The Night Cometh

I went to bed the night of November 2, 2010 praying and asking God to choose what was best for me and my future birthdays. Among the traditional birthday phone calls from family members, I had received the news that my brother, Bruce was not expected to live through the night. My heart prayed to God and spoke to Bruce, "You choose." I spoke as I believed. "If you die on my birthday, I know that God will give that choice purpose in my life, and I will somehow be spared an emotional meltdown from the pain of spending every birthday in my future grieving," I resolved. Midnight came. I had my answer, so I went to bed. The choice was clear. Bruce would not die on my birthday. I thanked God graciously and braced myself in preparation for the "inevitable call." I did not know when it would come, but I knew that it would come. In John 9:4, Jesus spoke the words, "night cometh." Night came and went, but the morning of November 3, 2010, Bruce died. His death taught me that there is no adequate preparation for the death of a beloved one. However, nothing in life known to man comes closer to adequate preparation than having a firm faith in God's promises and faith in the redemptive work of Christ Jesus. I found new meaning in the Word of God, such as I did not think possible. My parents had six children together: five girls and one boy. Bruce was second to the oldest. He spent his entire life being the cherished "big brother." We all loved him dearly, but it was I who was indisputably his closest sibling. This became especially true over the last three decades of his life. We bonded more deeply as bold gospel messengers. I continue speaking as a lay-person. Bruce shared the gospel as an ordained Baptist preacher. We spent these decades edifying each other and testifying about the works of our God. Each observed the other as we grew in grace. The life and death process of no other individual has strengthened my walk with the Lord and increased my understanding of the power of the grace of God as did Bruce's process. The pain of grief seems unbearable. My experience forced me to ponder several questions. What do people who do not know Jesus do when they grieve? How do they survive without the blessed assurances of eternal life after death? What words exist, besides those found in God's word, which can bring comfort to those who mourn? More poignant than needing the comfort found in God's word when one is grieving, is the need for its comfort when one is himself/herself dying. The death of others has a way of bringing us face to face with thoughts of our own death. Without question, we are all dying. This is a fact. It is an undeniable universal law of nature. It is true of the sinner, as well as the saint. We cannot change this consequence of "the fall in the Garden of Eden." What we can control is our preparation for life after death, and we can control our quality of life as we await death. Whether we are prepared or not, death comes for each and every one of us at the appointed time. I wrote a book about the subject, Dying. Writing the poems comforted me beyond measure when I experienced the most painful mourning season of my life, when Night came for Bruce. I wrote the poems to comfort myself. The poems were divinely inspired and ministered to my grieving soul. I share them with the hope that they will bring the same comfort to others. (Access the poems at poemsforthedying.blogspot.com). Jesus provides us eternal life after death. Be prepared and prepare others, for...The Night Cometh. Joy!

What An Exit!

I have stood in the rooms of dying men and women. Sometimes there were two or three of us (including the person who was dying). Other times there were eight or ten of us. Each setting afforded a great opportunity for a "spiritual checkup!" If you find yourself in such a setting, whether there are two, three, or three thousand present, be sure that each one present has had a chance to choose Jesus as his/her Lord and Savior.
In Luke Chapter 23, Jesus, even while dying, takes time to save a repenting, dying thief. The matter of salvation is that urgent. If you are in the room of a dying person, even if you, yourself are the dying person, remember to extend Christ's invitation to discipleship and to everlasting life. If all present are saved, what an atmosphere of praise and worship that can be created! What an exit for the one who is dying! Joy!

Do You Know Jesus?

Be sure you meet Jesus
Before you meet with Death.
Your answer will make a difference
When the question is asked,
"Do you know Jesus?"
Your knees will one day kneel
In obeisance
Whether you tell them to or not.
Your tongue will declare that
He is Lord.

Your mind will recall
The many times
He called your name.
Did you answer him?
Did He claim you as His own?

Do you or do you not
Know Jesus?
Answer me
Before you close your eyes and die.
He can save your soul.
He's the only way
To receive eternal life.
Do you know Jesus
The precious Lamb of God?

A Glimpse

I have had many occasions to travel into Dallas throughout my lifetime. It still excites me to get a glimpse of the Dallas skyline long before actually entering the city. It reminds me of how I felt on my first trip to Six Flags Over Texas. Catching a "glimpse" of all the fun from the parking lot, made the distance to the entrance seem like a day's journey.

The dying who know Jesus begin a fellowship process with Him that attracts them away from all that exists in this life. Love is a powerful source, and tears are a powerful source, but not even the combination of love and tears can compete against a "glimpse of glory." Mothers have left small children behind. Husbands have died in spite of leaving behind the love of his life. Just a "glimpse" is enough to cause a dying Saint to be unmoved by the love and tears of those being left to mourn their passing. If a glimpse is that powerful, what must it be like to actually enter and dwell in the kingdom? Joy!

The words do not exist
That explain how I am able to resist
Staying when I know
You do not want me to go.
Your tears are full of love and
You cannot understand
How a God of love can demand
That I leave you now.
Though I'll gladly pay my vow
In exchange for the glimpse I see,
I have no words to describe
Eternity.

Fearless

Survival is the first rule of self-preservation. We fight desperately to live. The fear of dying can control every aspect of a person's life. Fear of dying can cause us to make good decisions. Likewise, fear of dying can cause us to make poor decisions. The first recorded death was that of Abel. He was murdered by his brother. Since that time, an infinite number of tears have been shed by mourners for those who die. History is full of narratives about the actions of individuals desperate to delay dying, often at any cost. Man is afraid to die.

Death is the great equalizer. No matter how rich or how poor; how attractive or unattractive; how young or old, or one's race or gender, we all must face the same fact. Death is inevitable (unless raptured) for every living creature. The thought of death reigned supreme as man's greatest fear. That is...until Jesus rose from the dead and sealed our hope forever in all of His promises for eternal life. Jesus, Himself, is living proof that there is everlasting life after death. Joy!

Like Jesus
I will rob Death of its victory.
Like Jesus
I will live eternally.
Like Jesus
I will not fear the grave's sting.
And just like Jesus
I will one day rise again.
Like Jesus
I will reign
Forever more in glory
Only because He came and
Saved my soul from
The penalty of sin.

Eat It!

As a little girl, I attended a Family Reunion for my mother's side of the family. I remember searching the spread for the foods I recognized as my mother's cooking. For months afterwards, my siblings spoke of how delicious the foods and desserts cooked and baked by my aunts were. I could have cared less about what I had missed. I was focused on my mother's cooking. I am still particular about whose cooking I am willing to eat, although much less so than I was in 1970.

I Kings 17: 4 - 7 tells about a group of strange cooks. The prophet, Elijah, had been commanded by God to wait for his next orders in a remote place, near a brook called Cherith. Elijah was served two meals a day by (of all creatures) ravens. God told Elijah before he went to the brook that ravens would be supplying his daily meals during his stay, and he went anyway. Elijah trusted God, so he obeyed God. The prophet ate what the ravens served until God ordered him to leave the brook.

This morning, I listened to three television preachers whose spiritual cooking I usually bypass. I was so desperate to saturate my soul with the preached Word today, that I dared to change the television station. I was willing to eat anybody's healthy cooking or "sound doctrinal preaching." I was so blessed. They helped me to zero-in on the very scriptures I needed in order for my Bible study time to nurture me out of my pity party. If Elijah could eat food served by ravens, surely I could appreciate the meals the television preachers were serving out of the Word of God. I was hungry and thirsty for righteousness, and I was filled. Joy!

Not Lost

Most of my traveling has required that I use Interstate 35, whether North or South, so it is a highway with which I am quite familiar. I mentally section off my entire distance to be traveled using approaching cities as mile markers, measuring the distance yet to be traveled. Often I recognize sites and landmarks prior to seeing signs indicating my location.

Sometimes while traveling through familiar territory, I become distracted by the phone or a thought. Whenever I recover, the question I ask myself is, "Where am I?" Other questions follow such as: 1) "Have I missed my exit," or 2) "Did I accidentally take an exit instead of remaining on the Interstate?" It is during these times of uncertainty, that I trust the highway system. I reassure myself that even though I am traveling in unfamiliar territory, I am on the right road, and all I have to do at this time in order to reach my destination is to continue driving straight ahead.

My journey through life has given me many similar experiences. I have become distracted and found myself in unfamiliar territory. I become anxious and question whether or not I have ventured off course. My enemy and adversary's goal is to deceive me and to cause me to panic, so that I will make a mistake and leave the road that will lead me to my destination.

In my natural travel and likewise in my spiritual travel, I have experienced concern over whether or not I have made a mistake. These experiences have taught me that there is a difference between "not knowing where I am" and "being lost." I remind myself and comfort myself with these words, "I may not know where I am, but I am not lost. I am on the Right Road." Jesus assures me in John 14:6 that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. My problems and challenges place me into unfamiliar territory with which I am uncomfortable until I come upon something familiar and find comfort.
God's word is a rod that comforts me. I may get broke, I may experience heartache, and I may have some pain from time to time that challenge my faith...but I am never lost. Joy!

Evil Reports

Go up at once, Mr. President, and possess your promises. You are well able to overcome the evil reporters who hope you fail.

The 13th Chapter of Numbers records the instructions God gave Moses regarding the process the children of Israel were to use in order to receive their promises. Moses sent twelve spies on a reconnaissance mission within the land God had promised to restore to Israel. All twelve spies saw the same setting: a land flowing with milk and honey, with impressive fruit, with walled cities, and with strong people, men of great stature, giants. The spies agreed that the men of Canaan made the men of Israel look like grasshoppers. Even though all twelve spies made the same observations in the land, ten of them interpreted the intelligence differently from the other two and gave an "evil report." The ten spies believed their own report and convinced a great number of people that Israel must not fight to reclaim their land.

On the contrary, Caleb and Joshua, having seen the same sights as the ten, gave an alternate report. They believed that the giants in the land were no match for the God who had already performed so many miraculous acts of deliverance on their behalf. Caleb, focusing on the promises of God advised in verse 30, "Let us go up at once and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it." Those who had given the evil report had incited the wrath of the people against Moses, Caleb, and Joshua. Those who had believed the "evil report" wanted to kill those who had believed God.

At my house growing up, when we passed along doubtful information among ourselves, we would verify outside sources. We would caution the listener about the story's reliability with the disclaimer, "Consider the source." Those who pass along "evil reports" usually have a secret motive. Evil reports are designed to divide, anger, deceive, incite, discourage, embarrass, intimidate, and humiliate the reporter's adversary or target. Evil reports can make followers lose confidence in their leaders. This tactic is most affective during turbulent times; times when everyone, including the leader, struggles with doubts of better days ahead.

It is when the evidence from our eyes foreshadows darkness and doom that the children of God and the leaders of God must depend most upon our faith, for our faith in God is the only evidence we need (Hebrews 11:1) for victory. Like Caleb and Joshua, I choose to believe God's report (Romans 10:16). When those times come in my life, no matter how evil the reports may be, I will "go up at once and possess" each of my promises. I count every evil report against me and against God's promises to me, (however painful their impact) joy.