Daily Devotional for July 28, 2007

Proverbs 19
1 Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool.
2 Also, that the soul be without knowledge, it is not good; and he that hasteth with his feet sinneth.
3 The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the LORD.
4 Wealth maketh many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbour.
5 A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape.
6 Many will intreat the favour of the prince: and every man is a friend to him that giveth gifts.
7 All the brethren of the poor do hate him: how much more do his friends go far from him? he pursueth them with words, yet they are wanting to him.
8 He that getteth wisdom loveth his own soul: he that keepeth understanding shall find good.
9 A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.
10 Delight is not seemly for a fool; much less for a servant to have rule over princes.
(Scripture taken from the King James Version, 1987 printing. The KJV is public domain in the United States. To read this passage from The Message, go to www.biblegateway.com and do a passage lookup.)

When I first started singing with our Praise and Worship band at my church, there was a gentleman who came to our services and sat near the front of the sanctuary each Sunday. He was older, with a balding head and a soft grey-white mustache, and he radiated total joy. He was always smiling, and during the songs, he would lift his hands upward and sing in praise to the Lord. And you could tell he meant it! Often, he would stop our band leader after the service to tell her how much he loved the music and how it meant the world to him to share in it. We were always blessed by this man most of us knew only as “Dr. Swingle.”

To me, Dr. Glenn Swingle was simply this humble man who attended our worship services. We live in a resort/retirement community filled with former physicians, lawyers, bankers, and other persons of means. Some of them are quite outgoing and visible in the community and you realize their history, while others, like Dr. Swingle, are more in the background, for whatever reason. I knew that Dr. Swingle was instrumental in helping our former pastor and another physician establish a Christian Health Center in our community, but you didn’t see his photo in the newspaper, and I bet many people never knew who he was or what he accomplished. I also knew that somewhere along the line, I stopped seeing Dr. Swingle in our Praise and Worship services on Sunday mornings.

One night at band practice, another member asked for prayer for Dr. Swingle. It seems he had developed some form of cancer and he was on Hospice care and in the final stages of life. When he passed away, I read his obituary with interest, learning that this quiet, joy-filled man and several of his family members had come to know the Lord in the 1970’s at a Lay Ministry conference held at one of the churches in his community. I learned that he had served as president of his local chapter of the American Medical Society, as well as the regional chapter of that society, which encompassed several states. I learned that he and his family had helped establish a non-denominational church in another rural community in Arkansas – a church which is thriving today!

I am sure that Dr. Swingle had money – maybe a LOT of money. But he never flaunted it, as far as I can tell. He made SERVICE his currency rather than his monetary wealth. I am sad to say I didn’t get to know Dr. Swingle better, but from what I can see, he operated in the lessons he learned from his Master… serving others, healing the sick, helping to secure medical help for the poor and downtrodden, building up the Kingdom by spreading Christ’s message and even starting new churches. He quietly raised his hands in our church services and praised God, and he loudly encouraged us with his kind comments and positive words.

The Proverbs say that rich men have friends… but how are these men rich? Money may appear to buy friendship, but I would say that Dr. Swingle showed us how much more riches of the heart can buy. What about you? Where are your riches? Who are your friends? What – and Whom – are you serving?

©2007 Debbie Robus