The Closet Professor

But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

—Luke 10:33-34

A Beautiful Life
By William M. Golden (1918)

1
Each day I’ll do a golden deed,
By helping those who are in need;
My life on earth is but a span,
And so I’ll do the best I can, (the best I can).

Life’s evening sun is sinking low,
A few more days and I must go,
To meet the deeds that I have done,
Where there will be no setting sun. (no setting sun.)

2
To be a child of God each day,
My light must shine along the way;
I’ll sing His praise while ages roll
And strive to help some troubled soul, (some troubled soul).

Life’s evening sun is sinking low,
A few more days and I must go,
To meet the deeds that I have done,
Where there will be no setting sun. (no setting sun.)

3
The only life that will endure,
Is one that’s kind and good and pure;
And so for God I’ll take my stand,
Each day I’ll lend a helping hand, (a helping hand).

Life’s evening sun is sinking low,
A few more days and I must go,
To meet the deeds that I have done,
Where there will be no setting sun. (no setting sun.)

4
I’ll help someone in time of need,
And journey on with rapid speed;
I’ll help the sick and poor and weak,
And words of kindness to them speak, (kind words I’ll speak).

Life’s evening sun is sinking low,
A few more days and I must go,
To meet the deeds that I have done,
Where there will be no setting sun. (no setting sun.)

5
While going down life’s weary road,
I’ll try to lift some trav’ler’s load;
I’ll try to turn the night today,
Make flowers bloom along the way, (the lonely way).

Life’s evening sun is sinking low,
A few more days and I must go,
To meet the deeds that I have done,
Where there will be no setting sun. (no setting sun.)

Back when I was a teenager, I was the song leader at my church, even though I am a terrible singer. I could usually at least get a song going before someone else will pick it up and actually lead the song for the congregation. I only had a small repertoire of songs that I knew well enough to sing, but not all of them could be sang by our small congregation. This was one of the songs that was quite difficult to lead because the song’s refrain needs a group to sing tenor and a group to sing base. It’s difficult for a small congregation and most likely easier for a choir to sing. It is also one that works better with musical instruments than a capella which is what we sing in the Church of Christ (we have no musical accompaniment).

Even though “A Beautiful Life” was not a song I ever lead, my mother used to play it on the piano, and I have always loved it. The song encourages us to do good deeds for others in an effort to influence righteousness in this world. We are to lead by example. In Matthew 25:34-40, Jesus says that on the Day of Judgement, the Lord will say:

“Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.

“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’”

Jesus is telling us that if we help others, then God will favor us. It doesn’t matter how much faith you proclaim to have, if you are not following that faith with good deeds, then your faith is not real. It is merely a proclamation. For if you truly believe, then you will try to live a life that imitates that of Christ. We are commanded to feed, clothes, shelter, nurse and lift up those who are downtrodden and in need. If we refuse these things to our fellow man, then we are refusing them to God as well. Of course, we have to do what we reasonably can. We may make sacrifices to help others, but we can only do so much. What we can’t do is place conditions on the goods deeds that we do.

“A Beautiful Life” suggests several things that we can do to be a good influence on others. Christianity is a religion that must be practiced daily and affect our daily lives, and therefore, every day we should be concerned about those who are in need. God wants us to be His spiritual children; however, as His children, He wants us to let our lights so shine that men may see our good works and glorify Him. One way to do this is to sing His praise that we might be an example to others. Our lives are more than just our physical existence, and to have an enduring quality they must be influenced by Christ. A life that is truly influenced by Christ will be characterized by kindness, and such a life will also not be ashamed to take a stand for God so that it can be a help to others.

We should be willing to help those who are in need because we love our neighbor as ourselves. Again, we need to show this love while we have the time because we are journeying on with rapid speed. Showing our love means helping the sick and poor and weak. We can lift the traveler’s load by showing our faith in giving him what he needs. We can help turn the night to day by showing our love in assisting others in need. We can make flowers bloom along the way by being an influence for righteousness.

The chorus of “A Beautiful Life” re-emphasizes the need to be doing these things because of the brevity of life. God has eternal life planned for His people in heaven. However, to be made fit for such a wonderful dwelling place, we must strive while we journey here on this earth to have “A Beautiful Life.”