MY WIFE DIED LAST NIGHT

MY WIFE DIED LAST NIGHT

Yes, my wife did die last night.  I do not know when 

during the night she passed away.  It could have been

from about six to twelve hours ago.  All I know is that

when I went in to see why she had not gotten up, she

was dead.

The police, the coroner and the funeral home people

have all been here.  So, why am I trying to write 

something to you while I am mourning?  It is because

I feel compelled to share with you the hope that is 

within me and keeps me going today.

You see, my wife knew Jesus Christ personally.  Years

ago she recognized that she was a sinner and headed

for a Devil's hell.  So she invited Jesus Christ to come

into her life and take over.  And in her own way she

had been living for him all these years since.  She was

a different woman.

Consequently I know that she is in heaven with her 

Lord and God right now.  I miss her.  Right now things

hurt bad.  But she is in the arms of Jesus and out of the

suffering she had in her body and the cares of the world.

As old as I am, I cannot live a whole lot longer.  But, 

when my time is ended here on earth I will be joining

her with Jesus Christ.  Then we will be together again

FOREVER.

"And just as each person is destined to die

once and after that comes judgment, so also

Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take

away the sins of many people.  He will come

again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring

salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him."  

(Hebrews 9:27,28. NLT)

HOW TO BE USEFUL TO GOD

HOW TO BE USEFUL TO GOD.

No,

I am not an expert on the subject.

But I have picked up on the clue which

 is my desire to pass on to you.

Back ground, or research if that would

make you feel any better.  I have "attempted"

to live for God for over sixty years.  That does

not count my years of growing up.  And of 

course that includes a lot of experience and 

not all of that has been good.  A lot of that 

has been failure.  That includes many years

of observation of the lives of other people,

both successful and unsuccessful.

During those sixty or more years I have

been a diligent reader of the Holy Bible

having read it well over one hundred times.

No, that does not necessarily make me smart.

And of course have studied it for years 

attempting to teach it now and then.

But probably one of the most instructive things

I have run across, at least as far as my current

subject is, the reading of dozens and dozens

of biographies.  For myself, one of the most

encouraging things spiritually apart from the 

Bible is the biographies of successful men and

women of God.  Reading them is encouraging

to me.

But in all this reading something has stood 

out to me.  Some of these People were highly

educated.  And some could not read or right

enough to spell their own name.

Some of them came from wealthy situations,

and some were as poor as dirt.

Some of these people had very strong physical

constitutions.  And some these people were

sickly by nature.

Some of these successful people were outgoing

and charismatic by nature.  And some of these

successful people used of God were retiring quit

people who would make great hermits.

Some of these people "just" happened to be 

in advantages positions.  And some of these

people were totally disadvantaged.

The list could go on and on.  But that is enough

to see that the list could include you and me.

What was the one common denominator that

made them useful to God?

Jesus Christ himself said,

"If anyone wishes to come after Me, 

he must deny himself, and take up his

cross daily and follow Me."

(Luke (9:23 NASB)

Remember, the cross was a method of

execution.  A way to die.  And in this 

case to die to self.

The Apostle James says it another way;

"Submit therefore to God.  Resist the

devil and he will flee from you."

(James 4:7 NASB)

And the Apostle Paul one place when talking

on this subject said; "I die daily."

(1 Corinthians 15:31 NASB)

In short, If I want to be really useful to God,

no matter where I am or what ever my 

circumstances my be,

I have to die to myself and my

desires and give myself over to

God to let him use me however

he wants.

THANK GOD, THANK GOD, THANK GOD.

Image courtesy of:www.Pixabay.com     

THANK GOD, THANK GOD, THANK GOD.

This morning as I was spending some time with God

a Scripture came to my mind:

"The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;

Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me."

(Psalms 16:6 NASB)

I was reflecting back over eighty five years of life.

Plane and simple, God has been good to me.

Yes, I have had heart ache.  Lots of it, both as a young

man and as a mature adult.  And many of you know

that often heart ache can be worse than physical pain.

But God has been good to me.

I have several times in my life had constant physical

pain.  Times that I was in pain day and night.

But God has been good to me.

I have spent a lot more time in hospitals than I want

to remember.

But God has been good to me.

I have spend days not knowing whether I was going

to live or die.

But God has been good to me.

For over sixty of those years I have been [In my own

poor little way.]  living and walking with Jesus Christ.

Yet, despite the trials and hardships of life I have to

declare that through it all;

GOD HAS BEEN GOOD TO ME.

With the Psalmist I can say:

"You will make known to me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

In Your right hand there are pleasures forever."  

(Psalms 16:11 NASB)

PATH TO GREATNESS

A very wise, but obscure humble Swiss man named

Nicolas of Basle said:

"Dr. Tauler, before you can do your greatest work for God,
the world and this city, you must die - die to yourself,

your gifts, your popularity and even your own goodness,

and when you have learned the full meaning of the Cross,

you will have a new power with God and man."

Dr. John Tauler of Strassburg took this message to heart
and his ministry did a turn around that even impacted
Martin Luther and other Reformers.

Are we getting in our own way when trying to live
for or serve God.

WHY GOD? WHY?

Image courtesy of: www.Pixabay.com   

My son was an outstanding Christian.

He helped build the church he attended.

He taught one of the Sunday school classes.

He had helped many of the the people in 

his community.  In fact, they were considering

naming the street he lived on after him.

But, in the prime of life he was killed in

an auto accident.

Linda was a personal friend.  She had not

always lived for God.  But when she did 

turn to the living God she went all out in 

living for him.

But when Linda was around forty years old,

cancer got her, despite all the praying we 

did.

WHY GOD?  WHY?

I do not pretend to know the answer,

but perhaps there is a clue in

ISAIAH 57:1,2

"The righteous man perishes, and no man
takes it to heart;
And devout men are taken away, while 
no one understands.
For the righteous man is taken away from 
evil, He enters into peace;"

God knows the future just as well as the
present.  Is it possible that God in his
mercy some times takes a way a righteous
person because he sees that in some way
the Devil might destroy that person later
in life?

WOUNDS

WOUNDS.

We avoid them at all cost,

and we should -

They hurt. 

But did you know that someone was wounded 

for you.  Yes, wounded so you could be healed.

The very God who created you and

gave you life.  He came down from

heaven and became a man offering

himself up to die in our place,

taking the death that we deserve.

His name is Jesus Christ.

He was wounded and killed

for you and me.

Mankind was told a long time ago that

he was coming to die in my place.

Here is the way it is said in 

Isaiah 53:4-6 NKJV.

"Surely He has borne our griefs

And carried our sorrows;

Yet we esteemed Him stricken,

Smitten by God, and afflicted.

But He was wounded for our 

transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities;

The chastisement for our peace

was upon Him,

And by His stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray;

We have turned, every one to his

own way;

And the Lord has laid on Him 

the iniquity of us all."

Jesus Christ was wounded for you.

Don't ignore Him.

WOUNDS

WOUNDS.

We avoid them at all cost,

and we should -

They hurt. 

But did you know that someone was wounded 

for you.  Yes, wounded so you could be healed.

The very God who created you and

gave you life.  He came down from

heaven and became a man offering

himself up to die in our place,

taking the death that we deserve.

His name is Jesus Christ.

He was wounded and killed

for you and me.

Mankind was told a long time ago that

he was coming to die in my place.

Here is the way it is said in 

Isaiah 53:4-6 NKJV.

"Surely He has borne our griefs

And carried our sorrows;

Yet we esteemed Him stricken,

Smitten by God, and afflicted.

But He was wounded for our 

transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities;

The chastisement for our peace

was upon Him,

And by His stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray;

We have turned, every one to his

own way;

And the Lord has laid on Him 

the iniquity of us all."

Jesus Christ was wounded for you.

Don't ignore Him.

WORK

REAPING FROM READING

I do not read as well as you do.  But I have learned 

to read a little bit.  And over the years there have been

so many things that; encourage, inspire, motivate, or

even warn me, that I feel compelled to share some of

it with you.

"Comparative few people die of overwork.

By far more people die of underwork and 

over-worry."

-W.V. Marshburn. M.D.

in 

"Spiritual Experiences in 

Business Life."

p. 92

HOW TO MULTIPLY

This is a very poor picture of Organic Black-Eyed Peas.

The picture was taken with a high quality Nikon camera,

and a very low quality photographer.

I acquired these peas back in the year 2008.  Decided to 

grow my own Black-Eyed Peas.  You know, save some money.

But they have not multiplied yet, despite protection from the

weather and rodents.

I just returned from a trip half way across the United States.

There I met with a life long friend who is an agricultural expert.

Ray has been in agriculture all his life.  Ray taught me something.

To get those peas to multiply, I have to take them off the shelf

and put them in the ground.  He said they have to die in the 

ground to multiply.

Now can you believe that?  They have to die to multiply!

All the peas I have ever seen come off the shelf.

Jesus said something like that too,

"I am telling you the truth;

a grain of wheat remains no more than

a single grain unless it is dropped into

the ground and dies.  If it does die, then

it produces many grains.

Those who love their own life will lose it;

those who hate their own life in this world

will keep it for life eternal."

(John 12:24,25 GNT)

Another very poor picture taken by the low quality

photographer.

I am like that lone solitary pea above when I sit on the shelf.

Jesus was talking to me when he said,

"If you want to come with me,

you must forget yourself,

take up your cross every day,

and follow me.

For if you want to save your own life,

you will lose it, 

but if you lose your life for my sake,

you will save it.

Will you gain anything if you win

the whole world but are yourself lost

or defeated"

of course not!"

(Luke 9:23-25 GNT)

MY CROSS

Jesus said,

"If you want to come with me,

you must forget yourself,

take up your cross every day, 

and follow me."

(Luke 923 GNB)

The cross was an instrument of execution.

We all know that.

And many of us understand out of love, devotion

and responsibility giving our selves totally to Christ.

Giving ourselves without reservation to him and his service

and a life of holiness.  Then going forth in the power of

the Holy Spirit.

Now this will go against some "theoryologies".

I know.  I've been there.

But if we will be honest with ourselves we find that life

is like gardening.  A weed is going to crop up.  It may be

the same day, or another year.  But there will be a piece of

root left in the ground.  Or a seed blown in by the wind.

And our life will have a weed(s) in it.

God knows these vessels of clay.  God also knows what

life is going to throw at us.  That is why he said, 

"take up your cross every day,"  Or as another version

says, "daily".

Praise God.  After a time of refreshment with the Lord,

tomorrow will be a new day.  And we will die (again?)

to self, pick up our cross and carry on.