There are many good reminders in the chapters we read today…cautions against spiritual adultery (idols can do nothing for us), our deeds are of no value if our hearts do not reflect God's love & our sin separates us from God, but he will forgive us if we seek him.
The verses that really made me think, though, were Isaiah 57:1-2
The righteous perish, & no one ponders it in his heart; devout men are taken away, & no one understands that the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk up rightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.
So often we think of death negatively, of course we don't want to die. We know that we're going to heaven, but we’re happy here & the thought of leaving is hard.
These verses, however, reminded me of something that was taught in a bible study I took a few years ago.
She said…
As Christians when we face trials (namely something that could threaten our life, or someone we love), we can trust God knowing we will see one of three outcomes
1-God will remove it from us completely (we will see God work miraculously)
2-God will walk through the trial with us (God wants to use this opportunity to teach us something & our faith will grow as we face the trial)
3-God chooses not to remove the trial, but wants to take us to glory to be with Him
As a child of righteousness, we won't lose. What a wonderful thought!
2 comments:
Good outcomes to remember, as Christians we can remember these when facing trials
Those same verses jumped out at me too Danae.
It reminded me of something I read (can't remember where) - that death is actually a display of God's grace. Imagine a fallen world, but one in which we could not die. Imagine being so sick, but with death an impossibility. Imagine those in a wartime situation being tortured endlessly without the relief (if you're a believer) of death. For the believer, death ushers us into eternity in God's presence - with no more sorrow, suffering, pain, sin, or its effects. Truly, for the believer, death is an act of grace.
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