As I was studying James's letter I was impressed by the fact that James singled out two examples of faith in action. That set off a train of thought in my wee old brain. Have there been examples of faith in my personal experience? Murray Smith passed away recently and I decided to devote a Day Share to a tribute to Murray (01/10/222). Brian Beith, my brother-in-law passed away back in 2009 - long before I had set up Dayshare. I am aware that very few of my Day Share readers would have met Brian as he was not especially well-known outside his own church circle. However, Brian was probably the single biggest influence for good in my life.
What was it about Brian that made such a deep impression on me? I refer to a verse in Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians where he talks about the 'meekness and gentleness of Christ' [2 Corinthians 10:1 NIV] These two words sum up Brian beautifully. The first word (prautes) describes a person's temperament or attitude of mind. The word meekness is possibly the most accurate word to translate the Greek but it does not imply weakness. Brian was not a weak man - but he was humble and unselfish. The second word is translated 'gentleness' (epieikeia) which refers to fairness and a desire for justice but this word describes how he actively related to other people. It is the opposite of being pushy or insisting on a person's rights. To give some examples of how Brian displayed these characteristics, I am going to share some memories from the past. When I was a teenager, I remember Brian gently correcting me for the way I spoke sharply to a boy who was annoying me in the bus going to one of the camps. The next camp, however, he made a point of telling me that he had noticed how I had matured since the previous year. He was great at giving me encouragement when I made the first tentative steps to public speaking in Bethany Hall. He visited me when I was ill with the flu especially to tell me how he had appreciated a talk I had given to the Bible Class. He did point out gently that I had made a mistake with something I had said. He was a huge influence for good in my life and I always regarded him as my mentor. It was the way Brian operated. He did not shrink from being honest and truthful but he always acted reasonably and with a humility which was impressive.
As I am writing this blog, I noticed an email coming into my mail-box. It was adverting a programme of services in a church. It was noticeable that the church was emphasising the qualifications of the speakers - all of them were doctors of medicine or science. The notice also emphasised that these men were well-known Bible teachers. Brian would not have been qualified to be part of this programme even though he was a Bible teacher in and around Ayrshire. He was not particularly well-known but that did not make him less effective. He lived out the message that he preached and he loved the Lord and this deeply influenced his character. Also Brian had no formal academic qualifications. He was a bricklayer to trade and later on in life he worked as a process worker in Ardeer Factory. Later he drove buses and coaches for a local company. In all his work, he was highly respected and admired and loved by his colleagues.
To bring this tribute to a close, I want to refer to another verse which is highly applicable to my brother-in-law who was really like a brother to me. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it [1 Timothy 6: 6 -7 NIV]. Brian had no aspirations for greatness nor fame. He had this great formula for the Christian life - Godliness + Contentment = Great Gain. My life has been greatly enriched by knowing Brian Beith since I was probably only five years old. My sister Elizabeth and his two daughters, Nancy and Elma and their husbands still miss him. His grandchildren loved him dearly. His fellow elders in Townhead Christian Fellowship suddenly realised all the work Brian had been doing in the background. It was only when he was gone that we realised what a big impact he had made by his quiet, unostentatious service for the Lord.
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