When John Owen, the great Puritan, lay on his deathbed, his secretary wrote (in his name) to a friend, “I am still in the land of the living.”

“Stop,” said Owen. “Change that and say, I am yet in the land of the dying, but I hope soon to be in the land of the living.”  

– John M. Drescher

John sure cleared that concept up in the final moments of his life on the third rock from the Sun. We do live in the land of the dying, but can look forward to being in the land of the living.

Does the Bible address it? Glad you asked.

John 5:24 

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

John 17:3 

And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

Get this right before you find yourself on your deathbed. Give it some consideration.

Gary

Daniel 12:13

“But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.”

This is the last verse in the book of Daniel. Daniel was a prophet taken to Babylon as a youth, known for his wisdom, integrity, and ability to interpret dreams and visions, serving Babylonian and Persian kings while remaining faithful to God, famously surviving the lions’ den after being thrown in for praying to God. He interpreted King Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams, deciphered the “writing on the wall,” and was appointed a high official, demonstrating unwavering faith in the face of adversity.

Why such a life? The answer to that lies in the fact that God was well known and embraced by him from his youth. This was the ending of a long and successful journey.

You can have the same from here to there.  Give it some thought.

Gary

A man was once boasting to an acquaintance, “We have a whole room full of furniture from France that goes back to Louis the 14th.”

“That’s nothing,” replied the other. “We’ve got a whole house full of furniture from Sears that goes back to Harry on the first.”

                                                                     – Source Unknown.

Many just don’t seem to understand a basic principle: You can’t be spending more than you make. Does the Bible address this phenomenon? Glad you asked.

Proverbs 22:7

The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.

Luke 14:28

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?

I’d rather live without furniture than go through the embarrassment of giving it back.

Give it some thought.

Gary

A woman rushed up to famed violinist Fritz Kreisler after a concert and cried: “I’d give my life to play as beautifully as you do.”

Kreisler replied, “I did.” 

What did it take to have our sins forgiven? What did it take for the Apostles to follow the great commission? What did it cost the signers of the Declaration of Independence to put their names on that document? Did you ever gaze at a picture of the Americans buried at Normandy?

My subject is cost. What does the Bible have to say? Glad you asked.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

1 Corinthians 7:23

You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings.

Are you afraid of the cost? Give it some consideration.

Gary

Bok’s Law: If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.

Does the Bible address ignorance? Glad you asked.

Ephesians 4:18 

They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.

Hosea 4:6 

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to Me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.

There is a cost to being ignorant of God’s Word, and you will pay dearly for that mistake.

Give it some thought and fill that gray matter with His truth.

Gary

The third stanza of Amazing Grace goes like this:

Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come:
’tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
and grace will lead me home.

Life has its dangers, toils and snares, and I’m sure everyone reading this can relate to past experiences under these three headings. I can, and knowing life at this juncture I’m convinced there are more to come. However, look at what Paul said about those horrible episodes.

2 Corinthians 12:7-9

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

How else can we learn that God’s grace is sufficient?

Gary

God buries His workmen, but not His work. 

–      Henrietta Mears

What a profound statement! Hebrews 11 and a careful study of church history will attest to that fact. We stand here today on the foundation of those faithful ones who have gone before. I don’t want to forget that.

Ephesians 2:20

having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,

Ephesians 4:11

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,

On a cool and misty day around Christmas time, I stood at the gravesite of Luther Rice. It was in a nondescript graveyard hidden in the backwoods of South Carolina. I graduated with a master’s degree from the university named after him. This event was 150 years after his death. This institution has graduated multiple thousands of students along with such notables as Charles Stanly.

Luther Rice was one of God’s workman, and I’m certainly glad he lived.  God used him and others to make my life easier and more meaningful. Give it some consideration.

Gary