This week has been filled with very sad, extremely tragic news. I learned of three sudden and very unexpected deaths in less than five days. And although I did not personally know each of the persons who died, their deaths - each death - had immediately touched the lives of some very special people I hold very near and dear to my own heart. My heart was broken and my breath seemed to catch with each tragedy. I can only imagine the shock and hurt each family has endured and will endure and the far-reaching effects each life and each death will have. In the blink of an eye ... so very much can happen. ... good, bad or indifferent ... but it occurs to me that it is that blink of an eye which should be a constant reminder of the responsibility ... the obligation ... the privilege we as Believers - as Christians - have to go spread the Good News ... that precious, saving message called the Gospel ... that message that saves lives before death and gives eternal life after death. The message that God loves us so much that He sent His only Son and that the Son loved the Father so much and loved us so much that He was obedient to go to the Cross for our sins and that He died, was buried and three days later He arose! Hallelujah He arose! ... and in the blink of an eye, belief in that message will get us life eternal in Heaven. ... in the blink of an eye!
Acrostic:
B - BELOVED ... our beloved ... we need to tell them ... we must tell them ....
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 "Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures."
L - LOVED ... because that's what we are, you see ... the LOVED ...
John 3:16-17 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through Him."
I - I ... for one am told to spread the Good News to the many ...
Acts 1:8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."
N - NICK ... just in the NICK of time ...
Actually, we need to know it - and believe it - way before the nick of time ....
2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance."
K - KING of Kings and Lord of Lords ... that's our Lord ....
1 Timothy 6:13-16 "I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time - He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords; who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen."
... Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, whom we will see in the blink of an eye ....
Revelation 17:14 "These will wage war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful."
... whom we will fall down and worship ... in the blink of an eye ....
Philippians 2:9-11 "Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
BLINK! ...
and you know what we'll be doing right about that time?
... actually, what we do many times when we're praising His Holy Name ...
blinking back those tears.
... maybe we should just let them fall! ...
Amen? Amen and Amen!!
Praying many more blessings your way!
Kelli
