13
Now also we would not have you ignorant, brethren, about
those who fall asleep [in death], that you may not grieve [for them] as the
rest do who have no hope [beyond the grave].
So I really
wasn’t surprised to hear the verse during the eulogy. Grieving, suffering – there seems to be a lot
of that going around that is affecting me deeply. Even more so as I consider the coming
recognition this month of “Good Friday” –
marking Jesus’ suffering and dying on the cross …
Later, the
message of the Our Daily Bread devotional – to be thankful in all things – and the
following urging of the My Utmost for His Highest devotional both spoke to the way in which we
should face difficulty as children of God:
If we do not
apply our beliefs about God to the issues of everyday life, the vision God has
given us will never be fulfilled. The only way to be obedient to “the heavenly
vision” is to give our utmost for His highest— our best for His glory. This can
be accomplished only when we make a determination to continually remember God’s
vision. But the acid test is obedience to the vision in the details of our
everyday life— sixty seconds out of every minute, and sixty minutes out of
every hour, not just during times of personal prayer or public meetings. …
Watch for
the storms of God. The only way God plants His saints is through the whirlwind
of His storms. Will you be proven to be an empty pod with no seed inside? That
will depend on whether or not you are actually living in the light of the
vision you have seen. Let God send you out through His storm, and don’t go
until He does. If you select your own spot to be planted, you will prove
yourself to be an unproductive, empty pod. However, if you allow God to plant
you, you will “bear much fruit” (John 15:8).
It is
essential that we live and “walk in the light” of God’s vision for us (1 John 1:7).
… and my journey with Him continues …
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