In what lies the value of a man?
By what metric is he appraised?
We open his financial portfolio
His assets are tallied up
Assigning worth to all his properties.
But we all know that dying with the most toys doesn’t really ensure the win.
We look into his career
His rise to the top is reviewed
Noting his promotions and his accolades
But success in the world of business isn't the making of a man.
We sit down with his family
The stories of his tenderness and goodness come out
Revealing a husband, a father, a brother greatly respected and loved.
His relationship highlights stand out,
but even here we fall short of his full value.
We examine his repentance and faith
The great exchange is made: his sins for the righteousness of God
Finding the riches of God's grace for him in the atoning blood of Christ.
Yes, here is where true worth begins for every human being.
Value begins at the cross
and then grows inside the man:
He takes his faith seriously
His obedience is performed out of love for God and neighbor
Building up the church and passionately making disciples
This is a man laying up treasures in heaven.
He glows with Christ's own love for his family
His slowness to anger and readiness to forgive reflect the Lord's
Teaching his children with the humility of a man who knows his own need.
This family man passes on a vast legacy.
He works as one who serves the Lord and desires to please Him in all he does
His diligence and achievements are an outflow of a transformed life
Striving not to be seen by men, but to glorify God.
This success story has rewards in heaven.
He opens up his blessings of time, treasure and talent
His generosity marks his proper perspective on wealth
Being merely a good steward of all that is entrusted to him.
This is a truly rich man.
Who is the man of great worth?
The one to whom Christ says, "Well done."
The above poem is inspired by the life of Darrell Bendorf, pastor of Harvard Bible Church for the last 36 years and a man of great worth in heaven’s eyes and in the eyes of those who knew his ministry and shared his company. My poem is written in English but uses the literary devices of ancient Hebrew poetry to make its point – rhyming ideas and syntax rather than words in a chiastic structure. I think my late, dear mentor in the ministry would have enjoyed the attempt, such as it is.
But each line of the latter half of the poem could really be said of Pastor Bendorf. His faith was genuine. Whether he preached it from the pulpit or discussed it you over lunch, he meant every word. He loved Jesus, and that love compelled him. Darrell was faithful to his wife, and he left a legacy of faith to his kids and grandkids. He spoke of them all with gratitude to God as cherished treasures. His career was the church. Though Christian leadership in America has sometimes been burdened by failures and infidelity, Pastor Bendorf stood out as a faithful minister. He gloried in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and was not greedy for his own notoriety. I know little of his finances, but I know of his generosity. He was generous with his time. He was generous with his wisdom. He was gracious with his confrontations.
Jesus paid a price of infinite value for Darrell Bendorf on the cross and he knew it. He knew his significance lay in Christ and not his own attempts at righteousness. Yet with the Spirit working in him, he gave of his life so well, and our great King only knows how much treasure was brought into His kingdom by the self-effacing acts of this one man. And so, I sing his worth today with tears over his temporary loss to me and others, and with joy as he is crowned in the presence of his beloved Savior.
Thank you, Lord, for Pastor Darrell Bendorf.
Clinton Bible Church 
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