I'd rather have Jesus!

George Beverly Shea is a great man of God who has impacted millions of lives through his singing, especially the 50+ years spent working with Billy Graham in his crusades. I can still hear that deep baritone voice as he sang hundreds of beautiful hymns, gospel songs, and choruses. Like Billy, George is well up in years - over 90 years of age. But even today he has a voice which rings out clearly his love for the Heavenly Father!

One of my favorite songs he would sing at the crusades is actually one Shea co-wrote with Rhea Miller, "I'd Rather Have Jesus." Miller wrote the lyrics in 1922, and seventeen years later Bev Shea produced the music to accompany the words. And what words they are:
I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
I'd rather be His than have riches untold;
I'd rather have Jesus than houses or lands,
I'd rather be led by His nail-pierced hand.

Chorus: Than to be the king of a vast domain
Or held in sin's dread sway.
I'd rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today.

I'd rather have Jesus than men's applause;
I'd rather be faithful to His dear cause;
I'd rather have Jesus than worldwide fame,
I'd rather be true to His holy name.

(Chorus)

He's fairer than lilies of rarest bloom;
He's sweeter than honey from out the comb;
He's all that my hungering spirit needs,
I'd rather have Jesus and let Him lead.

(Chorus)

This great song seems to go very well with the proverb I want to share today, Proverbs 15:16:
"Better is a little with the fear of the Lord,
Than great treasure with trouble."

Eugene Peterson, writer of the contemporary English translation of the Bible called "The Message" states Proverbs 15:16 this way:
"A simple life in the Fear-of-God
is better than a rich life with a ton of headaches."

That seems to describe the lives of so many people pretty well -- "a ton of headaches." Life can be filled with tension - relationships, work, school, and even sometimes at church. The wife tells you that the washing machine broke and it will cost $500 to replace it . . . the children act disrespectfully and cause you great heartache . . . you receive a lay-off notice at work. Many of life's tensions are caused by things outside your control, but we would have to honestly say that much of it simply is a response to some action or attitude of our own. According to Dave Ramsey (the financial guru) over 70% of American households are living paycheck to paycheck. There is tremendous stress financially. A related statistic shows us that the number one factor in divorce today is financial stress within the family. It's not adultery . . . it's not abuse . . . it is money!

People today are drowning in an ocean of debt and it is due primarily to the fact that most people keep spending trying to find satisfaction and peace. Problem is, satisfaction and peace can't be found in anything we can buy. Those things are temporal in nature and don't meet the deepest needs of our lives. That's why Solomon says in his proverb that living a more simple life that includes a right relationship with God is preferable to a life filled with worldly treasure but devoid of God.

I know that for me personally, I would much rather have my relationship with Jesus Christ than to be without Him and rolling in money! In fact, nothing this world has to offer comes close to what I possess in Jesus. I know peace because of Jesus! I know comfort in the hard times because of Jesus! I know a sense of security about all aspects of life because of Jesus! I know no fear of death because of Jesus!

When George Beverly Shea sings, "I'd rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today", I'm all about that! Praise God, I have a Lord and Savior who is King of all the earth and showers those who love Him with blessings far greater than silver or gold.