 |
Ed
Standifer with sons Wayne (8 1/2) and Bobby (13 )
Lake Junaluska, NC (1952) |
To
what extent does money equal power in the world today? As much as in
Amos’ day or more? (Serendipity Bible 10th Anniversary
Edition, page 1272).
For
God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that
whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John
3:16 NIV).
Be
kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as
in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32 NIV).
I
believe [the above two Bible texts] encapsulate the essence of
Christianity. (Through the Year with Jimmy Carter, page
188).
Grateful
within the family of man, he prayed for individuals’ care. (My
father’s epitaph).
We
only had to be subjected to the past election season here in America
(to elect our nation’s president) to understand the extent to which
the belief in the power of money is implanted within our society. The
hearts and minds of the American people could be purchased (it was
devoutly believed) with millions, even billions of dollars spent on
unrelenting propaganda. As the saying goes, in America we have
accepted in principle the power and rectitude of money in politics;
all we have left to do is dicker over the price.
Many
of us are severe skeptics regarding the power of money. My father as
a Methodist minister was embellished with very few dollars. But I
learned a lesson from him that I will never forget. He believed
adamantly in the essence of Christianity as described above. In
neither text encapsulating his steadfast belief is money ever
mentioned. Real power has to do with the hearts and minds of people
when they are gifted with simplicity and truth. My father was one of
the most humble men I ever knew – and also one of the most
powerfully persuasive. Daddy was a power to be reckoned with because
he believed John 3:16 and he lived Ephesians 4:32.
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