About two
decades ago it was my privilege to meet Peter Corkhill. He visited our church
in New Jersey , not far from Atlantic City . Pete, as we called him, was
gainfully employed in a major casino as a gamer or card dealer. His role was to
represent the establishment by engaging the gambling customers in various card
games. He seemed enthusiastic about the work, and evidently made a good wage.
He began
attending church on Sunday mornings, before heading out to work at the casino.
He was a bright man, well-groomed, with a pleasant personality. You could say
that he was well fitted for his vocation, seeing that he was able to mix well
with all kinds of people. His outgoing demeanor was “catching,” and he became
very proficient in his job, not to mention the many pit-falls facing him. It
was interesting to watch his response to God’s Word, as he began to warm up to
the truth of the Gospel (“Good News”) of salvation.
It wasn’t
long before Pete surrendered to Christ, and began testifying of the things that
were changing in his life. He began attending our Men’s meeting on Saturday
mornings, sharing with us his new found faith. Some of us were waiting for Pete
to tell us he was “convicted” about working as a card dealer, and needed to get
a “legitimate” job. But that never happened for a long time! Instead, he
related how he began talking to customers about Jesus, but was taken back by
their lack of interest. He said, “I don’t understand why these people won’t
listen to me.” It was almost amusing to
witness his innocent simplicity, as he continued to share his faith, not
realizing his own inconsistency. How some of us “religionists” wanted to “set
him straight” on this issue, letting him know that he was in the wrong job! But
we kept our mouths shut, and rightly so.
How
beautiful was the day when he came to the Men’s gathering and shared how God
had been talking to him about something. He then blurted out, “Do you guys
think that maybe I’m working in the wrong place?” He continued, “I believe I
need to get out of that casino and consider another career.” That’s exactly
what he did, and became a man of integrity, using his God-given talents. We
were thrilled to witness what God had shown Pete, without any “help” from us! This
radical change in Pete’s life bore a powerful testimony to those around him,
including church folks. His self-centered life was now broken, and a new,
unselfish and godly man emerged by God’s grace.
There were
some good lessons learned from Pete’s experience. First, only God’s Word can
transform a life from within; second, a real Christian has the indwelling of
the Holy Spirit to grant wisdom and new direction; third, although
well-meaning, other people cannot dictate what a believer must do; fourth, through
the Word and prayer, God “leads His dear children along;” and fifth, He (God)
makes all things beautiful in His time.
Pete served
the Lord faithfully for many years. He eventually contracted throat cancer,
which was used to take him Home to Heaven. He left a real life testimony to the
fact that “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed
away, behold, all things are become new.” (The Bible). This world could sure
use some more Pete Corkhills!
Comments are welcome – Bilfinn@yahoo.com
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