A Nugget from New Life Network
Scripture for the Day January 1, 2019
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:30-32)
Most of you are aware that we lost our daughter-in-law in a tragic house fire the night of 12/23 and the morning of 12/24. We have just returned from Collierville, TN where our son and daughter-in-law lived. We had some precious time with our entire family and we had a celebration (rather than a funeral) of Kari’s life that was a life well lived. She loved the Lord with all her heart.
As we reflect back on these events we are so thankful for Kari’s faith in God. We know where she is and that brings a lot of peace and comfort to the entire family.
We are also so thankful for the Body of Christ in the TN area that came together as one and celebrated Kari’s life and assisted the family in a multitude of ways. They fed the multitude of mourners. They helped coordinate all the services. They gave financially to the family. They provided living space for the family. They opened up their churches to provide adequate space for the celebration service. It was truly a coming together of the Body of Christ and we are so proud of that community. I know that Kari was also well pleased.
There are always a lot of questions when something like this happens. We don’t have all the answers but there are some things that we do know and hear is a brief list:
- God will always take the things the enemy means for harm and turn them to the good. (Genesis 50:20)
- Kari did not die. She went from life to life. (John 11:26)
- Kari is with the Lord and would not come back even if she could. (2 Corinthians 5:8)
- God is a good God and He is good all the time. (Matthew 19:17)
- God is good and the devil is bad. (John 10:10)
Sometimes, we Christians get things turned upside down in our theology. Sometimes, we try to take all the multitude of scriptures in the Bible and we try to use them to describe and understand Jesus. That is exactly opposite from what we should do. What we should do is look to Jesus and use Him to define all the rest of the Bible. He is our example. He is the Word of God made flesh. He is the exact reflection of God the Father. If we will look to Him to explain the scriptures it will keep us from going off in a hundred different directions and creating division in the Body.
The Body of Christ (the Church) has so many great gifts that are separated by men’s doctrines. This last week, we saw the Church come together to minister to my son and his family. It was truly a refreshing and holy thing to watch. We just talked to one of our other sons that is still in TN helping and he has spent the last two days just going around and thanking the various churches, ministers, and people that have helped and are still helping. They need to know from our family that their efforts were sincerely appreciated.
Thank you Lord for the church! We desperately needed it during this time and it stepped up big time.
Hey guys, love your family!!! Don’t let silly arguments separate and divide you. Today is the day of salvation. You just never know. You may not have another chance to tell a loved one that you love them. You may not have another chance to ask for forgiveness. Do it now!!!
