“But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”
– 2 Timothy 4:5-8
Of all the verses that I have read there is one that I would like to expound upon: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” I believe this verse rings very true concerning this Great Man we are all here to celebrate the life of. Over the last week and a half, and really throughout the course of my life, I’ve heard many people say many different things about Uncle Leon. I’ve heard that he was a strong man, a good man, a great husband and father, a loving and caring man, the man of discipline, (and one of my favorites) he was the key man. I think everybody knew him as this man, because everywhere he went, you always heard the sound of keys jingling. So, for the next three hours………..{*just making sure that you are with me*}…………I would like to speak from the topic “Use Your Key & Finish the Course.”
Uncle Leon lived his life as a person who was caught always doing for others. If you ask me, I believe it all started when he was born into such a large family. Anyone born into a family that size or even half that size has a lesson to learn very quickly; it’s not always about you. As a matter of fact, I would even venture far enough to say that it rarely ever is about you. Don’t worry, I will explain. Back in those days, when you are born into such a large family (with the privilege of being an elder in the family) and your family is not as rich as it would have liked to be, there is an urgency for you to quickly mature, adapt, and nourish the family. Why? Nine times out of ten, the parents are out working long hours to provide whatever they can for the family, which means the kids are home, and somebody has to be able to run the house in the parents’ absence. If you look real closely, I said he had to quickly Mature, Adapt, and Nourish the family. In other words, he had to make a quick transition from being a boy to becoming a MAN.
However, Uncle Leon didn’t stop there. As he continued living he met the woman of his dreams and decided to make an honest woman out of her. During their union, they gave birth to three children of their own, all girls. Now, he has a family of his own that he has to take care of. If I may interject my two cents once more, I believe it was at this point that his role of being a MAN shifted. Why? To his wife he had to demonstrate that your are not alone and have no need to worry about having to do this alone. To his daughters he had to both demonstrate and set the bar of what a real man should be. To all of them he had to instill within them that no matter what happens and no matter how hard life gets, I got you. But guess what? It didn’t even stop there. He looked out and saw some of his nieces and nephews who needed guidance, he took them in or under his wings, and begin demonstrating for them what having that father figure or being a MAN was all about. Don’t believe me? Real quick: If Leon Jones ever touched your life in any way, stand up and remain standing real quick?! Ladies: If he showed what a real man should be like holla at me?! Fellas: If he deposited any ounces of how to be a man in you holla at me?! Thank you, you can be seated until the next time you are called upon.
Now, by now somebody may be saying to themselves, boy he talking good up there but what does this have to do with Using Your Key and Finishing The Course? Im glad you asked. Uncle Leon was presented with an insurmountable task at a very young age, yet he rose to the occasion and got the job done. He continued and got the job done in his own family. Then, he soon realized that this is what I’m called to do, this is my gift, and he allowed it to spread and affect everybody. If I had a shouting church, right now is when I would give the first shout cue. What’s a shout cue? A shout cue is something that is said or done that not only rings true, but it has such a deep and profound meaning that it signals to the recipients that revelation has fallen and this is your moment to praise God. However, I’m gone try it anyway and you just get in where you fit in. Shout cue on the way! We looked at Uncle Leon with the all the keys he had and had many questions, but I believe he knew the answer. I believe he understood that he didn’t just have the keys, but he was the key. What are you saying to us Kean? I believe Uncle Leon understood that there is no door that he could ever come across that he couldn’t gain access to as long as he showed up using the correct key. In other words, if there is a door in front of me and I am meant to go through it, then all I have to do is show myself and the access is granted. You missed it. Don’t worry, I’m going to come back around and pick you up.
Right now somebody is walking around handing out keys to you. This key is simply a symbol but if used appropriately, it has the ability to unlock and lead you into things that were once hidden, locked away, and/or unreachable by you. Now, I don’t want you to get so caught up in the key, because it is only for demonstration purposes. The real thing that I want you to focus on is the fact that the key symbolizes your gift. Stay with me. Believe it or not, each of us are born being a key. The key you are born being is called your gift, and the Bible tells us that your gift will make room for you. To make room means to move something aside in order to allow passage of someone or something. So, if you come up to a locked door and you have the right key, then all you have to do is use it and it will unlock the door and allow you to pass through. Watch this. In life, if you are presented with a door that is blocking you from going to whatever is next for your life, all you have to do is show up using your gift and the door will be opened unto you. Wait. What if it’s a door that my gift is not authorized to open? The , that should tell you that whatever is on the other side of said door is not for you, doesn’t concern you, and you have no business going through it. So, why stress about it when you can simply move on?
Now, I’m getting ready to come in for the kill. Many of us don’t even get to the point of using our key, or finishing the course. Why? We allow everything that we go through in life to scare us, deter us, and ultimately cause us to give up. What do you mean? You get so caught up in the “what if’s” of life that you don’t even approach the door. You sit back and think of a million and one ways to get around the door or break the door down. If you sit there long enough, you draft up a whole different gift and begin operating in that trying to make things work out for you, only to find out that you are now on a road that you should have never been on in the first place. Just as there is only one way to get to God, there is only one way you are going to truly have everything that God promises in his word, and that is through using your God given gift. You can’t allow what life throws at you to get you down, break you down, and keep you down. No ma’am and No sir! You got to know how to get back up, dust off that gift, and exercise that thing until something happens.
I feel like preaching now! Tell your neighbor “Use Your Key!” They didn’t respond the correct way, so tell your other neighbor “Use Your Key!” They didn’t respond the correct way either. I guess that means it’s a personal thing, so I want you to tell yourself “Use Your Key!” I want you to let that be your resolution this year. There are too many of us in here that are just sitting down on gifts, because we are too scared, too lazy, too this or too that to use them. Use Your Key! I know you don’t have all the details and all the necessary resources to fully execute it to the level that you desire to see it at, but I guarantee you that you have enough of very thing needed to start somewhere. Use Your Key! I know that you’re still suffering from those who told you what you couldn’t, shouldn’t, or wouldn’t do. However, I also know that if Uncle Leon taught us anything it is that “you are going to have to get up off your …. HEY and make something happen!”
Can I go higher? Somebody say reach brother! I think I will! You gotta Use Your Key! If you’re going to have anything worthwhile, it’s only coming as a result of you using what you have. You can’t rely on what he got, she got, they got, but it’s all about what you got. Use Your Key! Somebody say, “well brother I ain’t got nothing.” The devil is a liar. If you didn’t have nothing, then there would be no point in God leaving you here. For everything that He allows to be brought to life in this earthly form is to serve a purpose. Now, you may not know what your purpose is Yet, but I’m standing here today to declare to you that you have one. Use Your Key! It’s up to you to discover what your gift is. For until you discover it, no one else can experience it. However, I just have to believe that there is someone out there, getting ready to rise to the occasion. They’re getting ready to branch out, spread their wings, and take flight. I believe that there is someone who has a resolve within themselves that they won’t let another year pass without stepping out and exercising their gift.
Can I give this message a subtopic? After you discover your gift and you begin using it, there is one more thing I need you to do. Somebody say what’s that? Finish the Course! How do I finish it? Work That Thang! As I prepare to close out, I want to leave you with a question to ponder on: When the time comes for God to punch your ticket and call your number, how will the people you leave behind remember you? Will they remember you according to the gimmicks you tried to pull or will they remember you for the gift that you walked in?
S.P.E.A.K. 