October 14, 2012

Good morning all-

Death has no victory over those that are saved!  I start with that this morning because I watched a young woman die yesterday.  I saw the hand of God on her family and praised Him.  I watched as her daughters stood by her side, hand in hand and loved their mother.  I prayed and praised Jesus the whole time, thanking Him for giving us eternal life.

I can't say that I loved what I saw, as a matter of fact, it made my heart hurt more than I can say.  I watched a woman with her whole life ahead of her take some of her last breaths and it hurt.  I hurt for her, her family, and her children.  My job is not done.  I must stick by these girls, love them and show them that Christ is real.  I must pray for them and stand by their side, through the good and bad times.  And I must remind myself that death has no hold as long as Jesus resides in us.

I've learned a lot through my loss and I guess my takeaway is that as long as we have Jesus, we have victory.  Death can only be loss if we don't know Jesus, for by His grace we are saved.  Last night, my husband asked me to come home.  It was the last thing I wanted to do but I did.  I didn't want to leave their side, I didn't want them to feel the loneliness that I felt getting into my car.  I wanted to surround them.  But each of us will deal with our grief differently and people must have the time to do so.

Although I feel grief, I feel assured that their mother is on the streets of gold.  I wonder about heaven a lot.  I think about it and how wonderful it must be.  Many think they can work their way to Heaven but we can't.  Jesus's life was taken so that we could reside on those streets.  I really don't care about the  mansions and the beauty; I want to be in the presence of Jesus.  Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed about Heaven, what it looked like, who I would see, and was it a wonderful place.  Reading about it in the Bible and thinking about being at God's table has broadened my desire to see it one day.

Often I have feared death.  I hate to watch the grief, see the hurt, and recognize the loss.  And yet, all of us will face it one day.  Today, I concentrate on the mightiness of Christ.  Of hearing the call and stepping toward it.  I concentrate on a young woman who knew her mother needed God.  I bow down to a God that chooses to save the lost and damaged.  With every breath, I knew Jesus was closer.  Do you know how comforting that is?  Jesus was near, He was in that room.

The journey is not over for those that my friend has left behind.  She is where there is no pain and only the beauty of Jesus.  Her family is left with the pain of loss.  But I know that God can help that too.  I have experienced His mighty grace and know that He is the essence of who I am.  I am an example of a changed life.  My loss and grief have helped me have more faith, love more people and it has given me a desire to pray for the lost.

So today, my prayer will be that God will show His face to the entire family.  That those that don't know Him will come to Him.  That during the next days and weeks, He will give them strength and that all will see His grace.  For one there is peace.  Now, I must pray that those that don't know Him will see Him!

I'm praying for you today too.  I want us all to know that death only takes the body.  Christ can and will have victory!  I hope that these last days have not brought you down but that they have lifted you up.  That the Holy Spirit has revealed to you the power of the cross and that as you contemplate your days, you will put Jesus first.  He is our victor and we are His chosen.  None of us deserve to be on the streets of gold and yet, He died so that we can be!

Revelation 21:21 NKJV:

     The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

Luke 22: 29-30 NKJV:

      "And I bestow on you a kingdom, just as my Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

We never deserved to be chosen.  We definitely have done nothing worthy of being in His presence and yet, we will sit at His table.  We will eat and drink with our Lord.  We will be on the streets of gold and we did nothing to get there.  Our Lord sacrificed His life so we could be in Heaven.  If you don't know Jesus and you are reading this post please ask Christ into your life, He is calling!

Until tomorrow...