The Funeral

"We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." 2 Corinthians 5:8

Yesterday we attended the funeral of our dear friend.  It comforts us to know that our friend is in Heaven with the Lord, where there is no more sickness and no more pain.

At the close of the Interim, we watched as our friend's casket was placed inside the Burial Vault.  A Burial Vault is a lined and sealed outer receptacle that houses the casket.  It protects the casket from the weight of the earth and heavy maintenance equipment that will pass over the grave.  It resists water and preserves the beauty of the cemetery by preventing the ground from settling.  This Vault completely encases the casket and is latched closed.

As I watched his casket being lowered into the ground, I couldn't help but think of the day when the skeletal remains of all Christians who lay dormant, waiting for the sound of a trumpet and the voice of the Lord calling his children by name, will burst forth out of their graves!

Resurrected Saints will burst forth from their locked crypts as if they were made of popsicle sticks!

And I will meet my friend again in the air!

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:" 

1 Thessalonians 4:16

The grave is not the Christians final residence...

    and Christians are not laid inside caskets...

        they are placed inside Treasure Chests...

            waiting to be opened by The King...

                But that's just me!

Til We Meet Again

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.  Psalm 116:15

In the early morning hours, a dear friend of ours went home to be with the Lord after a two-year battle with cancer.

You would have never known he was dying because he was too busy living for His Lord and Saviour.

Let me tell you how he lived:

    He was stedfast, unmoveable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord-1 Cor. 15:58

    He continued to grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord-2 Peter 3:18

    He possessed the Fruit of the Spirit-Galatians 5:22-23

    He lived a sanctified life and was always ready to give an answer to every man he came in contact with to share with them the hope that was within him- 1 Peter 3:15

    He fervently prayed for others- James 5:16

    He esteemed others higher than himself- Phil. 2:3

    He edified his brethren and would bear the burdens of others-Galatians 6:2,

    He fed the hungry, gave water to the thirsty, took strangers in, clothed the naked and visited those in prison- Matthew 25:40

Am I exaggerating?  No.  Anyone who knew Sam, knows this to be true.  Every conversation pointed to Christ.  In his most agonizing moment, he would say there were others who were worse off.  When trying to bless him, we ended up being the ones blessed.  When he prayed, he prayed to his 'Father God.'

He was an example to all those who knew him, friend and stranger alike.

And now, he completed his course, and his race has been run and he is now with his Heavenly Father.  I can picture him seeing his Saviour for the very first time and receiving his glorified body!  It makes our loss easier to bear.

I am a better person for having known him.

My world is a little dimmer now...

    But if I listen really closely...

        I can hear Sam whisper...GLORY!

            But that's just me!

Safe in the Arms of Jesus

(Fanny Crosby 1868)

Safe in the arms of Jesus,

Safe on His gentle breast,

There by His love o'ershaded,

Sweetly my soul shall rest.

Hark! 'tis the voice of angels,

Borne in a song to me,

Over the fields of glory,

Over the jasper sea,

Safe in the arms of Jesus,

Safe from corroding care,

Safe from the world's temptations,

Sin cannot harm me there.

Free from the blight of sorrow,

Free from my doubts and fears;

Only a few more trials,

Only a few more tears.

Jesus, my heart's dear refuge,

Jesus has died for me;

Firm on the Rock of Ages,

Ever my trust shall be.

Here let me wait with patience,

Wati till the night is o'er;

Wait till I see the morning,

Break on the golden shore.

Chorus-

Safe in the arms of Jesus,

Safe on His gentle breast,

There by His love o'ershaded,

Sweetly my soul shall rest.

Saturday Night

 "And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together. and there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead. And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him." Acts 20: 7-10

I couldn't help but think of these verses last Sunday morning. People were yawning, heads were nodding, falling, and then jerking upright; some people had what I call, 'The Stares.'  It's when this person is literally gazing off into the distance not really looking or comprehending anything at all.  They don't even blink.  It's sleeping with their eyes open.

What are all these people doing on Saturday night that cause them to come to church Sunday morning exhausted?

-Hard work?

-Or hard play?

I realize there will be times when staying up late on a Saturday night is unavoidable, but napping in church every Sunday morning is not True Worship.  Doesn't our Saviour deserve more?

My advice to the weary...

    Go to bed early...

        And be thankful your chair is not near a window...

            But that's just me!

"And he did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the LORD."

2 Chronicles 12:14

Blessing upon Blessing

 A very dear friend of ours recently spent the night in hospital.  Deciding to be a blessing to both he and his wife, I drove through Starbucks, picked up some coffee and headed their way for a visit.  While there, we laughed, we cried, and we spoke of Jesus.  As nurses walked in and out of the room, or as they passed by the door, they often had perplexed expressions on their faces; we knew what they were thinking!  How can there be laughter in the same room cancer resides?  Because Jesus resides there too!

John 1:16 says, "And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace."  This is such a beautiful verse!  My commentary says, 'The Word made flesh is the source of grace, which is the sum total of all the spiritual favors God gives to all people.  The words we...all refer to Christians.  Because of the fulness of His grace, one blessing after another, comes to Christians as waves continue to come to the shore.  The Christian life is the constant reception of one evidence of God's grace replacing another.'  Walvoord & Zuck

Isn't that beautiful?

Grace upon Grace.  Constantly, one blessing upon one blessing.  Waves of blessings!  That's how God's favor is upon us.  Just thinking about that makes my heart full!    God's blessings toward us are never ending, and they never run out!

As I walked out of the hospital that day, I realized something quite amazing.

    I went there to be a blessing...

        And I was the one blessed...

            But that's just me!

Temporary Password

 The other day, I went on-line to check an account and found that it no longer recognized my Username or Password. I tried everything, even clicking on the 'forgot password' link.  In frustration, I knew instead of going on-line, I would have to walk-in to the Local Branch Office to get this problem fixed.  While there, I was given a temporary password to use once I reached home.  I asked the gal who helped me at the window, "Will this password expire in 15 minutes?"  (Finishing my errands and driving home would take me a lot longer than 15 minutes.)  She assured me that this password would work all day.

When I got home, turned on my computer, and entered the temporary password, I found that it, indeed, expired after 15 minutes; I ended up having to call the 1-800 number to receive another temporary password.  (I made sure to Login before the next 15 minutes!)

It made me realize how many things in this life are truly temporary.  Even physical life itself is temporary, But God promises ETERNAL LIFE through His Son, Jesus Christ.

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Romans 6:23

Many religions today say you can lose your salvation.  I find that so sad and tragic.  Friend, when You turn from your sin and turn to Jesus Christ, you are promised Eternal Life.  Forever.  Never ending.

Even Jesus Himself tells us so:

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand."

Words of Jesus, John 10:27-29

Eternal life requires no temporary passwords...

    Just Jesus...

        But that's just me!

I try to find a quote to go along with my writings, a quote by some well-known person, and I found this quote best of all.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Jesus Christ-John 3:16

Even There

 "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into the heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me." Psalm 139:7-10

Our theme for our Bible Study this month was, "Never Alone."  The verses we read each and every day, reminded us that God is always with us; He will never leave us, nor will He forsake us.  I take comfort in His promise to always be near.

It seemed like our Pastor was preaching along the same theme these past few weeks.  I love that when that happens.  

Psalm 139 is a beautiful reminder of God's Omnipresence.  Here, David keeps imagining extreme places and situations to answer his hypothetical questions.

You know, sometimes fear and doubt will cause us to think that we are left alone, so we tend to pray, "Are you still there, God?"

And God answers, "Yes.  Even there."

I love those two words:  "Even there."

In verse 9, 'take the wings of the morning,' means 'to take flight.'  Another commentary expounded that if one would take flight as the speed of light.

Friend, we cannot outrun God.  We will never get to a place before God gets there.

He is already there.

And in comparison, to the skies, He knows that even in the utter-most, deepest, darkest parts of the sea, God is there.

Even there.

I love that!

I picture a little child in my mind, looking up into the face of their parent and asking the most serious question that is stemmed from the fear in their heart, and then the parent answering back with full assurance to give that child peace.  That is how those two words affected my heart.  I too, can look to my Heavenly Father and ask Him if he is here in the midst of my:

    battle with poor health-

    loneliness-

    heartache-

    doubts-

    fears-

You fill in the blank.  What are you struggling with today?  Ask God if He is there?

He will always answer, "Yes!  Even there!"

And not only will He be there with us, He is leading us in the way we should go and holding us with His right hand.

What a promise!

Thank you, God, for always going behind and before me...

    Thank You for leading and guiding me...

        For holding me with your right hand...

            And for always being, Even There!

                But that's just me!

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  Romans 8:38-39

The Jesus Way

I love listening to Christian Radio. When I get into my car to drive the 30 miles to town, I turn the dial to my favorite station.  As I listen to the music, at times my heart is so full it wants to burst.  Other times, crocodile tears fill my eyes as I meditate on the verses that are being sung.  And then I sneak a peek at the person in the car next to me sitting at the red light and I just keep on singing with a smile on my face!

The other day I heard a song for the first time, and it pointed me to Matthew 5:44 45a, it says:

"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven:" words of Jesus.

It's not always easy is it?  Someone stabs you in the back, or speaks cruel words to your face, Often times you want to retaliate, maybe give what you get.  But that's not the Jesus way.

Lord, when someone hurts me...

    May the Holy Spirit lead me to respond...

        just like Jesus...

            But that's just me!

The Jesus Way

2003

Jonathan Smith/Phil Wickham

(Verses)

If you curse me, then I will bless you,

If you hurt me, I will forgive,

And if you hate me, then I will love you,

I choose the Jesus way.

If you're helpless, I will defend you,

And if you're burdened, I'll share the weight,

And if you're hopeless, then let me show you,

There's hope in the Jesus way.

If you strike me, I will embrace you,

And if you chain me, I'll sing His praise,

And if you kill me, my home is heaven,

For I choose the Jesus way.

(chorus)

I follow Jesus,

I follow Jesus,

He wore my sin, I'll gladly wear His Name,

He is the treasure, He is the answer,

Oh, I choose the Jesus way.

And I choose surrender,

I choose to love,

Oh, God my Saviour, You'll always be enough,

I choose forgiveness,

I choose grace,

I choose to worship, no matter what I face,

I choose the Jesus way.