Friday.....America.....Goodbye To A Friend

A few hours ago I learned that a good friend had died. It was not a total surprise but unexpected nonetheless. I had known him for thirty years but we had become better friends over the last decade or so. I could not begin to guess the number of conversations we had in that time. Many of those conversations were related to concerns of the moment but of those where we had time to sit and talk, I don't believe that there was a single conversation that did not include our Lord and Savior Jesus. It was as natural as breathing that we would talk about this person or that person, and their eternal soul, or the church in general, or God's hand in all of our affairs. His conversation during his illness was as Christ-centered, if not more so, than before his illness. We only talked about death a few times. I have never known a person, or heard of anyone, or read of anyone who was more sure of his eternal destiny than my friend. That we are in the protective hand of Christ and our eternal soul under His care was a surety. In these few hours, I have not been thinking about times of laughter in the past for I have not been able to get by his faith at a time when it was truly tested. His faith makes me feel very small, yet very confident that Christ will indeed keep us. I shouldn't marvel at the outright attacks on faith in Jesus Christ today for had I not been regenerated beforehand, I would have retained my milquetoast faith or worse, would have moved into denial. In other words, I would never have been born anew had I not been given the eyes to see myself, my destiny, and God's offer. So how can I marvel? What I can do is plead with you, if you are one who has not tasted of God's mercy. If Christ does not come to your mind, as it did so often with my friend, there is a problem, but would you really have it any other way? Would it not be totally illogical to be a Christian, one saved from enmity forever from God, because of nothing but faith in the one who paid your debt, and not be overwhelmed with gratitude? With certain authors and certain scientists in mind, I would ask are you going to spend your 80 (on average) years of life in trying to defy what God has proclaimed to be true? What will you gain? Emporers, dictators and philosophers have tried to snuff out Christianity but it grows in greater proportion. Imposing figures in academia and the allure of fabulous celebrities mock those who know Christ but they often live to see their own family members numbered among the redeemed. My plea to you is to pound on the door of heaven from your mind. If God has not opened your eyes, if it seems that He does not love you enough to give you what others claim to have, then demand of Him to explain it. And then listen, through His Word, for the answer will be clear and it will make sense, and you will find yourself understanding that there is indeed no hope for you and that you deserve to be left out, but this is the beginning of your eyes being opened. There are multitudes of those who have gone on past this life, such as my friend, who were where you are now.