“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.
DELOSPERMA LINEARE L.BOLUS
“God’s Rock Flower”
A seedling, crevice unseen
Plump stems…leaves green
What strength lies within?
Eternal sproutling…
To split great rock apart
Forging mountains to art
Iron stone ground by your roots
Your bone…
For me to hold your hand,
To talk as we used to,
For you to utter “Goodbye”,
As breath became easier for you,
Iron caged lungs, set free,
To fly as angels do
THROUGH OUR MEMORIES…
For we are frail and He is so great.
In Loving Memory of Kelly May 25th December, 2002
Written By Earl Willis Weyers
Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. Psalms 116:15 KJV
The Father loves His children and they are very precious to Him. He is tender and gentle with them. Man was created to live forever, but sin cut his life short. However, when a believer dies and steps out of their body, God warmly welcomes them into His presence.
For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. 8 If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. Romans 14:6-9 NIV
Jesus Christ died and rose again in order that He might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. If we are washed in the blood of Jesus, whether we live or die, we belong to Jesus all the same. The state we find ourselves in makes no difference whatsoever. We are living in eternal life right now. The condition of an unbeliever is something else again. While they live on the earth they are alive and have a hope of finding Jesus and receiving eternal life, but if they die without Jesus, they enter into a state of eternal death – they will never again have an opportunity to receive or experience God’s grace.
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Philippians 1:21-24 NIV
As a believer, if I live, I live in and for Christ. He makes my life worth living. If I die, it changes nothing, but my location – I go straight into his eternal presence. Because I love Him, I would like to go to Him and to be with Him forever, but for the sake of all those who have never heard of Him, it is better that I stay on the earth to declare the goodness of God and to introduce them to Him, too.
Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: 7(For we walk by faith, not by sight:) 8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. 9 Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 KJV
Whether we are at home in the body and absent from the Lord or absent from the body and present with the Lord, we are working to please Him. This is because there will come a time when everyone of us will appear before the judgment seat of Christ and receive the reward of our labor, whether good or bad.
Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. Hebrews 9:27-28 NIV
We will only live once and die once and after that we will have to face judgment – whatever we do now, in this life, counts for eternity. Let us make sure that what we do now is that which is pleasing to the Father and that which builds and blesses the kingdom of God.