John 3:16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” It is one thing to watch your father pass away at the age of 91, then your mother at the age of 87. The grief is present, yet we know these loved ones had been granted a long life. It is quite another to watch your son’s kind, sweet, and beloved wife being drawn into Jesus’ arms at the age of 43. We think, “Too soon,” and our hearts break. Yet, who knows best? Do we, or does God? “ ‘My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,’ says the Lord. And My ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.’” Isaiah 55:8-9 Our God, who knows all, knows best: “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.” Romans 8:28 Everything working for good? YES, for those who are believers in Christ! Now good does not equate to happy or pain free, because God must take the evil Satan attacks us with and turn it 180 degrees to the good. The attacks cause pain, but the good, joyful hope. The end result will be best for us and the people who are touched by our lives…a hard but true fact...and one that many times takes time to realize. God does have a purpose for each of our lives and gives us gifts and talents to accomplish that purpose. What we don’t know, however, is how much time we have to accomplish what He desires. However, if we step into each day loving God above all other things and loving others as ourselves, we do accomplish the best of all purposes—that of honoring and glorifying His name. “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” Psalm 139:16 And so it is. We know that each day we live, we can look forward to being one day nearer to our joyous homegoing: “For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God Himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life.” 2 Corinthians 5:1-4 We now live in perishable bodies, but while we do, we are challenged to fulfill our destiny by living for Christ. We need to ask ourselves, are we doing so? Are we accomplishing God’s purpose by living righteously as He would have us? Are we being imitators of Jesus? Are we, out of love for Him and not because of rules, being obedient to His commandments? If so, nothing can stop God from using the difficult and seemingly impossibly hard times in our lives for good. Truly, God is a good, good Father, and He who cares for every bird and flower cares for us much, much more. He loves us so much He gave up His only Son’s life to save us from eternal damnation. Believers have nothing but joy before them: “And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with Him. Romans 6:8 So when we are tempted to believe one’s life has been cut short, we must remember our God knows all things and fully place our trust in His perfect plan. “The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” John 1:4-5 The light of the world is waiting for us with open arms! What a hope, to be swallowed up by LIFE! Life filled with light… peace…joy…comfort…and eternal love. Sweet Missy—your life purpose has been accomplished. Though you lived in great pain for months on end, you loved well and were greatly loved. You accepted Jesus as your Savior and were growing in Him. Hallelujah! My heart grieves over losing you now, but I choose to trust God and know that one day, when I go home to Jesus, I will see you again. You will run to me saying, “Hi, Mama!” and I will run to you saying, “Hello, Sweetheart!” as I have so many times on the phone. Then I will take you into my arms and give you a huge hug, delighting in the fact that finally we both are at home. VERSES: 1 John 5:11 “And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. “ 2 Corinthians 4:14-15 ”We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to Himself together with you. All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.” John 10:28-30 “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from Me, for my Father has given them to Me, and He is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.” PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You that You are the perfect planner! I know not how many days You are giving me while on this earth, but I pray that I will continually grow in You, trust in You, and share the Good News of Your SonJesus with others. I believe in Your words that You are giving me a hope and a future, so thank You for renewing my spirit daily so that I can make it through the most difficult of times. Thank You for hope, the patient confidence that Your promises are true and that I will see in heaven my loved ones who believe in You. You are the best Father ever. Thank You for being mine. SONG: “If You Could See Me Now” by Paul S. Morton My prayers have all been answered, I've finally arrived, The healing that has been delayed, Has now been realized. No one's in a hurry, No more schedules to keep, I'm enjoying Jesus, just sitting at His feet. If you could see me now, I'm walking streets of gold. If you could see me now, I'm standing tall and whole. If you could see me now, You'd know I've seen Him face to face; If you could only see me now. Though I've had my sorrows, They never can compare What Jesus has in store for me, No language can ever share. You would not want me To leave this perfect place, If you could only see me now. Source: Musixmatch Songwriters: Carl Sigman / Tadd Dameron If You Could See Me Now lyrics © Integrity's Praise! Music, Redwood Music Ltd, Hold On To Music DISCLAIMER: I am just an ordinary woman who loves Jesus, accepting Him as Savior at the age of thirty-two and digging into the Bible ever since. How could I possibly hope to develop a heart relationship with God and trust Him with my life if I didn't know who He is?! These devotionals are written to help you journey with Christ and grow in your heart relationship with Him. However, it is essential that you examine my words, and those of all other "teachers," with God's Holy Word. Therein lies the source of all truth! Comments are closed.
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Author Candice Mary Thomas writes about loving God and loving people! Coming to Christ at age 32 and now in her 70's, Candice knows what a difference it makes living with or without Christ as one's personal Savior. Archives
December 2022
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