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GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD Experiencing an extraordinary God in ordinary life Issue #877 August 6, 2003 Been Thinking About...Death We've been thinking about death a lot the past few weeks around our home. Kathy has been in Toronto with her family as her father is terminally ill with very little time left. I found out the day before yesterday that my grandmother in Nova Scotia, has been in and out of coma the past couple of days and isn't expected to recover. In both case, it could be hours, day, weeks or at the most a couple of months before the inevitable happens. Death is a part of life. Only those caught up in the Lord's return will escape it. We're praying for healing for both my grandmother and my father-in-law. We know that God is capable of healing, but we also know He's sovereign and trust in His wisdom. I stand firmly on the words of Shadrach and his friends when they were condemned to the fiery furnace. Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?" Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." Daniel 3:13-18 NIV These young men knew that God is still God, and still worthwhile serving even if it meant losing everything. They knew that His ways are not our ways, they are better than ours and they trusted Him. That's how we feel about the healing for my father in law and my grandmother. Of course we are saddened by their illness and there will be grieving and a hole left in our lives when they go. That will take time to recover from. There is a difference between our feelings about the upcoming deaths. You see, my grandmother has a faith in Christ and my father-in-law to this point denies Him. That means if my F-I-L continues in His ways, we'll not see Him after death, but we will see her. He'll be in hell and she'll be in heaven. It's that simple. Having a loved one who knows the Lord pass is far less painful than having a loved one who doesn't know Him die. With a grandmother it will be a "see you later", as it stands with my F-I-L it will be goodbye forever. Neither one of them "deserves" to go to heaven. Both have made their share of blunders in life (as have we all). She is saved only by her acceptance of the grace of God, He is not saved(at this point) based only on His rejection of the truth. It's a simple as knowing that we're all going to die at sometime. Maybe today, maybe next week, maybe not for seventy more years. WHEN (when not if) that happens we face two destinations heaven or hell. The outcome depends on a simple choice. Have you accepted Jesus as Lord or not. Until next time, for the sake of your eternal soul, for the peace of your loved ones and for the glory of God, please make the choice to accept Jesus as Lord. Nothing else you will ever do will have an impact as profound. Be blessed Hallelu Yah (Praise God)! Kevin YOU ARE Once you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour you are heaven bound. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:3-5 NIV Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. You have value in the eyes of God so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that heaven will not be complete without you. HELP FOR THE HURTING It all comes down to a matter of who will you serve? Will you serve Jesus and spend eternity with Him or will you reject Him and spend eternity separated? For the sake of your loved ones and your eternal soul, accept Him today. You can simply begin the relationship by honestly and completely opening your heart, admitting you need God's help, and saying a prayer along the lines of: Jesus: I have made many mistakes in my life and done things I am not proud of. I have sinned. I need your love and forgiveness. I believe that you came into this world and gave your life on a cross to pay for my sins and that you defeated death and rose again. Please forgive me, and be the Lord of my life. I give my life to you Lord. Amen If you pray this prayer for the first time let me know so I can rejoice with you. Did you know that at Gleanings, we have a dedicated team of prayer warriors and all prayer concerns are kept strictly confidential? Your comments, your questions and your joys are shared with the prayer team, to keep me accountable as the head of the ministry and to encourage them as they see God at work in your life. As with prayer all these things are kept confidential within the Gleanings team. To share your questions, comments, thoughts, prayer concerns and praise reports email us If you enjoyed this issue of Gleanings From The Word, email it, in its entirety, to a friend. For information on use of Gleanings in your church newsletter or other situations please visit the permissions page . You can write to us at Gleanings From The Word Ministries International 114 Oak St Sherwood Park, AB Canada T8A 0V8 © 2003 K.F. "Kevin" Corbin Gleanings From The Word Minististries International - All Rights Reserved
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