Diminished By Loss

We are brought down to the dust;

    our bodies cling to the ground.

Rise up and help us;

    rescue us because of your unfailing love. Psalm 44:25-26

‘Never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.’

‘No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;’

—John Donne

The above two separate quotes by John Donne were written by him while gravely ill and facing his own mortality. His point with these quotes was that we are part of a whole and that each and every death diminishes us all. These quotes and other sayings in his book of devotions continually revolve around the subject of sin and salvation. He was a Christian who understood the importance of every life in the great scheme of things.

Without becoming morbid, I believe it is healthy to think about our mortality and that of our loved ones from time to time. It not only moves our focus beyond this life to the one to come, but it reminds us that death does indeed diminish the whole. We are correct to mourn the impending death of us all. This world suffers loss at every death, even while heaven gains a new citizen.

While we may mourn death and the loss that comes with it, thanks to Jesus we need not live in fear of death.

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. Hebrews 2:14-15

What a glorious day it will be when death itself is done away with.

‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:4

For now, death and the loss it brings diminishes us, but we have hope. Not only will we once again see loved ones in heaven, but death itself will at some point in time cease to exist. One day indeed there will be no more suffering or tears or even death.

Prayer: Dear Lord, we thank You for the hope we have in You and in Your precious promises. Amen.

Going To Church

I rejoiced with those who said to me,

    “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” Psalm 122:1

My first experience with church was not good. I was about five years old and the neighbor girl asked my mom if I could go to church with her and mom agreed. I was OK until we got to the part about praying, and everyone bowed their heads to pray and it got deathly quiet. I was horrified at this strange, and to me, very foreign experience. I went on a crying jag and refused to stop crying until they got me outside of the church.

I suppose for many people not very familiar with church the idea of going can feel a bit terrifying. Perhaps they think their sins will be like a scarlet letter written on them for everyone in church to see. Or that God is just waiting to get them into church so He can “let them have it”. Whatever the reason, too many people avoid church because of fear or preconceived ideas of what church is all about.

Others have been to church and felt unwelcome. Perhaps like me, when I was a young teenager in church and met my first Pharisee. Walking by two elderly men in the church hallway one of them made harsh comments about the length of my hair and the way I was dressed. That was the last day I stepped into church for many years.

So what is church all about? There is a saying that when you give a speech and you are afraid you should just picture everyone in the audience as naked. I guess the idea is that if you see everyone in your mind in that audience looking ridiculous then your fear will lessen. Perhaps we should take a slightly different approach in our thoughts when it comes to being fearful about others in church. If you understand the truth that in essence we are all naked before God, all that we are, our sins, our weaknesses, all of our faults are well known to Him. And that the only difference between someone who has never been to church, or rarely been, stepping inside the church doors, and regular members is that the newcomer is a sinner in need of God’s grace and forgiveness, and the Christian inside is just a sinner who has been given God’s grace and forgiveness. Neither is better than the other, but one has found God’s mercy and the other needs God’s mercy.

For the believer who has been saved by God’s grace, church is a privilege and blessing. It is an honor to be in God’s House. Fellow believers all over the world are forbidden going to church by ungodly governments. Christians are beaten, tortured, jailed and killed if they are found attending church services in many places. 

Attending Church does not earn us points with God, but I believe it does please Him. When we join together with other believers it strengthens us, empowers us, and it is a public witness to our profession of faith in Christ. Some believers are unable to go to church due to health or other reasons. Yet when we can go it is a tremendous blessing. Like the Psalmist above said: I rejoiced when they said let us go to the house of the Lord.

If you are an unbeliever I encourage you to step into God’s house. A church is not a place to fear and Christians are not people who have it all together and live a sinless existence that equips them to sit in judgment over you. They have problems just like you do, the difference is they know how and where to take those problems. 

Fellow believers, I know full well it is not always possible or easy to make it to church, but I would encourage you to take a new mindset toward church. Going to church is not a duty, though we owe Jesus everything, no, church is a blessing. Church is a place to rejoice, to enjoy the fellowship of other believers. Yes, you will feel good about going to church, not because you did God a favor, but because you are doing yourself one by the experience of being in the house of the Lord.

Prayer: Dear Lord, how wonderful and what a blessing it is when we can go to Your house. Worshiping and praising you is our honor and privilege. Thank You for the opportunity to do so. Amen.

Time The Great Thief

He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ Luke 12:17-19

In the SYFY TV series “12 Monkeys” an Anti-Christ figure called “The Witness” wants to destroy time itself. Their idea is that time causes suffering and steals away loved ones so it needs to go.

In Psalm ninety it says that we are given–barring accident, injury, or disease–seventy years on this earth, and if we are in good health we have eighty years.

While recently exercising to control my blood sugar I was speaking with two people over eighty years old. One of them was talking about lately starting to feel themselves slowing down, feeling old. I jokingly reminded them that according to the Bible they are essentially past their expiration date, and that any time over eighty years old is a gift.

When you are young, eighty years old sounds like a long time away, when you are eighty years old you are shocked at how fast time passes by. Time indeed feels like a thief and every moment quickly passing seems stolen away.

We all have an expiration date. I hope if I live so long I am doing as well as some people I have met who are already in their eighties. But no matter how long each of us may live, we should continually take stock of what we are doing, and how we live our lives. Life is short. Time does feel like a thief as we look back over our lives. But God has given us every day to live to our fullest. Let’s make the most of our time.

Prayer: Dear Lord, time is precious, help us to make the most of every opportunity, and every day You give us. Amen.