Monday, September 7, 2009

I have finished the race

For the last 2 weeks, I attended 3 wake services, a relative and two church friends. The youngest was in her early fifties and the oldest were in their early eighties. Death rips apart life's closest bonds, leaves hearts broken, ushers in loneliness, and open floodgates of tears. In the valley of grief, the only way to keep going is to trust the compass and map God has given us. You may think the Bible is too dated and old-fashioned to be of value. But the compass of God's indwelling Spirit and the map of the Bible are timeless - always pointing us in the right direction.

Our Lord is faithful and merciful High Priest (Hebrews 2 : 17) who has tasted death for everyone (2 : 9). He is the One who said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (13:5). His promise to be there for us is the bedrock of our security in an unstable world shattered by grief.

John Brantner writes, "Only people who avoid love can avoid grief. The point is to learn from it and remain vulnerable to love".

John 5 : 24 "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.
2 Timothy 4 : 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Man was not made for the present, and the present was never intended to satisfy man. Man's life on earth cannot and does not fulfill the eternal longings of man. This principle continues throughout his existence and even up to the point of death.

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