Bob’s house was well built, by which I mean that his life was well-grounded. That’s what the Bible means – at least, most times – when it talks about building houses. We saw in Proverbs where it says, “By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established.” Jesus fills out that claim and gives it a fuller sense when he says, “I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them. That one is like a man building a house” – here again, you see: the metaphor of a house – “that one is like a man building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock.” A house built on the rock is not washed away, nor is a life built on him whom we call the Rock: our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Bob’s house – his life – was built on that Rock.
I / A RESPONSIVE LIFE
Bob’s was what I would call a responsive life. I had originally intended to say that his was a responsible life. And it was. If Bob was anything, he was responsible. He was completely reliable. You could count on him.
But he was also completely reliant. His life was lived out in response to a summons of sorts. If your were to pick up a Bible and read to him Ephesians 4:1, for example – “I…beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called” – he would know what you were talking about. There was a calling on his life, and he spent each and every day God gave him answering that call.
It drew him into what can be described as nothing short of an active life. He served his country. He served his community. He served his church. And he served his friends.
He built a business from scratch. He borrowed the money to get it started, and then he developed it. He maximized its potential. He grew it. This is a great calling on a man’s life if he is gifted for it. It creates jobs. It builds the economy. It produces more than oil. It produces growth and confidence and hope – not just for entrepreneurs like Bob but for all of us.
Frederick Beuchner, a Presbyterian minister, once wrote: “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” In other words, God has so wired us – he has put us together in such a way – that when we are doing what we love most and our doing it meets a real need that others have – that’s when we’re responding to God’s call upon our lives.
Some of you will know the name of Eric Liddell. Liddell was a Scots athlete who ran for Great Britain in the 1924 Paris Olympics. He set a record for the 440-meter dash that lasted twelve years. Someone once asked Liddel why he ran. And he said, “When I run, I feel God’s pleasure.” I have know doubt that the way Bob engaged life gave him a sense of God’s pleasure. He lived a life responsive to God’s claim upon him.
II / A BLESSED DEATH
Bob also died a blessed death. That may seem like a strange thing to day, but it was as important to Bob how he died as how he lived. One of best friends was Dr. Earle Crawford, his pastor for many years and a prolific writer. And because he treasured Earle’s friendship, he treasured his books. One of them was a devotional book that I believe Bob read from every day – if not every day, then almost every day. I’m not kidding you: it was worn out and held together with tape. In that book, there is an account of the death of Edward Wilson, Robert Falcon Scott’s companion in exploring the Antarctic. Scott, himself dying from exposure, wrote these words about his friend: “If this letter reaches you, Bill and I will have gone out together. We are very near it now, and I should like you to know how splendid he was at the end – everlastingly cheerful and ready to sacrifice himself for others, never a word of blame to me for leading him into this mess.” There is more, but I’ll end the quote there.
This was one of Bob’s favorite passages. And I do believe that, over the last several years, Bob prepared himself for the day he would die. Not that he wanted to die – I don’t mean that – but he knew he would, in time. And he wanted, if I may use Scott’s description of Wilson, despite its British tone – he wanted to be splendid at the end. That’s another way of saying that he wanted to be courageous. He wanted to trust God in death as surely as he had trusted him in life.
And that’s how it was for Bob. He made the decision to let nature take its course. He wasn’t afraid of death. Which tells me that, while he enjoyed the things of this life, he held them with a loose grip. He wasn’t desperate to cling to one more day, even one more moment. He could have said with Joseph Gilmore, the hymnwriter, “E’en death’s cold wave I will not flee, since Thou through Jordan leadeth me.” That’s genuine faith. Bob’s Savior had already passed through death, and on the other side, he had been raised up. And he had promised Bob – and all the rest who put their hope in him – “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19).
III / A LIVING WITNESS
I’m not saying that Bob never had doubts. If you knew Bob, you know that he did. And he was honest about them. But here’s the thing about Bob and his doubts. When he had intellectual reservations about some aspect of faith, he didn’t leave it at that. He didn’t say, “Well, I can’t see the point,” and then walk away. He dug deeper. I mean, he wasn’t in the drilling business for nothing! He would drill down to the heart of a matter. It was Paul Tillich who said, “Doubt is not the opposite of faith; it is one element of faith.”
That was true for Bob. So, not only did he live a responsive life, and not only did he die a blessed death. He also bore a lasting witness.
You want to see into Bob’s heart? Back in the Spring of 2005, our church produced a devotional booklet, and Bob had an entry in it – one page. And it was a reflection on the hymn, “This is My Father’s World” – one of his favorites. And you know what he said? He said, “This is my Father’s world. If not his, whose is it? Every day I think and act like it’s my world, [but] I can’t [even] create a blade of grass. The evidence is overwhelming that there is a plan – the laws of gravity are not meaningless. Scientists have hunted desperately for a unifying theory of gravity, electricity, cosmos, et all – the unity is: ‘It’s God’s world.’ If we agree it’s God’s world – does it not follow as night the day…we have no hope except ‘Trust in the Lord.’ Does it not also follow that if we trust in the Lord, we will have communion with him?”
Bob lived his life before the face of God, and I believe that that was what was behind his characteristic generosity. As you know, his parents started the Priddy Foundation with – what? – two million dollars. Over the years, it has grown to more than seven million. And, while it’s been some time since Bob headed up the Foundation, it is still directed to doing what Bob and Ruby and Bob’s parents before them wanted it to do. They wanted it to do good. And it has. And it still does. And it will continue to do so. That philanthropic intent is no small part of the expression of Bob’s faith.
So, what can you learn from Bob? I want to suggest three things. There are more, no doubt, but I am going to mention only three. This is a take-away for you, and it could make a big difference in your life.
First, determine to be a giver, not a taker. And give generously. You don’t have to have a lot of money to give. In fact, your contribution may not be monetary at all – although most of us could probably give more than we do. And when you do give, do it in such a way that you preserve the dignity of others. Bob never just gave money away. He wanted to be sure that those who received it were responsible with what they already had, that they had a plan that showed a definite need, and that they wouldn’t squander the gift they might be about to receive. When you give, help those to whom you give be good stewards of their resources.
Second, prepare for your death – don’t plan it, but prepare for it – and even the time beyond it. Be intentional about the legacy you leave for those who follow you.
And, third, make your life a spiritual quest. Don’t just be religious. Don’t let your faith be a mere accessory to what you consider your real life. Nobody was more real than Bob, but he made the spiritual the primary focus of his life.
This was Bob’s legacy to us all. Take it and, as they used to say, improve it. Build these sorts of principles into your own life, and build your house well. In Jesus’ words, “Come to [him], hear [his] words, and act on” what you hear. Dig deeply, and lay your foundation on the Rock.
