Death Is No Respecter of Anyone

We all suffer the grief resulting from the death of a loved one. Please tolerate me the fact of my loss. This is a tribute and an exhortation. 

My brother Bob died last week. All the things he was going to do will remain undone. All the places he was going to go will remain unvisited. All the things he was going to say will remain unsaid. All the love he was going to share will go unexpressed. All his hopes and dreams will remain in their own silent tomb unfulfilled. These are reminders that whether in the twilight years or the opportunistic years of youth we should in our own time “Gitter done.”

Death, the final arbiter has in God’s good time called his name.  

In the shadow of a giant Mississippi oak his grave is marked by a head stone shared by his wife Jean, adjacent to our revered parents Sibert and Genevieve Price, and his honored grandparents Charley and Fanny Dykes. They are together again. I will never join them there for we are now Georgians. A green plot on a Georgian hill awaits us.

Bob burst the boundaries that held us in our little home town and became a scholar in the School of Pharmacy at his beloved Ole Miss.  Upon graduation he practiced his craft in a store adjacent to the campus of the primary rival of his alma mater, LSU.

Miss him, sure, we talked twice a week. No one with whom we share the intimacy of childhood goes by without emotion trailing. Archived in the annals of time is this ageless truth: “Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.” 

We pastured cows and herded goats in the nearby acreage. We drank from the cool spring waters where the Indian maiden Osyka and her tribe drank. We walked the railroad track together to see which one could walk the farthest without falling off.

Francis Bacon said, “It is as natural to die as to be born.” Yet, facing our own death can be distressing if we are not prepared for it. Being prepared for it is necessary for no one gets out alive, and there is much more to come. To attain the better, much better, of the two options is life everlasting.

Perhaps the person who said we have responses to birth and death reversed is right. He suggested that we weep at the time of birth knowing the hardships ahead, and that we should be joyous at the time of death knowing the blessings awaiting.

Etched in my memory are the words learned in youth by which Bob (and I) sought guidance: “For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2: 8, 9.

From youth we shared an uplifting faith. Everyone thought one of the Price boys would be a preacher, but not this one.  

Within sight of his grave is the stately old triple gabled Nineteenth Century house in which we grew up together. Near the polished bannister down which we often slid  hangs a tapestry with a life influencing message we read daily: “Only one life, Twill soon be passed, Only what’s done for Christ will last.” I add my Amen.

How to Be Saved

First, a summary then the details.

SUMMARY
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” Ephesians 2: 8. 9.

Grace is God’s unmerited favor. It is God providing what we don’t deserve.

It is “the gift of God.” A gift is given because of the regard the giver has for the recipient. God loves you and “God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him” I John 4: 9.

It is “through faith, and that not of yourselves.” It is through faith in Jesus Christ, not any deeds of our own.

It is “not of works, lest any man should boast.” If it were by our work some might boast they have done more and better work than others.

NOW THE DETAILS
Perhaps you feel unworthy of salvation. Good, that is a starting point for “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Romans 3: 23.

“There is none righteous, no, not one….” Romans 3: 10.

Here is the good news. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” Romans 5: 8.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” John 3: 16.

The word “believes” does not mean simply to have academic knowledge, but to “trust.”

This trust means to rely on Him in His forgiveness of sin and in His offer of eternal life. To fully trust Him means to ask for His forgiveness of sin and to commit to Him as Lord. 

Salvation faith involves an act of commitment and trust, in which you commit your life to Jesus Christ and trust Him alone as your Savior and Lord.

To initiate such commitment pray, don’t just say, a prayer like this:  

“Jesus, right now, I ask you to become Lord of my life. You are my Savior and I thank You for the sacrifice You made on the cross. I receive Your grace and confidently believe that my life is forever changed.”

FOLLOWUP
Ephesians 2: 10 follows the initial verses noted herein. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

Salvation involves a complete spiritual makeover. In followup commit your new life to serve Him. We are not saved by good works, but we are saved to do good works.

Therefore, set as your standard Colossians 3: 23 “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men….”

To strengthen your new faith and find His will in your life, set a time when you read Scripture and pray. For starters begin by reading from the Bible books of Philippians, John, James, I and II Timothy.

What Is Your Opinion?

“Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”
I John 2:3

We, that is all of us, tend to be opinionated. From atoms to asteroids, from viruses to volcanos, from chrysalis to the cosmos, from Mickey Mouse to Albert Einstein we have opinions.

There seems to be only one exemption about which we tend to have no opinion. Ask a person their opinion of himself and he will demure and dodge the issue.

With His last night with His apostles Jesus charged them with a challenge we each need to accept as personal when He said, “Let a man examine himself….” That, of course, relates specifically to the Lord’s supper, but it has a general application to all of life.

        “For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged”. (I Corinthians 11: 31

There is an entire book in the Bible written to help us determine whether we are “in the faith.”  I John is the book designed to help us determine if we are in the faith. Since there is no issue more vital than determining whether we are in the faith, let’s begin with the exciting challenge of self-examination.

One’s self-examination can achieve a lot. In doing so it is important to be honest and truthful, not self-deceptive or self-delusional. 

“Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” (Proverbs 26: 12) That is, the person who has a false opinion of himself is unwise.

Socrates said, “To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom.”    

“Research suggests that when we see ourselves clearly, we are more confident and more creative. We make sounder decisions, build stronger relationships, and communicate more effectively,” wrote Tasha Eurich, an organizational psychologist.

Are you a Christian? Can others tell it by your life? If not, you can change. It has been said the greatest discovery of the Twentieth Century is that a man can change his life by changing his mind. If you resolve to change your life to be more like Jesus, and you take the great Supernatural Transformer as your guide to do so, you can. 

It is not enough just to know the language, you must live the life. Apart from the Lord that is impossible. With His help all things are possible.      

The psalmist offers an example, “I considered my ways And turned my feet to Your testimonies.” (Psalm 119:59)

The Art of Self-Examination – Part Three

In examining yourself do it as:

A military officer reviewing his troops, not from a distant mountain top, but closely.

As a lawyer cross-examines a witness.

As a hiker does the country through which he walks.

“Do you not know yourselves”

“Prove yourselves”. Every life can stand self-examination but not every life can stand and give proof. Our works can’t save us, but they can show proof we are saved.

Some Christians have difficulty accepting the fact they are saved. Why?

Some have a consistently gloomy nature. The person who habitually looks on the dark side of everything will also look at salvation in the same manner.

Some have physical problems. Some persons associate salvation with physical wholeness and because they are not physically well they have questions about their own salvation.

Some overestimate the conditions and circumstances associated with salvation. They know they have put their faith in Christ and have experienced a change but are suspicious that it is not right because it was not like some other person’s emotional state at the time of salvation. As it does not matter where and how a blind person gains sight so the physical circumstances in which we are saved varies and matters not.

Some assume false standards of Christian character. They read great biographies and assume they must be like those people. Thus, they overlook that the authors omit the flaws in personalities and character of many of these saints. They conclude they should be flawless also.

Take this test as to whether or not you are “in the faith.”

Do you love the Lord Jesus? Not just the good things He gives you, but do you love Him?

Do you have faith in Jesus as Savior – not merely superficial acclaim, but deep personal trust related to His forgiveness?

Have you sincerely repented of sin?

Do you love to obey Jesus and seek to obey His word?

Every person ought to give serious thought to this issue and make certain they are right with the Lord. Self-examination is essential. The blessings are certain.

The Art of Self-Examination – Part Two

“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Prove yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? — unless you are disqualified (false professors)” verse 5.  II Corinthians 13:1 – 5

Now the question: “Are you in the faith?”

If so, your new life had its birth in an atmosphere of faith, it lives by trusting in God as your body does by breathing. Does Jesus dwell in you? If so, your life is bearing the “fruit of the Spirit.” To know yourself is to rehearse for the judgment day.

To fail to engage in self-examination is to be subject to creeping indifference and forgetfulness. It will allow unconscious gradual but growing spiritual decay.

Are you in the faith? If so, prove yourself. To “prove” is to test, to try, to be subject to a test.

Scriptural self-examination is the only sure way to avoid self-deception. It is not an option; it is a divinely commanded responsibility. Don’t let your self-examination be superficial, the purpose is to probe your heart to the very bottom. Don’t fear exposing yourself to your own eyes. Seek the help of the Lord in doing this reconnaissance. Pray with the Psalmist: “Search me and try me, O God, and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Self-searching and Scripture-seeking must be carried on at the same time. In this way you have the Holy Spirit to enlighten you. Examine yourself by a standard unseen but real – Jesus Christ.

The purpose of this self-examination relates to whether you “are in the faith.” Are you decidedly more than an indifferent cold assenting receiver of Christian doctrine? It is possible for a person to be and at the same time in spirit opposed to all heavenly conduct. All professors are not possessors. Jesus told us wheat and tares grow together. Even in the ark of Noah there was a disbelieving and disobedient son named Ham. There was a disbelieving Ishmael in the family of Abraham and a profane Esau in the household of Isaac.

When engaging in self-examination keep these things in mind:

Don’t deal merely with external conduct. If this were the only basis, a well regarded hypocrite might exonerate himself.

Don’t examine yourself in light of what others think of you. We will have a tendency to take flattery for fact and criticism will produce a defensive mood. Cool, deliberate independent self-examination is the standard.

Don’t overlook slight symptoms. In medical science these often save the patient’s life.

Remember the purpose of self examination is not to condemn yourself, but to let Jesus put you on a correction course so that you may enjoy your salvation.