“He’s gone.”

 

 

“He’s gone.”  I was just finishing breakfast with a friend yesterday when that text message told me that another long-time friend had come to the end of his journey here on earth. The weight of death’s finality pressed down on me. Though I knew Gary’s health was fragile, it was still hard to grasp that I would not share another conversation with him, that he would not walk through the doors of the church again. Sadness filled me and stalked me through the rest of the day. It is of comfort to know that Gary lives in the Presence of God. But, still I grieve.

Grief is a powerful emotion. Each of us experiences it differently, depending on our temperament, our training, and our culture. Some are stoic; hiding emotion. Others deflect the emotion working at keeping things light with jokes and stories about the deceased. Some are expressive letting tears flow, wrecked by their sorrow.  Christian friend, do not make the mistake of thinking that experiencing real grief demonstrates a weak or faulty faith in some way.  Paul reminds us that in times of grief, we “will not be full of sorrow like people who have no hope.” (1 Thess. 4:13)  Our grief finds comfort in the promise of Christ that though we die, yet we live. But, remember this – even “Jesus wept” at the tomb of His friend, Lazarus. The separation that death brings is real cause for deep sadness.

Grief has purpose. When we are broken-hearted, the Holy Spirit has an opportunity to change us, inside out. Psalm 147, written about the grief of the people of Judah who mourned the destruction of their nation, their culture, and their lives, tells us that God “heals the brokenhearted, binding up their wounds. He counts the stars and calls them all by name. How great is our Lord! His power is absolute! His understanding is beyond comprehension!"    At first glance that may seem a strange line. What does God’s naming the stars have to do with my broken heart? Grief is healed when we focus on His majesty, throwing ourselves on His care. Grief rearranges our thinking, creating new ways to know our God!  Yes, it is true that when grief is unrelieved, when we find no comfort, it can wreak havoc in us;  emotionally, physically, and even spiritually. If we remain suffocated in the present darkness of sorrow without friends to help us or faith to guide, we can die. But, God will, if we let Him, heal our broken heart.

It's all right to mourn! Sorrow is part of the human experience and must not be denied.  Some of God's plans and purposes for us cannot be accomplished without our hearts being broken. The difference in experiencing sorrow in the life of the Christian is two-fold: we have a Healer who is Mighty, and we do not grieve hopelessly!

Are you sorrowful today?  I know too well the heaviness of grief and sadness. But, I look upward and find the strength to live through the storms of emotion, to sort through my turbulent feelings. I hold onto faith. As surely as the sun will slide  over the eastern horizon each morning,  God will give a new day, a fresh beginning- “He heals the brokenhearted!”  As hope returns, God gives us a song to sing again. We learn to live joyfully - albeit differently -transformed by grief.

Take this word from the Word. Pray that God will use even grief to make you desire Him even more.  We each have a choice in our grief. It can make us bitter, or it can make us broken; leading us to a place where we find Him closer than ever before. " Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows." (2 Corinthians 1:3-5, NIV)

(Video of this blog at this link)
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I Know Who Holds Tomorrow
(The Isaacs sing this Gospel song like no one else can)

I don't know about tomorrow
I just live from day to day
I don't borrow from its sunshine
For its skies may turn to gray
I don't worry o'er the future
For I know what Jesus said
And today I'll walk beside Him
For He knows what is ahead

Many things about tomorrow
I don't seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand

Ev'ry step is getting brighter
As the golden stairs I climb
Ev'ry burden's getting lighter
Ev'ry cloud is silver-lined
There the sun is always shining
There no tear will dim the eye
At the ending of the rainbow
Where the mountains touch the sky

I don't know about tomorrow
It may bring me poverty
But the One who feeds the sparrow
Is the One who stands by me
And the path that is my portion
May be through the flame or flood
But His presence goes before me
And I'm covered with His blood

Ira Stanphill © 1950 New Spring (Admin. by Brentwood-Benson Music Publishing, Inc.)

CCLI License # 810055

Pierce My Ear

 

When someone joins the staff of the President of the United States, they must realize that they are not there for their own agenda.  Indeed, they learn to say - “I serve at the pleasure of the President.”  That does not mean their purpose is to fill his day with fun and games. They have to know that he is the executive, that their reason for being in that place is to carry out his agenda and his policies. Very bright, well educated people, agree to ‘serve at the pleasure of the President.’  If they go rogue they can be dismissed, rightly so.

We who belong to Christ Jesus need to realize that our highest purpose is found in knowing and doing the will of God. We do well to look ourselves in the mirror and say “I serve at the Lord’s pleasure.”  God does not enslave us or turn us into mindless drones! He does not rob us of our reason but He asks us to surrender our will to His, to conform our mind to the wisdom of His rule.  Paul often referred to himself as “the servant of Christ.” The word he used in the NT language is better translated ‘slave.’  He was not enslaved, but submitted, surrendering his rights.

In the OT a curious law about serving was given to Israel. If a fellow Israelite became a slave through debt he could only be compelled to service for 6 years. The law required that he was released in the 7^th year. If that person, however, had found a home in the master’s household, he could opt for a lifetime of service. "The slave may plainly declare, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children. I would rather not go free.’ If he does this, his master must present him before God. Then his master must take him to the door and publicly pierce his ear with an awl. After that, the slave will belong to his master forever." (Exodus 21:5-6, NLT)  The concept may challenge our modern mind, but it is a pattern for us as we serve God! We love Him and we are marked to serve.

If we wrestle with the idea of submission, it is probably because we have made our God too small and therefore we cannot abandon ourselves to Him!

This morning I read about Jesus’ encounter with a Roman centurion, an officer whose faith earned a commendation. That man came seeking healing for a servant in his household. When Jesus offered to go to his house, that man revealed a deep understanding of Jesus’ authority.  He told Jesus He did not have to come, that He could speak the word. "I have officers who give orders to me, and I have soldiers who take orders from me. I can say to one of them, ‘Go!’ and he goes. I can say to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes. I can say to my servant, ‘Do this!’ and he will do it.” When Jesus heard this, he was so surprised that he turned and said to the crowd following him, “In all of Israel I’ve never found anyone with this much faith!” (Luke 7:8-9, CEV)

I am praying for a faith so strong, for trust that goes so deep, that I will gladly and freely give myself to the service of the Lord.  Serving at His pleasure, since He is loving, perfect, and wise, is nothing to fear. We will have moments when His will crosses ours.  Self will scream in protest. In those moments we can say, “I serve at the Lord’s pleasure!”   We can regard that as a statement of resignation, which will make that service constricting and hard. Or, we can view it as a beloved child of God and it will become a source of comfort, knowing that we are in His care.

Meditate on this word from the Word. Lord, lead us to the freedom found in serving You, we pray. Amen.

"Sin is no longer your master, for you are no longer subject to the law, which enslaves you to sin. Instead, you are free by God’s grace.

So since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does this mean we can go on sinning? Of course not!
Don’t you realize that whatever you choose to obey becomes your master?

You can choose sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God and receive his approval. Thank God!

Once you were slaves of sin, but now you have obeyed with all your heart the new teaching God has given you.

Now you are free from sin, your old master, and you have become slaves to your new master, righteousness." (Romans 6:14-18, NLT)

(Video of this blog at this link)
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Pierce My Ear
(Glad sings of that reference made to a Israelite slave above.
It is a prayer that touches me deeply.)

Pierce my ear O Lord my God
Take me to Your door this day
I will serve no other God
Lord I'm here to stay

For You have paid the price for me
With Your blood You ransomed me
I will serve You eternally
A free man I'll never be

Steve Croft © 1980 Curb Dayspring Music (Admin. by Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.)

CCLI License # 810055

 

Richly Rewarded

 

On Friday I joined the virtual service for our former Assemblies of God General Superintendent, George O. Wood. Dr. Wood led a full life, a distinguished leader known around the world. He led well and left many recognized accomplishments here in this world.  Rick Warren put him in the same class as the late Billy Graham, which gives a sense of the reach of his ministry work.  Then, on Saturday I conducted a funeral for another lady of the same age in a room packed with family and friends who remembered her kindness, her constant work of encouragement, and her devotion. Billie lived simply and largely out of public view.

So, which of these people did God welcome to His Presence with greater acclaim? The question is based on a mistaken idea that greatness in God’s kingdom is measured as we do – by numbers, fame, wealth, or influence. It is not. His reward is based on faithfulness to our task, the way we use our resources.

Billie and George stand on level ground before their Savior. Paul corrected the Corinthians who were admirers of worldly success. He taught them the Kingdom principle of faithfulness not ‘success.’  "Who is Apollos, and who is Paul, that we should be the cause of such quarrels? Why, we’re only servants. Through us God caused you to believe. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. My job was to plant the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God, not we, who made it grow. The ones who do the planting or watering aren’t important, but God is important because he is the one who makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work as a team with the same purpose. Yet they will be rewarded individually, according to their own hard work." (1 Corinthians 3:5-8, NLT)

Let me underscore an important fact here. We are talking about rewards in Heaven, not salvation! Nobody gets to Heaven based on anything other than by the gift of God’s grace, received by faith, fully provided to us through Christ Jesus. The inarguable fact is that "it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)  There is, however, an accounting that awaits, when we stand  before Christ, our Savior.  At that moment, it is faithfulness that matters.

Jesus told a story about it. The master of a household entrusted his resources to three people, each according to their ability. To one there were 10 shares, to another 5 share, and to another 1 share. The first two doubled their trust and returned the increase to the master when he returned.  In spite of vastly different results, both were commended equally.  "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!" (Matthew 25:21, NIV)  The third did nothing with his share, burying it in the backyard and returning only what he was given. He was called ‘wicked and lazy!’  

There are many things to be learned from the story, but the most basic truth is that God seeks our faithfulness; where we are, with what we have. I like the homely phrase – He asks us to bloom where we are planted.  As you begin this new week, offer yourself to Him. Don’t compare yourself to another. Be the best He created you to be.  The faithful will stand together before Him, rejoicing in the Father’s love.  

The word from the Word is a wonderful promise!  "Now let me remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then and still do now, for your faith is built on this wonderful message. And it is this Good News that saves you if you firmly believe it—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place." (1 Corinthians 15:1-2, NLT)  

 "For our perishable earthly bodies must be transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die. When this happens—when our perishable earthly bodies have been transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die—then at last the Scriptures will come true: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. How we thank God, who gives us victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ our Lord!  

So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord’s work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless." (1 Corinthians 15:53-58, NLT)

(Video of this blog at this link)
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When We All Get To Heaven

Sing the wondrous love of Jesus
Sing His mercy and His grace
In the mansions bright and blessed
He'll prepare for us a place

When we all get to heaven
What a day of rejoicing that will be
When we all see Jesus
We'll sing and shout the victory

While we walk the pilgrim pathway
Clouds will overspread the sky
But when travelling days are over
Not a shadow not a sigh

Let us then be true and faithful
Trusting serving every day
Just one glimpse of Him in glory
Will the toils of life repay

Onward to the prize before us
Soon His beauty we'll behold
Soon the pearly gates will open
We shall tread the streets of gold

Eliza Edmunds Stites Hewitt

© Words: Public Domain