Today, I played a part in celebrating the life of Richard McAbee, a member of Woodruff First Baptist Church, a church I served over twenty years ago. I shared this story among my memories of Richard, a great discovery he made and taught me.
In 1989 I traveled to Pineville, West
Virginia, with a group of men for the purpose of building a church. While we were there, we began each day with a
time of devotion led by one of the men. One
of the first mornings of our trip, a member of our group, Richard McAbee,
shared a thought which fed our souls and guided our work for the rest of the
week. Richard read the one hundredth
Psalm to us, the psalm which begins,”
(Psalm 100:1) Make a joyful noise unto
the LORD…
This was a scripture passage we all knew
very well. But as he shared his thoughts
on that passage, he opened our eyes to a meaning fit for the moment. Richard said,
"I have never been talented in
music, so I have never sung in a choir.
I haven't been able to make the kind of joyful noise to God which some
people can. But it occurred to me as
were working last night to build this church that the sounds of the hammers and
the saws and the staple guns must be a joyful sound in the ears of God. Work done to glorify God makes a joyful
noise.”
Richard's thoughts found a home in our hearts
and became the theme for the rest of our week.
Every time God's people use their talents in a way which honors Him,
their work is an act of worship, a holy offering, a joyful noise unto the
Lord.
Have
you made a joyful noise lately?
Note: This story is included in my book The Stories of My Life.
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