A Sobering Reality

I spent some time this evening at the deathbed of a dear sister in the Lord.  She has only a few hours or perhaps days here on earth.  While at her side I read a devotional about her heading to the shore of heaven.  The side of the deathbed is a sobering and solemn place to sit.  Some once said that death is the great equalizer. Unless and until the Lord returns for His own at the rapture, we must all pass through the veil that is our earthly demise.

The Christian has much hope.  For we know that we will live after our earthly life.  We will forever be with the Lord. It is a particularly comforting truth at this time of year. My former BSF teaching leader called the resurrection the bedrock of Christianity.  So it is. Without a resurrected Christ we have just another dead religious leader or philosophical teacher.  Christ overcame death. 

The butterfly has traditionally been the symbol for the resurrection through the decades of the church.  Just like a caterpillar that enters a cocoon, Christ entered the tomb.  Neither remain. The caterpillar emerges as a beautiful butterfly. Christ emerged from the tomb after three days. He conquered all. He is risen.  He sits at the right hand of the Father forever interceding for the saints.  Praise Him. He is risen indeed! The deathbed for a believer is nothing but an open door to an eternity with the living Savior. Soon the cancer currently taking my friend's life will be dead. She, however, will be more alive than ever!

Rapture

Our pastor briefly mentioned the rapture in his sermon this morning.  As in unless or until we are raptured. Tonight I heard a program speaking of the Daniel prophecy of the seventy sevens.  He believes that the rapture may be soon and very soon.  We are commanded to look up and be on the watch for the return of the Lord. Some believe that the Bible teaches that the Lord meets us in the air in a nanosecond or the twinkling of an eye.  Christ calls all who belong to Him home to heaven.  The dead in Christ rise first and we who are alive follow.

I read of a team bus crash for the Seton Hall ladies lacrosse team. The pregnant coach and the bus driver all died as a result of the accident.  It always makes me think of how quickly our lives here on earth can end.  We never know when our time of death may come.  The Lord states that our times are in His hands.  He determines the day of our conception, birth and death.  Unless He returns for His people at the end of the church age.  Marantha Lord Jesus....

Taking Every Thought Captive

C. J. Mahoney delivered a sermon about how we should preach more to ourselves and listen less.  The person who talks to us the most, he says, is ourselves. It's a radical concept to me because I have spent so many years listening to the "old man" or my "flesh."  I haven't brought the Word of God to my own heart very well. The consequences have been disastrous but I'm repenting and changing even though it's just a baby step at a time.  This whole concept is critical to the Christian walk. For some reason until I came to my current church I really didn't know that it was necessary.  The battleground in the Christian life is the mind.  Actually it begins in the heart but the engagement of forces is most felt intellectually. The enemy and our flesh fights against the truth because unbelief is the basis of all sin.

It is so important to all believers to think and react biblically.  As someone who has claimed to be a believer for over 30 years, not thinking biblically has brought about some hard consequences.  I pray that all churches are teaching young believers to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. I know my church is doing so and I am very grateful.  It is true that "as a man thinketh so is he." We must proclaim the Gospel of Christ to our hearts throughout the day and be grateful for the flow of grace that comes into our lives moment by moment. 

Biblical Hope versus False Hope

I've been reading about biblical hope lately. It's tragic to lose hope. For now that's all I want to say about that.  Dr. Ernie Baker delineates the difference between biblical hope which leads to bountiful blessings. Living by improper hope brings diminishing benefits. As a person who has recently seen improper hope (i.e. placing hope in idols of various kinds) bring the harvest of devastation and destitution, I can readily agree to Dr. Baker's assessment.  Biblical hope is a full reliance on the trustworthiness of God.  God has repeatedly proven Himself trustworthy throughout the annals of history.  Dr. Baker mentions the Crossing of the Red Sea and Daniel in the lion's den. I recently memorized Daniel 4: 34-35 which tells us that God's purpose comes to pass regardless of anyone or anything.  His will is done in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can ward off His hand and no one can say to Him what have You done.

Improper hope often is placed in the gifts and not the Giver.  I've realized this idolatry in my life.  To seek the gift outside of proper reverence for the Giver is pure folly.  I've trusted in a false peace, other people, money, power and all manner of other broken cisterns.  As Dr. Baker stated "false hopes = false religions." I don't doubt I am a believer in Jesus but it doesn't mean my heart isn't the very idol factory that John Calvin describes as the human heart. As hard as the past months have been, and they have been very hard, I am grateful that the Lord saw fit to expose my false hopes and send them crashing. As I rebuild my "new normal" I must choose to dwell on God's promises, His ways and look to the eternal hope with its future reward. I pray that whoever reads this will avoid the sins I've committed and choose the true and lasting hope of God Himself.