, ‘My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.’  But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.” (Deuteronomy 8:10-18)

 

If you want to put your finger on a major source of the problems facing the nations today, it is directly related to these verses.  We have failed to give humble thanks to God for all He has given us.  He has given so much – even more than He blessed the Israelites with in human terms – yet we have turned our backs on Him.  I can’t think of any developed nation in our world that honors the Lord.  I know that Christians throughout those nations worship and honor God, but we have so much more a national attitude of arrogance and hatefulness and outright distaste expressed toward God that I wonder how much more he will take.  I think that He is already in the process of removing His blessings from many of these nations, including our own.  We’ll have to see if the message gets through.

 

Anyway, Agur had the proper perspective.  He openly states the reason for this request: “Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’  Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.’” (Proverbs 30:9)  Pretty astute observation, don’t you think?  I do.

 

I don’t really know that Agur was compiling a “bucket list,” but he did ask the Lord to grant Him these two requests before he died.  I’m pretty sure that born-again Christians seeking to serve the Lord can come up with many other things to add to the list.  Maybe serving as a Christian missionary locally or far afield.  Maybe passing on our Christian legacy and experience by mentoring a boy or girl.  Maybe using our material blessings to enhance the service of another person.  Such a list can go on for some length, I think.  But it all has a beginning.  As I said at the outset, if crying out to God for salvation is not on your list, you’re not going to get very far.  All the other requests will be an exercise in futility.  They will lead only to death.  Only through the loving mercy of God through the sacrificial love of Christ can we receive eternal life with Him.

 

“Two things I ask of you, O Lord; do not refuse me before I die; keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.” (Proverbs 30:7-8)  Now that’s what I call a “bucket list.”

 

 

 

Rev. Charles A. Layne

First Baptist Church

179 W. Broadway

PO Box 515

Bunker Hill, IN 46914

765-689-7987

bhfbc@bhfirstbaptist.com

www.bhfirstbaptist.com

 

 

 

 

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