Precious in the Sight of the Lord

Last Sunday evening, I had the occasion to venture back to the church I attended as a teenager and young adult. It was time to honor the life of a great man, Pastor Allen "Jack" Beck.

This awesome man of God had stood behind the pulpit of North Harford Baptist in Jarrettsville, Maryland for decades prior to 1989. He and Mrs. Jean continued to serve the Lord at their new location in PA. Over the years age and illness would come to challenge Pastor. From accounts he never waivered from reading the Word of God. On the morning of July 3, 2007 he met his and Savior face to face...and he was made whole by the very same precious Lord he had shared with so many people over the years. I am so happy for the rest this saint of God has been granted and the words he no doubt has heard, “Well - done thy good and faithful servant!"

Pastor Beck often got excited when preaching about God's provision of salvation through Our Lord's precious and only son, Jesus Christ. He spoke with God-given authority and was not afraid to call sin what it is within his sermons! Men with his forthrightness and character are difficult to find these days. He always rose to the moment with an appropriate word, whether it was in his Sunday sermon, to a young couple standing before him to establish their marriage covenant, preaching a funeral of a dearly departed friend, working on the mission field or the certain smile with a handshake at the church's homemade ice cream social! He surely was one of a kind!

He was a man who proclaimed grace and made us all aware of mercy in light of God's complete holiness. I especially appreciated his heart of compassion whether it was for missions (like the works in Haiti and at the Baltimore Rescue Mission), a caring gesture toward those struggling with the consequences of sin or prayer for a burden to lift. He desired to share the steps to peace with God to those who were burdened under the weight of sin and encouraged all of us to walk with Jesus in the everyday. I have to say that he was one man who always offered the opportunity for people to make things “right with the Lord” and make a public profession of their faith in Jesus before the close of each service.

Pastor had a unique sense of humor and one of his famous summer-sayings that sticks out in my mind was, "Do you think it's hot out today? Well, aren't you glad you not going to hell?!" He sure made you think!

I and many look forward to such a wonderful reunion with him and many other saints who have gone on before us – to Heaven’s glory for eternity. I think it is sooner than most of us realize!

Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of a saint...Amen!

P.S. There was a nice writeup in today's
Baltimore Sun.