55"O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?"56The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.57But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.58Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
We each have an eternal destination, and our choices in this life on earth will determine where we spend eternity. The believer in Jesus Christ can be set free from the fear of earthly death because of the promise of heaven with Him. And, until that date when we are taken from this earth, we are called to follow Christ, to allow Him to empower us, seeking to live to honor Him, which can bring an enormous sense of fulfillment to our hearts.
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In Romans 6:23, we can read:
23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And, Hebrews 9:27 says:
27And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,
There was a very special basketball game that took place over the weekend. Maybe you've heard about Lauren Hill's exploits. She has an inoperable brain tumor, and her story, as a member of the Mount St. Joseph's college basketball team, has attracted great attention. The team's opening game was moved to a larger arena to accommodate the crowd..
USA Today reports that she "took a pass down the lane on Mount St. Joseph's first possession, went up with her left hand and scored a picture-perfect layup for the Lions.
She is quoted as saying during a TV interview after coming out of the game, "Let's not call this my last game. Let's call this my first collegiate game." She added, "I've never felt this good in my life." She has inspired the #Layup4Lauren challenge, and she was scheduled to receive the Pat Summitt Most Courageous Award at halftime.
The day before, this past Saturday, November 1st, was Brittany Maynard's last day on earth. (Here is the report from ReligionNews.com.) The terminally-ill cancer patient had received enormous publicity for making the announcement that she would take medication that would effectively end her life on that day. Even though there was a statement last Wednesday that would lead people to believe that perhaps she would delay the taking of her own life, in the end, she went through with her original plan.
Recently, Christian author Kara Tippetts joined me on The Meeting House, and we discussed an open letter that she had written to Brittany, which appeared on Ann Voskamp's website, A Holy Experience. You see, Kara is dying of cancer, as well. But, she offers a different perspective:
In your choosing your own death, you are robbing those that love you with the such tenderness, the opportunity of meeting you in your last moments and extending you love in your last breaths.She writes, "...it was never intended for us to decide when that last breath is breathed."
Kara says that,
Knowing Jesus, knowing that He understands my hard goodbye, He walks with me in my dying. My heart longs for you to know Him in your dying. Because in His dying, He protected my living. My living beyond this place.Kara is the author of the book, The Hardest Peace.
You see, we are all terminal. Each of us has a date that will be our final day on earth. We are not guaranteed tomorrow, so I believe it's important that we live each day with an attitude of worship to and love for Jesus.
And, it's important to have the matter settled about where we will go once we leave this world.
Over the past 3 weeks, over 3 thousand people visited the River Region Judgment House in Montgomery, a cooperative effort involving volunteers from some 20 or 25 area churches. Just under 400 of those came in separated from God, destined for eternal punishment in hell - but left with the assurance of a new eternal destination - to be with God the Father and Jesus Christ in heaven. Over 200 people rededicated their lives to Jesus Christ. According to my calculations, that's just over 19 percent of people make life-altering decisions for the Lord.
The message that was delivered through the story of 3 young people and the choices they made was proclaimed with clarity. And, in the aftermath of Judgment House, I wanted to share these thoughts with you:
First of all, death on earth is final, but the aftermath has no end. We will all have a final day on this earth. The Bible teaches that we will spend eternity either in heaven or hell. And, that is determined through our choice whether or not to follow Christ on this earth. After physical death, we're appointed to face judgment.
In my role playing the role of God, the righteous judge, in the Judgment scene, I send each of the two characters to their eternal home. One character, Taylor, had been around the church, to a certain extent, but never committed his or her life to Christ. It was not God's desire to send that person to hell - I contend that He does not send anyone to hell...that occurs as the result of our choice to reject Christ.
The other character, Jamie, had made that decision to follow Christ and was ushered into eternity.
After the judgment was pronounced, I challenged the people in the room to consider their own eternal destinations, and related the Scriptural truth of the clear choice between the two places. I underscored the fact that our God loved each person so much that He sent His son to die in their place, and by accepting Him, they could be certain of where they would spend eternity.
You know, we can be assured of our salvation through Jesus Christ, and we will enjoy life with Him, not only in heaven, but also on earth - He will walk with us and in us; He desires to give us the abundant life that results from being in a love relationship with Himself. Our lives can reflect a tangible expression of the incredible life that He brings into our hearts as we receive Him. He is with us, and in Him we can rejoice!
And, it's important to have the matter settled about where we will go once we leave this world.
Over the past 3 weeks, over 3 thousand people visited the River Region Judgment House in Montgomery, a cooperative effort involving volunteers from some 20 or 25 area churches. Just under 400 of those came in separated from God, destined for eternal punishment in hell - but left with the assurance of a new eternal destination - to be with God the Father and Jesus Christ in heaven. Over 200 people rededicated their lives to Jesus Christ. According to my calculations, that's just over 19 percent of people make life-altering decisions for the Lord.
The message that was delivered through the story of 3 young people and the choices they made was proclaimed with clarity. And, in the aftermath of Judgment House, I wanted to share these thoughts with you:
First of all, death on earth is final, but the aftermath has no end. We will all have a final day on this earth. The Bible teaches that we will spend eternity either in heaven or hell. And, that is determined through our choice whether or not to follow Christ on this earth. After physical death, we're appointed to face judgment.
In my role playing the role of God, the righteous judge, in the Judgment scene, I send each of the two characters to their eternal home. One character, Taylor, had been around the church, to a certain extent, but never committed his or her life to Christ. It was not God's desire to send that person to hell - I contend that He does not send anyone to hell...that occurs as the result of our choice to reject Christ.
The other character, Jamie, had made that decision to follow Christ and was ushered into eternity.
After the judgment was pronounced, I challenged the people in the room to consider their own eternal destinations, and related the Scriptural truth of the clear choice between the two places. I underscored the fact that our God loved each person so much that He sent His son to die in their place, and by accepting Him, they could be certain of where they would spend eternity.
You know, we can be assured of our salvation through Jesus Christ, and we will enjoy life with Him, not only in heaven, but also on earth - He will walk with us and in us; He desires to give us the abundant life that results from being in a love relationship with Himself. Our lives can reflect a tangible expression of the incredible life that He brings into our hearts as we receive Him. He is with us, and in Him we can rejoice!
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