Gone Too Soon

I have experienced several deaths this year.

Most of these have occurred within my church family.

Losing someone is never easy, but two of these were especially difficult because they were young.

Both died in accidents.

The first was a young lady of 19 who attended my church.

As such, I knew her for a very long time and watched her grow up within the church.

She was an absolute joy to be around.

She made sharing the love of God look natural and effortless.

This is as it should be, so she was one up on many of us,

The second was a young man of 21.

I only knew him briefly over the summer as an intern where I work.

I found him pleasant, agreeable and he too was a joy to be around.

About a month after his internship ended, we received word that he was gone.

While these young people were with us, I was struck by the amount of potential they had.

It would have been nice to see where that potential would have led them in their journeys.

Sadly, we will never know what might have been.

That perhaps is why it is so hard to say farewell to the young.

One moment we expect them to be around for a long time.

The next, we find out they are gone.

And as deeply as we feel grief, we know their parents and siblings feel it more.

Some will point to events like this and question the existence of God.

Yet scripture reminds us that there is good in what we perceive as tragedy.

Romans 8:28-29 (NET) - And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose, because those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

As for grief, we find both comfort and blessing in the Beatitudes.

Matthew 5:4 (NET) - Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

We also have the promise that grief is with us but for a time.

Revelation 21:4 (NET) - He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will not exist any more—or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the former things have ceased to exist.

But, for now, it is okay for us to mourn the passing of the young.

It reminds us how special they were.

May it also remind us that we now have even more work to do.

Blessings,

Jim Pokorny

The Other Brother Jim

Look for me at https://otherbrotherjim.blogspot.com/ on Friday, September 27, 2019.

I’ll be back here on Friday, October 4, 2019

Remember, Repent, Reform

O God, thou knowest my foolishness;
and my sins are not hid from thee. ~ Psalms 69:5

This is one of my favorite passages in Scripture--not because it expresses a happy thought, but because it's so true, and something I need to repeat every day in prayer.

Of course, it's necessary and right for a believer to daily remember the countless blessings he or she receives at God's hand, and to give thanks and praise for them. We are so grateful to have His guidance and comfort in our lives!  But sometimes this sense of well-being can lead to complacency, pride, and even arrogance. Seeing the spiritual, moral, and temporal travail of so many around us, we may start to feel as though we are impervious to troubles, that Satan can't touch us, and that we are and always will be superior to those others who haven't gotten, as we have, "right with God."  Our prayers may start to sound like those of the Pharisee: "God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican" (Luke 18:11) -- and less like those of the publican, who, "standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner."  (Luke 18:13)

The publican, who was the one who went away justified (Luke 18:14), had it right. As conscious as we should be of our blessings and of the things that are right in our lives, we should be at least as mindful of our sins and shortcomings, and truly sorry for them. We should always remember that the good things come only through the Lord's grace and forgiveness, and that they are not "earned" in the conventional sense by anything we have done. We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We need to confess this in humble and contrite prayer ever day, begging God for the wisdom, patience, and strength to do better. Repentance also needs to include a firm resolve to live in a more righteous and Christ-like way, and real action on our part to carry out that promise. And all this should be capped off with an ever-present thankfulness to our Lord for His great mercy, without which we would be irretrievably lost.

So, pay attention every day to the "three Rs": Remember (our sins), Repent (sorrow and confession), and Reform (actually change conduct). In doing so we should never fall into the self-righteous arrogance of the distinguished Pharisee, but walk away justified, like the "lowly" publican--and happy in Christ's embrace!

Tom Fleming

Songs of Praises

Dear Christian: Lest We Forget

I am thankful for this day of remembrance because we are a people with short term memories. It is good to be reminded year after year of the special breed of men and women who see it as their duty to protect the rights and freedoms of the rest of us. What privileges we enjoy today because of those who chose not to see their lives to be greater than the societies they swore to protect. Could you do it? Could you give up your life for your country or even for an individual? This special breed of people deserve a day to be honoured, where appreciation is shown for those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. It should be a holiday everywhere. We are not glorifying the horrors of war but instead lifting up those who have or are prepared to stand up in it.

You know that I write primarily to my fellow believers so what is on my heart now is not to take away from the purpose of this day but instead to point out the obvious to the followers of Jesus. As much as we lift up and honour our veterans and their comrades who did not return home, this should also be a reminder of our Christian duty. These men and women fought in terrible physical wars but we are called as soldiers to fight in the greatest war of all time that has spanned over 2000 years now. It is a terrible war that has claimed many causalities and is seeing the slow degradation of man. We too have been called to lay down our lives every day in an act of love and service. We have been called to stand in the gap for those who are unable to protect themselves.

Jesus said:

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13)

How do we lay down our life for a friend? By placing our needs beneath those of our friend; by sacrificing your own interest for other people; by taking on the role of a servant and living your life for the benefit of others; by fighting for their liberation from the bondage of sin; by covering them in prayer and fighting for them with the Word of God. This is exactly the purpose Jesus left us here, telling us to go into the world and make disciples. We don't obey this command like a mindless soldier but make the conscience decision to go with the motivation of God's love.

The apostle of love, John, the son of Zebedee, wrote to us:

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. (1 John 3:16)

I always found it interesting that John 3:16 and 1 John 3:16 had the same spirit of sacrificial love. But God's love, demonstrated through Jesus Christ, is of even greater quality than this. It is not enough to sacrifice for friends, for fellow believers. Jesus said anyone can do this, but love that really matters is when we are willing to do this for our enemies, those who hate and persecute us. The apostle Paul wrote:

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8)

Anyone can do kind things for friends and even strangers but God's love pushes us into a different quality where we gladly and joyfully lay down our life for our enemies. Jesus did exactly this for us because as sinners we were enemies of God. Then he turned around and told us to love with this same quality love with which he loved us. It is the only way that we can be equipped to fight in this war. It is the only thing that puts quality in the things we do in Jesus' name. In this spiritual war in which we are soldiers of the right, are you prepared today and every day that follows to lay down your life for the sake of all people, saints and sinners alike? It is the instruction we have received from our Commander & Chief.