October 2
Isaiah 66:1-24 | PS 74:1-23 | Prov 24:15-16 | Phil 3:4-21
I saw a long term patient of mine who was distraught over her father. Her grief was palpable, her love for him was obvious, as he unfortunately recently came down with a diagnosis of advanced cancer, associated with short life expectancy. She described how much she loves him, what an amazing father he has been, and in many ways he has been the rock throughout her life. As many who are faced with these difficult situations it is hard to envision life without them. What I explained to her though, this is where her most important demonstration of love as a daughter begins. She explained to me that she thought that no one can no for sure who does and who does not end up in heaven. But I explained that we actually can know this for sure, as Jesus promised as told in the New Testament. When we walk our loved ones home, though we often get consumed with longevity on earth, our focus must switch to one's eternal destination. True love means having those difficult conversations leading one down the only way to heaven, that being a repentant heart, submitted to Jesus, in acceptance of His payment for us on the cross. There simply is no other way. These conversations may be awkward and uncomfortable. They may be a departure from fifty years of previous conversations. But putting it simply, if a building is on fire, and you know the only door of escape, wouldn't you do everything in your might to lead others, especially those whom you love the most, to that door? We like to speak in terms of middle ground, but there is no middle ground when it comes to eternity. I gave her a sample of the Roman Road to Salvation from Got Questions, and she is going to embark on a daily reading schedule with her father starting in the book of John.
So many describe their loved ones with accolades, and this is a beautiful testimony of one's life, but Paul wrote in Philippians 3:4-6, "though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless." No doubt Paul made all of his loved ones proud of the way he led his life before entering into his relationship with Jesus Christ. But after entering into a relationship with the Messiah, this is how he now viewed all of his accomplishments in 3:7-8, "But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ." In fact, so excited was Paul with his new life, he wrote in 3:13-14, "Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
When we envision our deaths, most desire the quick painless kind, in the middle of the night, while sleeping. But as I explained to my patient, when she sadly asked why would God allow her beloved father to suffer this type of death, if he died overnight, she would have lost her opportunity to lead him to Christ. Though this road may be more painful on earth, she now has time to plant those seeds to enable him to spend eternity, which is so much longer than our time on earth, in heaven. For those of us who know Jesus, we should adopt Pastor Chuck Smith's philosophy, as he wrote, "I think of how runners in distance races hold a certain amount of energy back for that final lap and their finishing kick. That is how I want to live my life. I am getting older and now is the time for me to turn on my final kick and give it everything I've got. I'm pressing forward, leaning into the tape! No time to look back!"
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: