19Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity."20But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor.21Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work.
This life is temporary, that's for sure, and we are called to fix our eyes on Jesus and the things of eternity. But, in this life, He will call us to undertake endeavors that are somewhat permanent, at least in this world. If we're not careful, we can make decisions that so often have long-term consequences, but they are made with only a short-term perspective. If we are to say at the end of our lives that we have fought the good fight, then that involves make every decision with an eye on eternity - engaging in quality activity based on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ. That's why it's important that we adopt a "built to last" philosophy in our decision-making.
As the apostle Paul neared the end of his life, he wrote these words in 2nd Timothy 4, which can challenge us to build our lives to last, on the firm foundation of Jesus Christ:
7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.8Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
You think about the vow, "til death do us part". Well, Ruthie and Harold Knapke didn't really have to experience that very much...they were just days away from celebrating their 66th wedding anniversary when they both suddenly passed away on the same day earlier this month - a "coincidence" that their grandson attributed to their faith in God.
The Christian Post reports that the couple's grandson, Jeff Simon, told FoxNews.com: "I don't think any of this would have happened without God...It was very hard to see them both go at the same time, but it was a good thing in the end and to see the miracles God can do."
The Ohio couple met in third grade but began their relationship when Harold served in the Army in World War II. The couple had six children and 14 grandchildren and remained devoted to each other their entire lives. In her eulogy, their daughter Margaret Knapke spoke of the sustaining love that they had for one another.
"In recent years, we often speculated that Dad was still here, in this life, because of Mom. It seemed that, even though his health and strength were so very diminished, he couldn't stop being her protector; it seem he didn't want to leave her behind," she said.
"When it became clear that Mom was dying — and Dad understood that — he spent a mostly sleepless night," Margaret said. "The next day, Friday, there was a certain calm about him, and he began to fail rapidly. As you might know, Dad died 11 hours before Mom did — both of them on Sunday — and we believe he did that as final act of love for her. We believe he wanted to accompany her out of this life and into the next one, and he did."
The Knapkes obviously had a marriage that was built to last - on a firm foundation of faith. And, that's a real challenge for us as believers: to allow our homes to reflect the character of Christ. Not only is marriage a reflection of Christ and the church, but it's an opportunity to glorify Him as we walk in love toward each other. As their daughter said, they had a "sustaining" love for one another.
This couple lived a full life with one another - and their lives came to an end at almost the same hour. When the apostle Paul was coming to the end of his life, and he sensed it, he declared that he had fought a good fight and finished the race. If we are living our lives in sight of eternity, we recognize that we have a finite number of days on this earth, and we are a called to live them to the fullest, so that we can look back on our lives and realize that we have attempted, and hopefully been reasonably successful, to live according to God's will for our lives, holding nothing back from Him - living passionately, loving the people placed in our lives, and seeking to exalt Christ. We do well to live with the end in mind.
You think about the vow, "til death do us part". Well, Ruthie and Harold Knapke didn't really have to experience that very much...they were just days away from celebrating their 66th wedding anniversary when they both suddenly passed away on the same day earlier this month - a "coincidence" that their grandson attributed to their faith in God.
The Christian Post reports that the couple's grandson, Jeff Simon, told FoxNews.com: "I don't think any of this would have happened without God...It was very hard to see them both go at the same time, but it was a good thing in the end and to see the miracles God can do."
The Ohio couple met in third grade but began their relationship when Harold served in the Army in World War II. The couple had six children and 14 grandchildren and remained devoted to each other their entire lives. In her eulogy, their daughter Margaret Knapke spoke of the sustaining love that they had for one another.
"In recent years, we often speculated that Dad was still here, in this life, because of Mom. It seemed that, even though his health and strength were so very diminished, he couldn't stop being her protector; it seem he didn't want to leave her behind," she said.
"When it became clear that Mom was dying — and Dad understood that — he spent a mostly sleepless night," Margaret said. "The next day, Friday, there was a certain calm about him, and he began to fail rapidly. As you might know, Dad died 11 hours before Mom did — both of them on Sunday — and we believe he did that as final act of love for her. We believe he wanted to accompany her out of this life and into the next one, and he did."
The Knapkes obviously had a marriage that was built to last - on a firm foundation of faith. And, that's a real challenge for us as believers: to allow our homes to reflect the character of Christ. Not only is marriage a reflection of Christ and the church, but it's an opportunity to glorify Him as we walk in love toward each other. As their daughter said, they had a "sustaining" love for one another.
This couple lived a full life with one another - and their lives came to an end at almost the same hour. When the apostle Paul was coming to the end of his life, and he sensed it, he declared that he had fought a good fight and finished the race. If we are living our lives in sight of eternity, we recognize that we have a finite number of days on this earth, and we are a called to live them to the fullest, so that we can look back on our lives and realize that we have attempted, and hopefully been reasonably successful, to live according to God's will for our lives, holding nothing back from Him - living passionately, loving the people placed in our lives, and seeking to exalt Christ. We do well to live with the end in mind.
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