REQUIEM TO MY BELOVED II

Hello everyone my name is Russell:

• These blogs “fiatluxdiary” and “Christiantreasures” were updated and managed by my wife shope and i decided to use it as a medium to share a few words. Please feel free to peruse them.
• You can read the previous treatise here: Requiem To My Beloved I

Thanks.

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WHY ME YOU ASK?

WELL, I RETORT, WHY NOT ME!

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August 26th would have been shopsy’s 32 birthday, 4 months after she slept in the Lord.

“there are only 2 days guaranteed to all men, the day you enter this world (birthday) and the day you leave this world”

I was advised by some well-meaning individuals to seek a therapist, they hoped a therapist could help me “grieve appropriately”. My initial reaction was to chuckle, but after “serious consideration” i agreed it would be an interesting engagement. I was curious as to what the therapist would tell me? What panacea would a traditional therapist offer to placate the “sting of death”? Needless to say, i never went 🙂

Why was a therapist recommended? It appeared, to the observer, that my lack of “grieving appropriately” (basically prolonged weeping, being morose, unsociable, depressed, withdrawn, etc…) was a sign of denial; a state of shock. So naturally, they prescribed what they knew best; God bless their hearts.

I must re-emphasize that nothing outside the WORD OF GOD could have prepped me adequately for the departure of shopsy, nor would have pacified me after the fact.

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear – 1 Peter 3:15

WHY ME LORD?

Why not me, i retort!

Without controversy, GOD IS ALWAYS GOOD, GRACIOUS AND KIND!

This experience, i consider as a gift from the Lord; an opportunity to proclaim “the reason for the hope that is in me”. An opportunity to declare the True Gospel of our Lord Jesus christ. 

As shopsy wrote in here previous blog post, “My Hope“:

There’s a hope that the faith of God’s elect is based on, and it is based on the blessed hope. This is the hope that holds our faith up. THE GOSPEL brings a promise and that promise is what produces hope in the believer. The promise of Eternal Life. That hope manifests in the faith of a believer.

The faith that an individual has is the token of his expectation…..What he’s looking forward to….Sadly the faith that is common in our churches today is the faith to receive things, the faith of healing, signs and wonders, long life and prosperity. The church unfortunately encourages us to seek these things and gives a myopic view. We do not have eternity in our hearts, we are not encouraged unto the things that are above, and encouraged to seek the imperishable things.

One of the “dealings” i had in the hospital, whilst shopsy was immobile was that “i know what i must do“. I must not be silent on account of the truth of the gospel that is really scarce today. The gospel, the truth which is after godliness, produces a specific kind of faith, and the faith has ONE promise.

Do you know this promise?

………..according to the faith of God’s elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; 
In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour; – Titus 1:1-3

A funny tweet i saw earlier today: You will die someday…..lol

Albeit grim, it’s painfully true; but i digress.

Death is a taboo subject believers avoid like the plague. It became very apparent believers, christians still fear death! This is butressed by the fact that the word of God hasn’t really saturated and crystallized in our hearts.

For instance, the word of God says:

• But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 2 Timothy 1:10
• So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:54-57
• Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. Hebrews 2:14-15
• And much more…

The word death or die, takes on whole new meaning in the Gospel. The “old” body dies but the soul is saved waiting to be reunited with a “new” body.

The reality of death has been adequately and thoroughly dealt with in the Gospel; this includes the morbid fear of death and the hopelessness it creates. Therefore, it is needful for me to emphasize that believers in the LORD JESUS CHRIST DO NOT DIE.

BELIEVERS IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST DO NOT DIE.

And again i say, shopsy did not “die”, she is very much alive, with the Lord.

Brethren, this is game changer!

It is on account of this FACT, that the our brother paul said with such grace:

“According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better” Phillipians 1:20-23

Amazing!

Whilst in the hospital, a day after shopsy’s heart stopped the first time, God allowed her remain so we could have some time with her, to reassure our hearts and minds of His goodness and grace. As a result of her heart stopping the first time, she was mute due to intubation. Nonetheless, she was lucid and very able to communicate via writing. She made a statement that both gladened my heart and left a desire for more answers.

The above image is a snippet of her last writings.

One line reads “…….HE HAS SHOWN ME THINGS SO FAR THE LAST FEW DAYS…..”

Well…it seems she was more eager to depart. As paul said: For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better.

She wrote down more things which hinted in the same direction and i am grateful to God for such an opportunity.

Brethren, death is merely a vehicle by which a believer translates from this present world to the presence of HIM who redeemed said believer; the other vehicle is the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In a time where there are varying world views, manifold “isms”, counter perspectives, and differing opinions on God, one indisputable reality is the fact of death. What comes after death isn’t something an individual should theorize nor philosophize; it will do you well to be concrete on what you believe.

Armed with this reality, how then should we live in this present world?

Every one has the choice to believe what they wish, no one has the choice as to the consequence of that belief.

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”
2 Corinthians‬ ‭5:18-20‬ ‭

The quickest way to end a conversation is to mention any of these words: Hell, Sin, Damnation, perish, Bible etc…

Not everyone will choose God nor his offer; our free will is sacrosanct.

“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 ‭

On behalf on Christ i implore that you be reconciled to God. Anyone who leaves this world without recieving the free gift of God, eternal Life, Jesus Christ, will sadly and unnecessarily experience the death Jesus Christ had already destroyed.

Farewll my beloved shopsy, Adieu, until resurrection morning. We shall meet again in the presence of the Lord.