Blogging Through The Alphabet: "M" is for Marriage

We are half way through the challenge of Blogging Through the Alphabet Challenge by Through The Calm and Through the Storm and Adventures With Jude. This week the letter is "M" and I chose to blog about Marriage.

Most of the couples my age are celebrating 40-45 years of marriage, but Steve and I are only on our 26th year because God did not bring us together until we were 36.  That in itself is a fun story for another time.  I had prayed for a long time that my husband would be strong in his relationship with God.  I don't really remember praying for anything else in a husband.  Steve and I often comment on how we are opposite we are.  You name the subject and we are on opposite sides of the spectrum.  I am a spender, he is a saver.  I enjoy spontaneity, he likes routine.  I enjoy playing games, he enjoys reading.  I always thought I would make a great catch for some man because I really enjoy camping, hunting and fishing and can even bait my own hook and gut my own fish :-) Steve doesn't have any interest in being outdoors (except to shovel our neighbors snow :-))  We don't enjoy the same kind of movies, he enjoys bloody war movies or slapstick comedies.  I enjoy romantic comedies or true life stories. I enjoy salads and vegetables, he is a meat and potatoes man.  I could go on and on.  

But we have a wonderful marriage in spite of all of that and it is for one reason and one reason only. The one thing we do have in common is our love for the Lord!  

 Because Steve loves God, when he proposed to me he quoted Ephesians 5:25, except he personalized it. "Lynn, as your husband I promise to love you the way that Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her...I will love you as I love myself and I will give my life up for you."  I don't remember how many years into our marriage we also made the commitment to each other to live out Romans 12:10 "to outdo one another in showing honor."  Now that has been a real challenge for me because it is really hard to outdo Steve.  He is always trying to serve me and must ask me at least 5 times a day "is there anything I can do for you?"  But when you work to put your spouses needs before your own and they do the same, marriage can flourish (even if you are opposites).

About 15 years ago, Steve and I became marriage facilitators for Joe Beam's Dynamic Marriage, which has now been changed to Marriage Helper (you can find more information here:  http://www.marriagehelper.com) During that training we learned an invaluable concept called the "Love Bank".  Basically the principle is that when I do something positive for Steve, I make deposits in the "Love Bank" and when I do or say something negative I make withdrawals.  The key is to make sure I make 5 deposits for every withdrawal and at any point I bankrupt Him, our marriage will be in serious trouble.  Again, because Steve is so much better at deposits than I am, I have to work hard to keep up with him.  And I have learned that saying "I am sorry, I was wrong" can be a large deposit!

When we realize that our love for the Lord spills over on our spouse, there is no greater gift that we can give our spouse than having a strong relationship with the Lord.  I glorify God by loving Steve in a matter that pleases God. Steve forgives me, because he knows how much the Lord has forgiven Him and the same for me.  Our goal is to help each other get to heaven, so that means holding one another accountable.  My favorite time of the day is right after lunch each day as Steve and I spend some time in God's Word together and pray together.  But we also each have our own private times of prayer and study with the Lord.  Another way Steve and I are opposites is he is much more disciplined than I am.  Every year he reads the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.  One year I tried to do it with him and while I read more than ever, I still did not complete it.  I am more into reading books about God or other's relationships with Him as well as being in 3 Bible studies I have to complete each week.  The fact that we are doing different things does give us some great things to talk about.

I do want to mention one more thing that Steve and I want to get better at in our marriage.  We really don't argue very often, but when we do we want one of us to be led by the Spirit to say "Stop.  Let us say a prayer before we continue."  That could be together or just go off by ourselves and both pray before coming back together.  The times we have done that, makes a tremendous difference in solving the difference of opinions.

So I am glad that I chose MARRIAGE as my "M" word, as it gave me a reason to look again at the blessing I have in being married to a man that loves the Lord and was the exact answer to my prayers!  

I Am participating in the Blogging Through the Alphabet Challenge by Through The Calm and Through the Storm and Adventures With Jude. This week our letter is "L" and I chose LOVE.  I realize that Carter Chaos also chose LOVE for their "L" word and Mom's Heart also blogged about "love-hate" relationships between animals and certain family members. But LOVE was also my "L" word, except I want to share about my pet peeve about the word LOVE.

I think LOVE is one of the most powerful words in our vocabulary, but I  feel like we have trivialized it by overusing it.  Sometime in the last year I decided that I wasn't going to use the word LOVE in ways that I thought were inappropriate, i.e.:

     -I love chocolate

     -I love that dress on you

     -I love watching American Idol

     -I just love spending time with my family

     -I love living in Colorado

etc........

Since I made that decision, it is interesting how many times I have caught myself and the challenge that it has been to replace love with another word.

     -I really enjoy chocolate

     -That dress looks very nice on you.

     -I think there is some really good talent on American Idol.

     -One of my favorite things to do is to spend time with my family.

     -Colorado has to be one of the best places to live!

This is the definition of LOVE in Miriam Webster:
1. a:  strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties; love for a child
     (2) attraction based on sexual desire:
    b:  an assurance of affection love; affection and tenderness felt by lovers (3) affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests
2:  warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion
3:  the object of attachment, devotion, or admiration, first love (1): a beloved
4:  unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another: as (1) fatherly concern 
     of God for humankind (2) brotherly concern for others 
     b: a person's adoration of God

    I personally think LOVE should be saved and used in the context of relationships. There is a commitment attached to LOVE.  The best description of LOVE is found in 1 Corinthians 13:1-8:

    "If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."

2.     How can we read that and then say "I love Diet Coke?" :-)

Blogging Through The Alphabet: "K" is for Koinonia

I have joined the Blogging Through the Alphabet Challenge by Through The Calm and Through the Storm and Adventures With Jude.This week our letter is "K" so I chose to write on Koinonia.  I have some sweet friends David and Ashley Hollis that I had to say "goodbye" to this week (as well as their three children: Jonathan, Jackson and Lizzie).  While I love the entire family, I will be talking here more about my relationship with Ashley.  

The Hollis' and us moved to Colorado Springs about the same time 5 1/2 years ago.  Ashley and I were in Ladies Bible Class together and began our relationship through our common love for the Word.  You might not be familiar with the term Koinonia.  Here is the definition: 
" Kononia is a tranliterated form of the Greek word, κοινωνία, which means communion, joint participation; the share which one has in anything, participation, a gift jointly contributed, etc."

It wasn't long into our relationship that Ashley and I started serving together.  She has a gift of organization and there were many church events where we worked side by side with each other. From the get go she always was concerned about my health and if I was over doing and would always try to get me to sit down.  And while she was my friend, she often treated me like she was my daughter.  I don't think she ever called me Lynn, it was always Ms. Lynn.  

One of the things that Ashley and I had in common was our love for teaching children.  We would spend so much time talking about what she wanted for her children in terms of their faith formation.  Since I used to be a Children's Minister, she would come to be for suggestions, ideas or advice and I was always glad to share what I felt the Lord had taught me.

Philippians 2:1-2 declares, “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.” Koinonia is being in agreement with one another, being united in purpose, and serving alongside each other. Our koinonia with each other is based on our common koinonia with Jesus Christ. First John 1:6-7 says, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

I appreciate the love for the Lord that the Hollis' have instilled into the heart of their children.  They also instilled a love and respect for me.  I will always have special memories of their sweet Jackson coming to me during our worship time and asking if he could pray for me.  It happened several times and always touched my heart that he had a heart for prayer.

I could say so much more but will stop by saying it is a precious gift when you can share Koinonia with another person.  The best part about it is that even though the Hollis' are moving to Louisiana we didn't really say "goodbye", we just said "see you later" because Koinonia lasts into eternity and for that I am very thankful!!

"J" is for JUSTICE

Those of you that have followed my blog for awhile are aware of my story of my accident in 2005 when I was hit by a drunk driver resulting in 6 months of rehab and 2 years of recovery.  I have recently joined Blogging Through The Alphabet ( http://throughthecalmandthroughthestorm.blogspot.com/2016/01/blogging-through-alphabet-week-10.html) and this week our letter is the letter "J".  The word that immediately came to me was JUSTICE.

The drunk driver that hit me, ran away from the scene of the accident and was never found.  That is a long story in itself, but over the years when people have heard the story they will say something like "too bad you didn't get justice."  To which I usually reply "I know that one day God will give justice or mercy as He sees fit."

Now don't get me wrong, there have been moments when I thought justice would have been for that individual to have to travel with me to every therapy and doctor appointment I have had for the past ten and half years.  But for the most part, I have been able to leave it in God's lap with the confidence that He indeed will give justice or mercy as He sees fit.  I can only do that because of His character.  I know through scripture that He is trustworthy and is a God of justice.

Pslam 50:6: "And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for He is a God of justice."

Psalm 89:14: "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go                          before you."

Psalm 103:6: "The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed."

Isaiah 30:18: "Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you                                   compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!

Acts 17:31: "For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has                                  appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.

Yesterday in our church services we sang the song "I Surrender All."  I have difficulty singing that song because there are many things I have yet to surrender to God, but thankfully this is one thing I can say I have surrendered.  For the wrongs that I see in the world where it seems that evil is winning, I am thankful to know that in His time God will wield a hand of justice and evil will get its due!! I don't have to do a thing, but just sit back and watch! :-)

Blogging Through The Alphabet: Letter "I"

For this week's Blogging Through The Alphabet were are on the letter "I".  The letter "I" reminded me of one of my favorite Bible verses, Ephesians 3:20 "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us..."  There are two "I" words in that passage "immeasurably" and "imagine".  To understand what those two words mean all you have to do is look at the language in the King James version of the Bible "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us."

I remember when I first discovered this verse and realized that God isn't just a God of the ordinary and when I pray, He doesn't just answer what I need but He can answer in ways I cannot even measure (immeasurable).  And then it is beyond what I can even imagine (think of)!   If that wasn't enough it says that it is according his power that is at work within us.  If we read Ephesians 1:19-20 we discover that power is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead!! "I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms."  So I have to ask myself do I really believe that?  If so why do I not live my life in that power?  I want to, but more often than not I don't because I listen to the voice of my enemy who wants to convince me that this isn't Truth.

You see, the faith struggle comes when the God who promises to do immeasurably more than all I can ask or imagine, doesn't even do the minimal.  Someone I have been praying for healing dies.  Or after we praise God for healing their cancer comes back. An elderly person has lived a long life and is begging God to go home and let them be out of pain and they just linger.  A marriage I have been praying for ends in divorce.  My own pain that I live with and pray for continues.  When I pray for Pastor Saeed who has been imprisoned in Iran since 2012 to be released and he is still imprisoned.  I am often praying like the father in Mark 9:24 who tells Jesus "I believe, help my unbelief".

Not sure I have any answers.  But I do believe I have a God that can do immeasurably more than all I can ask or imagine.  I believe in His character and even when I don't understand, I try not to listen to the accusations of the enemy "Where is your God?".  I try to live in that power that is within me and with the Holy Spirit's help I say "Get behind me Satan". (James 4:7)

I do have examples in my life where God has done immeasurably more and I have blogged about those in the past, so I will not repeat them here.  But more and more I ask Him more than answering prayers that I learn to live in the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, and I believe He will enable me to do so, in ways beyond all I can ask or imagine!

"H" In The Story Of Christmas

So, I don't know about you but as hard as I work to make the Christmas season less hectic and more peaceful, it seems like I just can't get in control of the chaos.  Since I didn't want to stress about what I would do this week for  Blogging Through The Alphabet letter "H".  I decided to just copy the Christmas story from Luke 2 and highlight all the "H" words :-)

"In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told."

May each of you have a wonderful Christmas celebration and may we all take time to ponder in our hearts the miracle gift that was given to all of us.  I saw a great quote this week "many babies grew up to be a king, but only one King became a baby."

Blogging Through The Alphabet: G is for Gifts

For Blogging Through The Alphabet today the letter is "G" and I chose the word Gifts.
I was told that yesterday is the busiest day for the U.S. Post Office.  I didn't know that as I sat and wrapped gifts readying them to mail myself.  As I sat and wrapped presents for family that are out of state, I started thinking about gifts.  What was the most special gift I ever received?  I remembered when I was around 5 years old and I couldn't decide between and Bride doll and a Betsy Wetsy doll, so I told Santa to choose and he brought me both :-).  I remembered getting the hot rollers to curl my hair as a teenager.  It was always fun to get new clothes.  But if I am being honest, I was hard pressed to actually remember over 60 years of Christmases and presents.  

We spend so much time, money and effort trying to buy the perfect gift for all of those on our Christmas list and yet if we asked them what we gave them last year would they actually remember?  It's not that we aren't grateful, it's just that as Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 1:2 "Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher.“Utterly meaningless!  Everything is meaningless.”  Happiness will never be found in things. Things wear out and don't last.

But there are several gifts that will last a lifetime, that I remember well.

• My mother's love:  My mother has always loved me unconditionally.  No matter how many times I have disappointed her, she forgives me and continues to love me.
• My father's love:  I have blogged about this before, but my "father of heart" came into my life when I was 15 and I never felt like a "stepchild".  He never gave me that name, and always loved me as if I was born of his flesh.  He will always be my example of how God loves.
• My husband's love:  Steve accepted me and loved me from the get go, knowing that I was less than perfect.  I was afraid when I confessed my sins of the past to him, he would decide not to marry me.  But I will never forget the gift of his words "there but by the grace of God go I".
• Friends:  I have been blessed with many sweet friends over the years.  Their friendship has left deep footsteps in my heart.  I can't name them all here, but  I appreciate the gift of friendship because it means someone loved me enough to invest in my life and allow me to invest in theirs.
• Prayer:  What a wonderful gift prayer is!  I have no way to know the countless people and countless prayers that have been said over me, but when I was in the hospital for six months, every Tuesday afternoon Bob Legan would call my room and pray with me over the phone.  Bill Thoma fasted and prayed for me every Saturday for those months.  What a wonderful gift of faithfulness in prayer that was to me.  From that experience I learned the comfort of prayer and vowed I would never again tell someone "I will pray for you" and then not follow through. And even now, Lowell and Donna Anderson and Bob and Mary Ann Stephenson faithfully tell me every week they are praying for me.
• I am sure I could think of many more, but for the length of this post, I will stop here.

Of course I couldn't leave this post without my greatest gift--my Jesus!!  Thank you God for knowing that I would be a sinner unable to stand before a Holy God.  I wish I could have lived a perfect life in obedience to you as he did, but I am very aware that I have not, nor will I in the future.  I thank you Jesus for leaving the glories of Heaven and coming to this fallen earth and sacrificing your all so that I can be guaranteed salvation.  While I enjoy this time of year where the focus is on you as a baby, I truly love knowing that the baby in the manger leads me to my Jesus who will come back again one day and take us home with you where we will have the most wonderful Christmas celebration of all!!

I do have to share my favorite song about gifts :-)

Blogging Through the Alphabet: F is for Fear

For Blogging Through The Alphabet today the letter is "F" and I chose the word Fear.  My husband and I do a devotional each day at lunch and today the reading was from Joshua 14:

Now the people of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God at Kadesh Barnea about you and me. 7 I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. And I brought him back a report according to my convictions, 8 but my fellow Israelites who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt in fear. I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly. 9 So on that day Moses swore to me, ‘The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed theLord my God wholeheartedly.’[a]

10 “Now then, just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! 11 I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. 12 Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.”

So many things happening in our world today that if we just look at them it would be easy to live fear filled lives.  You don't think the "bad" will be in your backyard, but twice in two months there have been random shootings in Colorado Springs that if I had just been in the wrong place at the right time, I could be one of those who are dead.  There is so much talk in the media about racial tensions and terrorists among us.  But I want to suggest we take note of a lesson from this short passage in Joshua.

When Joshua and Caleb and the other spies went to scope out enemy territory, they all saw the same view.  And when they came back they reported to Moses and said that the thought the enemy was too big and too strong, in fact they said they seemed like grasshoppers in comparison.  But Caleb said "We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”

The key to overcoming fear is being confident in God's provision.  Not letting fear be our deciding factor, but wholeheartedly following the Lord knowing if He brought us to it, He will bring us through it!  We can saw with Joshua "with the Lord helping me, I will....."

We can also hold onto other Truths of His Word:

• Psalm 34:4-I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
• Proverbs 3:24-26-When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.  Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be at your side.
• Proverbs 29:25-Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.
• Isaiah 41:10-So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Blogging Through the Alphabet: "E" is for El Roi

So at the beginning of the Blogging Through The Alphabet journey I blogged Adonai for the letter "A" and mentioned that my favorite name for God begins with the letter "E".  El Roi would be my favorite name for God, it means "the God who sees".  It first appears in Genesis 16:13.  Sarah was not able to conceive a child with Abraham so she gives him her servant Hagar who does get pregnant. For some reason after Hagar conceived she began to despise her mistress. Sarah complains to Abraham and he tells her to do with Hagar whatever she wants, so she mistreats her.  Must have been pretty bad, because Hagar runs away.  While she is in the desert an angel appears to her and asks what she is doing to which she replies "I am running away from my mistress, Sarai." The angel tells her that God is aware of her misery but she needs to return to her mistress.  He then gives her a promise that she will bear a son named Ishmael and her descendants will be too many to count.

Hagar then gave a name to the Lord who spoke to her "You are the God who sees me" for she said "I have now seen the One who sees me". (Genesis 16:13)  In Hebrew that would be El Roi (the God who sees me).  I really love knowing that God is a God who knows my misery and He sees me. Nothing escapes his attention, and while I may not understand the reasons that I am going through something, it is comforting to know that whatever it is has already passed through God's hands and he is aware.  Sometimes I question Him with my "why's", but I try to quiet the "why's" and just trust in His promises.  Especially Romans 8:28 "God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love Him."  I have to remind myself that He did not spare His own Son, and what He went through is much more than anything that I have encountered.

I also remind myself that God did not leave me here alone.  He sent his Son, Immanuel (God with us) which if you Romanize the spelling could be another "E" word Emmanuel :-).  God is not a distant God, one who is hands off and doesn't care.  He is with us, right beside us.  If He allows us to go through a trial, that trial has a purpose.  It may not be for me but could even be for someone else's benefit.  But I can have confidence that whatever it is God will give me the strength I need to see it through until His purposes are accomplished.

Isaiah 40:29-"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak."

Psalm 28:7-"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me."

Psalm 105:4-"Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always."

Isaiah 40:29-"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak."

Isaiah 40:3-"but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

Philippians 4:13-"I can do all this through him who gives me strength."

Ephesians 1:18-19 "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead."

Thank God I have an El Roi (a God who sees)!!

Blogging Through The Alphabet:  D is for Death and Delight

Seems like I am not on the same page as those Blogging Through The Alphabet at http://throughthecalmandthroughthestorm.blogspot.com/2015/10/blogging-through-alphabet.html, but I will just keep doing what comes to my mind.  I know seeing the word DEATH as my "D" word might seem rather surprising.  Yesterday I  spent some time with a sweet lady by the name of Mina who has been in hospice for awhile.  They have notified her daughter that she could pass on to the next life at any time.  Mina is a sweet woman who has lived a full life and dearly loves her Lord, Jesus Christ.  But she is concerned because as she said in her own words "I don't know how to die."

I have been thinking about those words since I heard them and I had to ask myself "do any of us know how to die?"  It isn't something we have mastered or have experience with.  But I do think we can take some time to think about it ahead of time.  I do think that those of us who believe that there is something after this life have more to contemplate than those that think you just die and that's it, there is nothing else.  How would you face death then?  But for me, I think those of us that believe there is a better life awaiting us, one in which we get to walk and talk with God for eternity have a lot to contemplate.  We live our lives understanding that this world is not our home.  I do think sometimes we are too attached to this world and we don't set our hearts on things above, as we are told to do in Colossians 3:1-2, "...set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."  We should all be looking forward to our death and the time where we will be with Jesus.  Death is just the door we have to go through to move into our new life, where all will be complete and perfect.

Unfortunately because we live in a world in which sin has caused things to be less than perfect, too many people have to go through some terrible suffering before their reward.  Mina has been in some terrible pain for a few months.  They have tried to give her medications to help, but they couldn't ever come up with anything that would totally take it away.  If you know anyone who has had to journey the cancer battle, it can also be very painful as it progresses.  I remember being by my father in the last days of his life and not understanding why he was having to suffer so much when God could just take him home?  I have still do not have answers to that question, but it made me all the more glad when his time did come to know that he was no longer in pain.  Perhaps that is the reason, to make us be glad our loved ones have been set free.  Otherwise, we would want them to stay with us forever.

So what does it mean to die well?  Mina, my dad and many others have showed me how to do that.  All they can do is talk about wanting to see Jesus.  While they are in terrible pain, that is not their focus.  They want scriptures read to them, they want music sung to them, they want to talk about their Jesus.    Which brings me to my other "D" word DELIGHT.  When Jesus is the Lord of your life you can delight in Him and delight in death.

Today in Bible Study Fellowship we looked at Revelation, Chapter 5.  It is centered around the throne of God.

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,

    to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength

    and honor and glory and praise!”

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

    be praise and honor and glory and power,

                                        for ever and ever!”

Last week in Chapter 4 we read:

Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

“‘Holy, holy, holy

is the Lord God Almighty,’[b]

who was, and is, and is to come.”

  Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

  

“You are worthy, our Lord and God,

    to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

    and by your will they were created

    and have their being.”

Who wouldn't want to be a part of that scene?  So keep your eyes on the prize, and remember this world is not our home.  Remember you have a Savior that went to the cross and conquered Death, so that you wouldn't have to and you can actually Delight in the the knowledge that you will be in His presence one day and will worship Him for eternity!!

 P.S.  Would you please say a prayer for sweet Mina, that she will just close her eyes and wake up in Jesus' arms and that will happen soon!!!