Binding Up Broken Hearts

It is very late here at Casa del Hood.  The day ending has been long and arduous.  About 30 hours ago, I received an urgent call from an institution with which my church is affiliated.  A member of that group was dying, and the loved ones needed sustaining, loving care.  It was an honor to be asked to help in this time of intense sorrow.

The dear one has since passed on into the arms of God. Tomorrow, I will go again to share the love of Jesus Christ, this time with extended family as well as with friends.  I hope you will pardon my absence from this blog, in large part, while assisting in this critical situation.  There are opportunities to share the gospel and to comforting the hurting.  In other words, opportunities to "practice what I preach".  How blessed is that?

The irony was not lost on me that, in the last post, I wrote about death being the final enemy to be vanquished.  And then, a few hours later, this situation presented itself.  (Please forgive the lack of detail.  Many local people read my blog; for this reason, I must be sensitive to the needs of others.) Today, death claimed one more victim, although she was young, loyal, caring, sassy and determined.

But, death does not get the final word, nor the victory.

In just a moment, before heading to bed, I'm going to write the family a letter, to let them know what beautiful things I witnessed concerning their loved one today, what a privilege it was to grieve with their friends.  I pray that He will give me just the right words...words that will build a "caring bridge".

If you are reading this in "real time", please pray for me and for the others, connected heart-to-heart at this time.  Please pray that Jesus Christ will be glorified, that love will flow freely, that judgment will be banished, that memories will be shared, and finally, that hearts will find the beginnings of healing.  Thank you, friends.

He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds.

Psalm 147:3

Hallelujah, what a Savior!

The Default Setting and the New iOS

I had no idea that Romans 5 was such a wonderful chapter!  Really.  It tells God's Story from beginning to end, in one chapter.  So, today we are going to finish it up, by focusing on the last two
"-ion" words:  sanctification and glorification.

Sanctification
When I was in college I got to sing my first classic choral masterwork, a mass.  Not having been raised Catholic, I had no idea what a mass was, other than I knew it was the Catholic church service. A choral mass is a large work, comprised of 5 major sections:  Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus and Benedictus, Agnus Dei.  Latin is a dead language, they say.  But, it lives on in the masterworks of Bach, Beethoven, Verdi, Mozart and others.  And, in those masterworks, Latin is gorgeous.  It "sings"!  A little early for puns, you say?  I agree.... moving on!
So, you may have noticed that one of the sections of the mass is called "sanctus", a word that basically means "holy".  It is the same root that gives us the English word, "sanctification" - - being set apart to become more like Jesus, more "holy".
Here's how God designed it: we can't "holify" ourselves by our own good works.  After becoming Christ's, however, His Holy Spirit within us sanctifies us, through supernatural power.   Sounds wonderful, right?  Look at verses 3-4 (NET).

3Not only this, but we also rejoice in sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance, character, and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

When we identify with, align our hearts with Jesus Christ, sufferings, trials, tribulations inevitably result.  This is because we have then put ourselves in opposition with the majority of people in this world, standing against their philosophies, practices and beliefs.  Satan immediately puts us on his radar.  (As long as we were not Christ's, we were no threat to him, you see.)  Even if we do not fully realize it, when we become a Christian by experiencing that forever-change-of-heart, we become utterly powerful to tear down the strongholds Satan has erected in this world.  This conquering power is from Christ Himself, through His Holy Spirit (Philippians 4:13).
If we "sink deep" into Jesus, drawing on the supernatural power He gives us, He transforms us from being righteous in Him to being a warrior for Him.  That is what it means when Paul says that our problems produce endurance, character and hope.
Now what about that last bit: hope?
Remember: hope as defined in the Bible has a different connotation from our customary use of the word in modern English.  The Greek word "elpis" (ἐλπίς) means "an expectation of what is certain."
Mothers will understand this.  We call a pregnant woman an "expectant mother".  She is "expecting". Now, without getting overly graphic, let's just say that what is inside her is going to come out, one way or the other.  Right?  There's no "Perhaps the baby will come out".  It's coming.  No doubt.

Think about a successful job, perhaps the first one you got as a young person.  You were probably scared to death at first.  But, each success on the job gave you more confidence, didn't it?  The harder you worked, the better you got.  Well, it is sort of like that with sanctification.  When you yield to the Spirit, He produces spiritual "fruit" (successes) in your own spirit.  This is what Paul means by "character".  And, the more He is allowed (through your surrender) to sanctify you, the more confident of "who you are, in Christ".  This state of ever-becoming more like Jesus is what Paul calls "reigning in life" (vs. 17), resplendent daughters and sons!  Hallelujah!
When you experience justification, the last "-ion" word we talked about yesterday, you KNOW that you have been changed forever.  You KNOW that your eventual destination is Heaven.  But, through sanctification, you become even more confident and excited about "that blessed hope", the certainty of Heaven.  It's like a runner running a race: you see the finish line in the distance.  The closer it gets, the clearer you can see it and the more excited you are to reach it!

Glorification
Sanctification and glorification cannot be separated.  They go together, inseparably.  Romans 8:30 tells us that if you belong to Christ (justification), you will not be sinless; rather, you will be becoming more and more like Christ in some way.  You will not be a "fruitless fig tree" (Luke 6:30). It is impossible.  Oh, you may go through "phases" where you are temporarily walking in disobedience; but, you will be miserable the whole time, deep down in your soul.  Sanctification is the "default setting" for each believer.
This is the beginning of glorification!  One flows into the other.  The final transition is made when physical death comes to the believer, the Christ-follower.  But, there is no fear in death for the believer!  Our Savior has conquered it for us.  Physical death is merely stepping from sanctification into full-on glorification, the "new operating system"!  When we were dead (spiritually) in our sins, death reigned in us.  When we were made alive (spiritually) in Christ Jesus, grace reigned and will reign in us forever.

so that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 5:21

Eternal life - - ultimate glorification.  Psalm 16:1l sums up the marriage of justification-sanctification-glorification beautifully.  In closing, think about that as you ponder this verse:

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.

NASB

Father, eternity is now.  We need to grasp that truth and apply it to our lives.  Physical death is merely a mile marker on the road to glory.  And, every step we take brings us closer to you! We are so very, very cherished and loved.  Do your supernatural conversion in each of us.  Thank you, Lord! In Jesus' name, amen.

Source:

http://biblehub.com/greek/1680.htm

Later, 'Gator!

{Normally, I begin every post with "Good morning,".
That is a tall order today.}

Good morning,

This is the day the Lord has made.  I will rejoice and be glad in it.  

Psalm 118:24

As has been alluded to in recent posts, my church family has been going through some grievous times these past couple of weeks.  On Oct. 1st, we marked the one-year anniversary of the death of one of our sweetest, most devout teens, killed in a car accident. Near that same time, a couple in our church lost their adult son to death.  Then, four days ago, another couple lost their adult son.  Then, three days later, tragedy struck again, this time snatching from us the precious 5-year old son of our children's pastor.  In addition to this, Hubster and I lost a friend (from a neighboring church) to a brain aneurysm.

We, and our church family, are simply "beside ourselves" with grief.

Psalm 116:3 describes deep grief as "the pains of Sheol (or Hell) got hold of me".  The Psalmist describes the situation as one of "being tied up with strong cords" by death.  The word picture that his contemporaries would have understood was that of a creditor tying up a person who owed him money, tying him up so securely that he could not escape until the account was settled.
Tied up, "encompassed" by death.  Bound up in grief.

Most of us have "been there" - - overtaken by the trouble and sorrow which accompany the death of a loved one.  Some of us have gone there and are having a very hard time being set free.  It is normal and right to grieve the loss of a dearly beloved.  It is not the way of our God to live there, imprisoned in our grief to the point that we are destroyed.

If you are an unbeliever, someone who reads my posts out of curiosity, let me tell you a secret.
Christians grieve differently.  We love deeply, because we seek to imitate the love of Jesus Christ, modeled for us. We feel our losses as keenly as anyone who do not know Jesus.

The difference is that our grieving is infused with what the Bible calls "hope" (1 Thessalonians 4:13).
The word "hope" in the New Testament is not the same as our English word.  In this verse and many others, the Greek word "elpida" means "a calm assurance".

A calm assurance of what?  Christians believe that by knowing Jesus Christ as Savior we will never truly die.  Our bodies will certainly continue to deteriorate, with each day we live, until they succumb to physical death, at which point our eternal spirits will be released to go be with our LORD.  We will remain with Him forever, until and even past that grand day when He returns to Earth to raise our mortal bodies, convert them to a "forever body" and reunite our eternal spirits with that immortal body forever.  To fellow Believers who cross over into eternity before us we say, "Later, 'Gator!"  We love you desperately, and will miss you terribly.  But, we know we will love you until the end of all time and beyond.  And, we will see you, be with you, love you again, after we have stepped from here into eternity to join you and our most-beloved Savior, Jesus Christ.  It is He, and only He, who has broken the binding cords of Hell and Death (Acts 2:24).

Oh sure, there are times like this when we are tempted to "throw it all in".  Praying last night, I said to the Lord, "You know, it is in moments like this - - - moments when it seems our prayers were not heard, moments when we don't understand Your ways, moments when we lose precious, little souls like Christian, that I am tempted to stop believing."  It is just so hard to understand!  I wish you knew these families who have suffered the worst of losses this week!  Godly people!  People who serve their Savior faithfully, humble people who love their LORD!  It just doesn't seem "fair".

While at the hospital on Wednesday, praying over little Christian, I was blessed by a short conversation with Stephanie, the mother of the teen who was taken from us a year ago.  She said, "I am so thankful!"  Then, she proceeded to tell me of how God has blessed her over and over in the past 12 months.  In the middle of her ongoing grief, she is embracing the goodness of the LORD.

I pray that you know the calm assurance that comes from having received Jesus' offer of eternal salvation, that He is your Lord as well as your Savior.  At no time in this earthly life is His love any sweeter than when we lose those most dear to us.  It is then that His arms hold us the tightest.  It is in those times that we often say to each other, "How do people live without Jesus?  How do they make it through this life's most severe trials?"  There is no sweeter life than walking with Him, both here and in The Thereafter.

The Psalmist begins Psalm 116, a cry of deep grief, with the words, "I love the Lord" and he ends the psalm with the words, "Praise the Lord".  The LORD is always good to His children.  He is always righteous.  His compassion towards His Beloved knows no end.

Dear Father, even though we know the Truth, even though we know that little children and Believers go to be with You at their moment of physical death, our hearts are broken by the losses we have sustained these past few days.  We are so in need of your healing love, Your matchless comfort, Your supernatural peace.  Please bathe us in it as we continue to minister to each other in our sadness.  There is no earthly hope that can compare to the certainty of Your "blessed hope", Father.  I am so thankful that You made a way for our souls to be reconciled to You.  I am so grateful that I will one day see my precious loved ones, my fellow Believers, again in that great, holy City Not Made by Human Hands.  So humbly grateful, LORD.  In Jesus' name, amen.

Fly, Firefly, Fly!

Good morning,

Right in the middle of "life" this week, one of my best high school friends "moved on up".  The last time I saw her was about five years ago.  Although we were close in high school we lost touch after graduation, except for infrequent high school reunions.  She went on to serve God faithfully for more than 40 years, as a wife, mother, school teacher.  Her testimony was to God's grace in her life.

What I remember most about her was her calm and gentle spirit.  She was naturally quiet and reserved.  While we were in high school, she lost her mother to sudden illness.  Her mother had been a beautiful, precious, vivacious soul.  We all grieved over this loss.  But, her mother would have been proud of the godly life my friend lived.

It is my loss that we did not remain close over these 40 years.  I guess that such parting-of-the-ways is a result of going out to fulfill one's calling.  However, there is a "tie that binds", as the song goes ... the Holy Spirit of God who lived in her and also in me. Later today, I will be traveling with my best childhood friend to pay my respects and to rejoice with her loved ones. We are secure in the knowledge of where her soul now resides.

I heard a conversation yesterday between someone I dearly love and a second person I greatly respect. They agreed together that neither one of them "is religious".  With great difficulty, I kept my mouth shut, because it was "neither the time nor the place", if you know what I mean.  Do you see, though, that they most certainly ARE religious?  They are merely worshipping something or someone else other than the One who created them.

The god of this world, Satan, has blinded so many to the Truth.

Even if you read this and scoff at that statement, let me ask you this.  What if you are right and I am wrong?  Well, I will have lived a life of peace and joy, even in the middle of various trials along the way, and when I die....nothing.  I will have lost nothing except, you may argue, a few years of temporary, earthly pleasures.  But, what if you are the one who is mistaken...about the meaning and purpose of life, about there being an eternity of either Heaven or Hell?  Are you really willing to gamble your eternal soul, based on what someone else has told you, without doing a thorough investigation of the matter?

C.S. Lewis was a tremendously intelligent man, a professor of English at Oxford University, London. He reached that point of saying, "I've got to check this Jesus stuff out, to see if it is true."  He wrote a book about his journey of discovery.  It is entitled, Mere Christianity.  Here is some of what he wrote:
“If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.” 

In so many ways, we are like a lightning bug trapped in a jar.  Did you ever do that, as a kid?  Trap a firefly (we call them "lightning bugs" here in the South) in a jar, with holes in the lid?  The bug knows it does not belong in the jar.  There is something within its very DNA that cries out to that fact.  It is in a hostile environment.  Its entire existence is spent trying to get to that world where it belongs, and it won't find any true satisfaction until it does.

We are not mere flesh and blood and bone.  One of the unbelievers I mentioned above said yesterday, "We really have very little understanding of how the human brain works.  It is a miracle."  Yeah.  A divinely created miracle.
There is a soul within each of our bodies, and that soul is the "real us", and it will live somewhere forever. 

As a Christ-follower, I know where my eternal home will be.  I know this, beyond all doubt.   It's not because I'm "good".  It is because Jesus Christ was and is and ever will be perfect.  As His child, His righteousness has been conferred to me, forever.
 Again, C.S. Lewis - - 
“[To have Faith in Christ] means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice. Thus if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him. But trying in a new way, a less worried way. Not doing these things in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already. Not hoping to get to Heaven as a reward for your actions, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain way because a first faint gleam of Heaven is already inside you.” 
That taste of Heaven, like the light in the firefly is, thanks to Jesus, already inside me.  The Holy Spirit cries out, "Daddy! Father!" to God. 

So my friend, who is newly arrived to Heaven, got there the same "one and only way" I will.  There IS but one way there, and His name is Jesus.  Don't be deceived.  There is a place.  She is there with others I have known here and whom I'll see again, when it comes my turn to "fly, firefly, fly!"

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace.

Acts 20:24

7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; 8in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.

2 Timothy 4:7-8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9r2Hn8fBYbA

Father, I thank you for the privilege of being Your child.  Thank you for possessing me and transforming me by fusing my spirit with Yours forever.  Being in this present world, I have Your downpayment of eternity within me.  That light of life, Your Spirit, will never be extinguished.  And, when it is my time to "move on up", to "fly away", Your Spirit will take me to my forever home.  I thank You and praise You, because You have done this marvelous thing...something I could never achieve or do.  To You is due all the honor and glory and eternal praise.  In Jesus' name, amen.


Source:
1  https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/801500-mere-christianity