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THE THRONE OF YOUR LIFE…

A long-time Dallas, Texas furniture merchant, Dan Weir, of Weir's Furniture Village, shares his story of searching for acceptance, happiness & fulfillment in life. All of us long for purpose and significance… Dan tells us where and how he finally discovered it.

Success was Dan's goal in life…
and the thing on which he built his dreams
Born in 1936, as a young boy Dan Weir had lots of dreams. His Dad, J. Ray Weir, had opened a little furniture store in Dallas in 1948. Located on Knox Street near downtown, it was 20 feet wide by 70 feet long and "bare bones." Ray was a hard worker and did almost everything himself... from the bookkeeping to delivery. Dan's Mom, Bea, greeted the few customers who came in, answered the phone and took care of the mail. But Dan dreamed that his folks' tiny furniture store would one day be famous!

Dan had been reared to be polite and have good manners, so he was a joy to his teachers in conduct — not his grades! But he still had his dreams. When Dan came to work with his Dad at the age of 24, he was making $100 per week working in the warehouse. Then in the early 1970's Ray turned some buying responsibilities over to Dan. Being innovative, he began to look at new ways to grow the business… some new lines that Dan selected were well received, his use of advertising was successful and it became apparent that many of his young ideas were working. Things couldn't have been better… so it seemed.

Also as a boy, Dan dreamed of a "perfect marriage." During his senior year at Baylor University, Dan met Martha Wicker, and on May 21,1960, Dan and Martha were married in a wonderful ceremony at their Dallas church. Dan discovered that after every wedding… comes a marriage!

"We had problems right from the start, and because I had so many definite ideas and expectations — was virtually impossible to please," recalls Dan. Adding to this strain, soon after their first year of marriage, Martha became very ill with what would become a long string of infirmities. Over the next 11 years she had nine major surgeries and three sons. Martha's illness was something that Dan had never imagined. Dan's dream of a wonderful marriage was crumbling.

Dan began to give even more of himself to that which made him feel the best about himself — his job. The business soon became the very source of who he was. Dan "thought it, lived it, and breathed it every moment." Because his time, energy and devotion were spent at work, Dan became distant from his wife & boys. "I was pouring myself into the business because I wanted to make money and be well regarded. I had not had a lot of success in school so this was my way of trying to be successful." Success was Dan's goal in life… and the thing on which he built his dreams.

Dan hoped that the success of the business would gain him the admiration of his parents and the industry. Weir's was now a "talked about store." While the business was taking off, Dan's family-life was falling apart. Dan decided the best thing to do was to leave Martha and the boys in 1971, and six months later they were divorced. Dan then began to live all-out for his own pleasure. "I found myself walking down a path that only temporarily fulfilled my needs."

How God can use circumstances to show us who is on
the throne of our life and where this leads…
Dan had attained many things that he had always thought were important in life, but he discovered success was not as he had imagined or hoped! Dan was experiencing the truth of Luke 12:15, "A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." And he was contemplating the truth of Mark 8:36, "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?"

As he was thinking about what really matters in life, Dan remembered walking down the aisle of the church one Sunday at the age of 10 and praying a prayer for Jesus Christ to be his Savior. However,, he failed to surrender to Jesus as Lord of every area of his life. "My conscience would bother me when I messed up, but I thought you got saved to go to heaven — for later. I did not understand that this 'personal relationship with Jesus Christ' was to impact my life immediately." Dan continues, "I thought that Sunday was the Lord's day and then the other six days were to make money. I knew you needed to be honest, tell the truth and do the right thing, but I had left God out." As time went on, sin gradually took more and more control of areas of Dan's life. With hindsight's help, now Dan sees that he was living a self-centered life, not a God-centered one. (He was on the throne of his life.)

Without warning, the good times in business took a turn for the worse in 1973. The booming economy that Dan never considered might burst, all of a sudden did! Dan feared that the consequences of his pride and desires for success were going to now ruin the company. At this vulnerable season in life, Dan was invited to hear the teaching and counsel of two very special Christian men. Dan remembers, "I heard a lot of truth. I knew I had been terribly wrong." Dan began to see that he was, in reality, bankrupt on the inside. He saw that nothing he was doing would count in eternity. "Just the thought of being successful in this life and then living eternity in hell" is what gripped his heart. Sin always promises fulfillment but never delivers. Sin also promises freedom, but puts us in bondage.

Dan Dethroned
Dan came to realize that if he truly wanted God's best in his life, some major adjustments were necessary. When he got back to his high-rise apartment he got down on the floor and cried out to God. Dan shares, "The greatest decision I ever made was when I decided to submit my whole heart and life to the living Lord Jesus Christ. He is still growing me and continues to work on my character." In order for Jesus to reign on the throne of any life, our self-centeredness must be broken and removed. It is impossible for "self" and Jesus to rule together.

Dan found out that God calls us to deny "self" and follow Jesus — that to "make a decision" or pray a prayer is only the beginning. (Matthew 16:24-26; Luke 6:46-49) Also, surrendering our life to Jesus does not mean that everything will be "fixed" or easy. In fact, Jesus said that living life His way is narrow, difficult and at times, lonely… but it leads to LIFE! (Matthew 6:13-14) "I discovered that in my weakness, Jesus' strength is made perfect… so He gave me the strength I needed to begin the process of making right some of my wrongs… one step at a time." This refining process still continues.

Dan found grace in the eyes of the Lord. He then went to Martha, as well as their three sons, and asked them to forgive him for his selfishness. Dan asked Martha if she would be willing to restore their marriage. Three years after their divorce, Dan and Martha remarried! "I would have told you for certain that our marriage was irreconcilable. But the Lord put our home back together — I am grateful to God for the miracle of reconciliation in my marriage and family." God graciously spared Weir's as well and has blessed it through the years.

Who is on the throne of your life?
We have only one life. It will be over before we know it. Striving for purpose through position, possessions, or prominence with people leaves us lacking something. We all have a "God-shaped void" that only He can fill. God never intended for us to live independent of Him.

Most people know that being evil or wicked keeps people out of heaven, but they don't know that the Bible teaches that "doing good" cannot get us into heaven. We can never be "good enough" to stand justified before a holy God. Romans 4:5 tells us that God "justifies the ungodly" because Jesus' death paid our debt in full — for all who believe (put their trust in and rely upon Him). Because of His great love for us, Jesus died that horrible death on the cross, taking the wrath that is due all sin and rose from the dead... giving us hope of eternal life with Him. Jesus did all of this so we can be restored back into relationship with our Heavenly Father. But He gives us the choice to respond to or reject His plan & invitation to save us from our sin.

Every person's story is different, but sometime in each life we will make the choice, deciding who or what is going to reign on the throne of our life.

God desires YOU to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. (I Timothy 2:4) Despite any good deeds you have done, or any special talents you might possess, we are all still sinners in thoughts, words and actions. The Bible says: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) You can ask Jesus Christ to forgive your sin and save you from the curse of sin. "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him." (Romans 5:8,9) Please don't put off this most important decision… Life is short, and eternity is coming quickly.

God Bless You,