Transformer - 11/21/2021
Attitude When Facing Death
No one likes to talk about death. This certain event in life cannot be defeated or avoided based upon human accomplishments. Everyone has their own attitude towards death, for themselves personally and for their loved ones.
One attitude is fear. Based upon personal knowledge, they do not know what to expect, which always generates feelings of uneasiness and dread.
The great king of Israel, David, expressed his attitude about death, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death … Thou art with me” (Psalms 23:4).
The Thessalonian brethren had the attitude that their loved ones who had died missed out on the return of the Lord. Addressing these concerns Paul wrote some encouraging, comforting words to this church (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Christians today can be comforted by these same words.
Uncertain of his future during his first imprisonment, Paul wrote to the Philippians, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain … But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake (Philippians 1:21-24).
When faced with the certainty of his own death, Paul wrote to Timothy, “… in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day” (2 Timothy 4:8).
Some might say, “Well, what do you expect from a biblical writer?” However, is it possible for us to have the same attitude towards death as this great man of God? If the Bible is not a book of hope and comfort, especially concerning this very sensitive, emotional subject, then where would one find such comfort?
Recently I received a notice of a friend who is facing death. His relentless cancer has returned and after trying chemotherapy his doctors determined there was nothing else, they could do.
In response to my very personal note about his circumstances, he wrote, “I AM prepared for the great transition and am so eagerly anticipating the moment – May it be soon.” (Capitalization his.)
While I will miss my friend, I am very happy for his attitude and his future. Having known him and his level of faith in the writings of the New Testament, I have extreme confidence this truly is his attitude.
For the Christian, facing death should not be one of fear, but of joyful anticipation of their next adventure. As the song says, “This world is not my home, I am just a passing through.” This optimistic attitude about death is only natural for those living God’s way. - cgm
Exploring the Bible
How old was Adam when he died (Genesis 5:5)?
Who lived 969 years before he died (Genesis 5:27)?
How many times will a person die physically (Hebrews 9:27)?
Thinking on the Word…
Christians in Corinth
Corinth, an ancient city, had been in existence several centuries when Paul first arrived (Acts 18). It had a thriving commerce, nearly a half-million people, and religious thoughts and practices exceeded by none, to say nothing of being very well known for its “immoral debauchery” (cf. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
Even with this much sinfulness within the city, the apostle Paul found people who were willing to become Christians. People who were willing to transform their lives and conform them to the image of Jesus and the standards He promoted.
Paul probably arrived in the city by himself having left Silas and Timothy in Athens. Shortly after arriving he found a fellow tradesman and Jew named Aquila and his wife Priscilla. While making tents during the week, Paul could be found in the synagogue every Sabbath.
It was Paul’s custom when he arrived in a new city to start his evangelistic efforts by going to the Jewish services at the synagogue. Being a Jew himself he was granted the opportunity to speak to those assembled. In his speech he was reasoning with them in an effort to persuade them that Jesus was the Christ and to become followers of Jesus. When the Jews rejected Paul’s arguments, he would then turn his attention to the Gentiles.
Over a period of time, Paul persuaded a number of people. He brought them together to form a church. During the eighteen months Paul was in this city he spent many hours “teaching the word of God among them.”
After leaving Corinth, Paul was still concerned about their spiritual growth. When he heard there were some problems in the church, Paul wrote a letter to them (1 Corinthians.) Later he would write a second letter to them (2 Corinthians) speaking to them about his authority as an apostle which some had questioned.
Paul’s compassion for people’s spirituality is evident with each thought. Today we can learn much from these two books about how to daily live the Christian life. These two book present much on which to think. - cgm
Words of Wisdom
“The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.” - Proverbs 15:29
It is amazing how often the actions of a person cause a reaction from the Lord. The Lord responds one way to the wicked while responding another way to the righteous. This verse should give encouragement to those who are living the kind of life God would have them live.
In the Proverbs the wicked are defined as those who are not seeking to be obedient to God. They are people who have a disregard for the commands of God as well as how God says for them to conduct their lives.
Also in the Proverbs, the righteous are defined as those who are seeking to be obedient to God’s commands and to follow God’s instructions as to how they should live their lives. They are the opposite of the wicked.
To illustrate the point of how God responds to the prayers of both of these individuals, Solomon conveys the message that God does not hear the prayers of the wicked but He does hear the prayers of the righteous. The word “hear” in this context is implying that God will be willing to help the righteous but not the wicked.
For any individual who is working at being righteous, this should be a strong motivator to continue to be righteous. It should be of great comfort to know that the Creator of the world will help the righteous. God wants people to know that He is willing to help those who have such a high regard for Him as displayed in their life. This demonstrates how God is willing to work with those who are putting forth the effort to honor, obey and respect Him. - cgm