Some time ago, I bought a book titled, “Book of Amazing Stories”, by Robert Petterson. It is a fascinating read of the lives of many people. Recently one of the stories really caught my attention – “The Man of 1,000 Faces.”
Richard was born into a vaudeville family, and he began performing when he was just a toddler. By the time he was a teenager, he was a master impressionist. He had an overprotective mother, so he learned to play whatever role at home that made her happy.
By the time he was an adult, Richard had pretty well lost his own identity and hardly knew who he was. He was married four times and his children complained that they never really knew their father.
Richard had a brilliant career as a master impressionist and comic genius. He was in some sixty films and toward the end of his career, he was interviewed by Kermit the frog. The puppet said to him, “Just relax and be yourself.” Richard responded, “I can’t be myself because I don’t know who I really am anymore.”
Over the years he lived with stress, used alcohol and drugs and he was told that his heart was dying. Realizing he didn’t have much time left, he tried to mend fences. He confessed to a son that he shouldn’t have abandoned his first wife. He deeply regretted alienating his children. He had spent his life trying to be what others wanted him to be.
It wasn’t long after that, Richard collapsed from a heart attack. He was rushed to a London hospital, where he died on July 24, 1980. He was only fifty-four years old. His son Michael tearfully spoke to reporters about the last days he shared with his dad. He said, “It marked the beginning of an all-too-brief closeness between us.
Michael’s dad was born Richard Henry Sellers. The world knew him by his screen name – Peter Sellers. Many of you reading this would recognize his name and some of the movies he played in. Before he died, a friend was quoted in Time Magazine as saying, “Poor Peter!” The real Peter disappeared a long time ago. What remains is an amalgamation of all the characters he played, and he was frantically trying to unsnarl the mess to find out who he really was.
What a sad commentary on the life of a man who was so gifted. A man who lived to entertain others but missed out on what was really important.
· What are you living for?
· How are you investing your life?
· As you look back over the years, what are your regrets?
· Have you heavily vested yourself in your marriage and family?
· Have you taken time to really get to know Jesus Christ and where you will spend eternity?
· Are you a Christian – are you living primarily for yourself, or are you committed to expanding the kingdom of God?
· Have you discovered how much God loves you?
Jesus in John 3:16 said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (NKJV)
In John 10:10 Jesus said, “…I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly.” (NKJV)
· The Apostle Paul in Romans 3:23 wrote, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
· In Romans 6:23 he wrote, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Dear reader – each of us has to make a choice –
· What will you do with Christ? Will you receive Him as your Savior and Lord, or will you reject Him?
· Your choice will determine your eternal destination – when you die, heaven or hell.
When Christ died on the cross, He died for us, in our place to make atonement for our sins. As the song says, “Amazing love, that Thou my God, shouldst die for me.” I have never read of any Christian on his/her death bed saying, “I wish I had spent more time at the office or job.”
The Apostle Paul in 2 Cor. 5:10 (NKJV) wrote, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
I close with the words of the Psalmist (139:13-14 NKJV) “For you (God) formed my inward parts; you covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.”
God created us for an intimate relationship and fellowship with Himself. His desire is that we would really get to know Him through faith in Christ and then live our lives for His glory.
I pray that each of us is on that track of knowing and serving our wonderful Lord and Savior.
By God’s Grace,
Pastor Leonard
