Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, we eat has to die before we eat it. Obviously, I'm talking about natural foods, but since we don't eat straight chemicals, everything we eat has life in it before we digest it. Vegetables, fruits, grains, meat....they all had life in them before we ingest them. If we don't eat, we die. If those items don't die, we don't eat. Death brings life. Follow me?
The very beginnings of our country; our freedoms, our rights, our way of life are all a result of war. Many men, and women, died in order to give us the lives we live today. Many men willingly put there lives on the line to make the USA a possibility. Without our freedom, we don't live the same lives. Without the war, and the subsequent deaths, we don't have our freedom. Death brings life. Are we still tracking?
9/11 is one of the most infamous days in the history of our country. Thousands of innocent people died in what was the only real attack on American soil since the Revolutionary War. Many, however, were saved thanks to the efforts of New York City's Police and Fire Departments evacuating and saving thousands of lives while placing there's at risk. Many of NYC's finest lost their lives that fateful day. If you didn't get out of the Trade Center, you died. Without the efforts of the police and fire departments, many would have never made it out. Death brings life. Are you seeing the pattern?
This isn't a mistake. God intended this from the beginning. All through time, we see how death brings life. In ancient times, God commanded that His followers sacrifice the best of their flock or herd in order to pay for their sins. God cannot be in the presence of sin. In order to erase that sin, He needed a sacrifice to take that sin for us. As we all know, Christ later became that ultimate sacrifice that could take all our sins. He became sin so that we could be in the presence of God. We need our sins to be erased in order to spend eternity with God. If Christ doesn't die, we still possess those sins. Death brings life.
Today, I went to the funeral my good friend, Matty Simpson's mother. She was an amazing, God-fearing, woman who loved people deeply. She was a servant, a friend, a mother, and an example. In all she did, and she did a lot, there was one message that she wanted to spread. God loves you, and I love you. It didn't take much to see that message. She was a selfless worker who spent the last of her years working in a nursing home in the hope that she could help people live the last of their years to the fullest. She had to give up much of her own time to make that happen. She sacrificed in order to give others life.
Today, we mourned Carolyn's death, but we also celebrated. As Christians, death is truly a bittersweet thing. We miss our loved ones, but we have the hope that we WILL see them again. Benny, and elder from her church, gave the message today, and he did something that, I'm sure, Carolyn would be smiling at. He let everyone know the one thing that she lived her whole life for. As much as she would love to spend time with everyone here, Carolyn truly wants to spend time with her loved ones AFTER this life is over. The message was simple. She's in heaven, and the only way to see her again is to see her in Heaven. I hope there were people at the funeral who took that to heart. How awesome would it be if her death was able to let others see how to live eternally in the presence of our God? Perhaps Mrs. Simpson's death brought some life today.
Matty....you should be proud. I know God is.
No comments:
Post a Comment