Teresa and Carla were busy
yesterday working up the tomatoes, it takes a lot of time and energy, but it is
always worth it come winter. The
freshness of the tomatoes being canned, make a much better ingredient that the
winter ‘fresh tomatoes’ or those canned commercially.
Mild today. I am looking out the window though, and
seeing fresh snow on Mt. Hood – and forecasters say more is to come. Let’s hope that it continues to build up and
be ready to provide water in our basins next spring.
2 Timothy 4:6-8 For I am now ready
to be offered, and the time of my departure is at
hand.
7 I have fought a good
fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the
faith:
8 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.
“When I lie dying, when heart
and flesh are failing me, when I shall have little else to think of by my Lord
and the eternal state, then shall thoughts of Him pull up the floodgates of the
river of bliss and let the very joy of heaven into my heart! And, by His grace, I shall be eager to be up
and away! I shall not dread the pains,
and groans, and dying strive of which some talk so much; but the sweetness of
‘my mediation of Him’ (Psa. 104:34) shall make me forget even the bitterness of
death itself.” - Charles Spurgeon
Paul’s exclamation and the
comments of Spurgeon are an encouragement for all Christians. Death is not to be feared, it is just a path
to Christ and heaven. Both men speak of
the end of life on earth, having served God, faithfully and secure in the
knowledge He will greet us in heaven.
However, we never know when God
will call us home; never. We may not
have time to contemplate our life here on earth, or what is waiting for us when
the body gives up.
But if we are prepared, then it
doesn’t matter, Jesus will be standing at the gate to welcome us into His home
and we will share in His victory over death.
I know that there is a lot of
discussion about us being in the end times.
Those discussions have been taking place long before I first heard of
them fifty-one years ago. Every book of
the Bible is God’s Word. Each word is
important to the growth of Christians.
However, I am not all that concerned about when will Jesus return in the
clouds; when everyone will see Him and call Him Lord - because, I have seen far too many deaths of
those thinking they were too young to die.
For them, they had to face the
reality of Christ as the result of a violent act – accident, murder – or an
illness that overtook them.
I enjoy listening to those that
have gone to a great deal of effort to decipher all that is in the Book of
Revelation, but in the end, most of it is their opinion of what it may proclaim
about the world today – and there is more than one opinion. I have heard of too many people being thought
of as the Anti-Christ, or who the Bear is from the North, to worry about the
Second Coming – if He comes tomorrow, I am ready.
The Bible IS playing out in
today’s world, but it has been doing that since Adam and Eve. Unfortunately, because people have been
talking about it for so long it is like the prophets of old who proclaimed God’s
condemnation; it is being ignored.
People have short memories and if nothing is happening right now, then
they put it out of their minds. The
urgency of Christ’s celebrated returning is lost in time for most people they
don’t feel the urgency.
I have to admit it is also
difficult to give a call of urgency to our young people who think they will live
forever. To convince those that are
sinners without hope unless they repent, that their time could come at any time,
is difficult.
They could be driving down the
road this afternoon and meet another car coming at them at a high rate of speed,
or find that there is an obstacle in the road that they cannot avoid and find
that they don’t have time to contemplate their life – it is gone.
An earthquake may wipe out their
communities, their homes, the lives of loved ones and even their own life – yet
they put off the decision to ask forgiveness.
And even as Christians we often
do not feel the urgency of witnessing to others, because we just don’t think
about it with the understanding that they might be taken at any time.
We don’t have to harangue people
to witness to them. We understand that
each person must make their own decisions and the Holy Spirit is the one that
they will truly listen to in order to fully appreciate their situation.
Still we can pray for them, we
can live Christ in front of them, while we may not be able to convince them of
the eminent eternal death that will be fall them without Christ, we can at least
show them Christ’s love.
In the verses Paul wrote to
Timothy and in the quotation from Surgeon are statements of the final actions of
men who have served, as fully as they can, God.
They have continued to serve Him right up until He calls them home. They know their time is short and they are
ready.
AND THEN, they know that they
will receive that promise from God and overcoming the ‘bitterness of death’ will
be welcomed home by Him.
We have a great home when our
work on earth is done, but until that work is done as told us by God, then we
must continue to live for Him, to serve Him and to let others know about this
great love and mercy that can come only from Him.
I am at the age now where many
of my friends are dying. It makes you
realize that none of us will remain here forever, we are vulnerable in our
bodies. But our bodies are but a shell
containing our souls – which will live forever with Christ – and we want
everyone we know to understand that their soul, too, will live on eternally and
they must make the decision, now, where they will reside.
Tomorrow, even this afternoon,
or this evening – or within the next hour may be too late.
Each person must make up their
own minds as to what to do with Christ – may we help them make the right
decision.
Later, Art :-)
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