For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. … So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. [Romans 5:17,21 (NLT)]
Tears are a tribute to our deceased friends. When the body is sown, it must be watered. But we must not sorrow as those that have no hope; for we have a good hope through grace both concerning them and concerning ourselves. [Matthew Henry]
Monday’s devotion (“No Words of Comfort”) originally was published back in 2018. It came to mind because my son-in-law recently died. His death was sudden and unexpected and, when my daughter told me, I was sure I’d misunderstood her words. Not Mike! Still a young man in the prime of his life; it couldn’t be, but it was! Just as we all know we’re going to die someday, we know the people we love will die. It’s just that we expect those deaths to be on our timeline. But they’re not—they’re on God’s. The only guarantee that comes with life on earth is that it will end!
Because we are believers, as was Mike, there was no need for sentimental drivel or faulty theology at Mike’s Celebration of Life. Instead, there were the reassuring words and promises of the New Testament. As Christians, even though we mourned our loss, we could celebrate the life that had been lived and the eternal life that lay ahead. Rather than saying “Good-by” to Mike, it was more like wishing him, “Bon voyage!”
That Mike’s life goes on, however, doesn’t mean we don’t want him back here with us! Being Christ followers doesn’t mean we don’t hurt or mourn nor does it mean we aren’t angry at God for His timing. Like C.S. Lewis, we even questioned if God is a “Cosmic Sadist” who pulls the rug from under us just when life gets really good! We may be people of faith but we’re human and grief, like learning to walk, is a process that involves falls, bumps, and bruises along the way. As David did in the Psalms, we pray honest prayers and freely bring God our pain, queries, anger, and grief. He’s a big God and can handle our questions and lament.
Our anchor in grief is our faith; it keeps us from drifting away in the storm. Hope is where we find our strength. It’s what allows us to face the future—to look to the uncertainty and challenges of the tomorrows ahead and not be afraid. As for love: love comes from God and we are thankful for the years God gave Mike to us—for the love Mike gave us and for the opportunity to know and love him. Death can’t take away our love; Mike remains in our memories and our love endures.
We all grieve for Mike and for the future we expected. Even though an enormous gap now exists in the lives of my daughter and grand, there is a sense of peace surrounding us all. Yes, we mourn our loss and my daughter continues to feel as if a part of her body has been amputated. Nevertheless, we have peace in our heartache because Scripture tells us where Mike is and where we’ll eventually be. Not only do we know how the story ends, but we also know that Jesus, the man who wept at Lazarus’ grave, has not abandoned us. He walks with us in our grief. Our words of comfort are found in Jesus and His promises. They are what enable my daughter to say, “God so graciously gave me Mike. Through His wisdom he took him back home and He will graciously give me healing in my pain. God is faithful.”
The next day would have been Sally’s wedding anniversary but, because it marked the six-month anniversary of her husband’s death, there would be no celebration. Instead of flowers, dinner, and romance, there would be tears. That morning, Sally called her step-mother, Sue, to share her dread of the following day. When telling us this, Sue admitted to being at a loss for words of consolation. A woman of faith and an ordained pastor, Sue’s difficulty in finding comforting words was because her step-daughter is Jewish. When Sue married Sally’s Jewish father, she respected her new family’s faith just as they respected hers. They knew her beliefs and what she did for a living and Sue gladly answers their questions. Nevertheless, she chooses her words carefully when speaking of the Lord and neither evangelizes nor condemns. Although her words that morning were as reassuring as they could be without speaking of Jesus, Sue knew they were nowhere near as comforting as they could have been.
Along with sins of the heart like greed, pride, coveting, anger, and envy, we have jealousy. It’s hard to make a clear distinction between jealousy and envy and, in most cases, the words can be used interchangeably. The difference seems to be that the discontent and resentment of envy is focused outward toward something we desire and the person who has it while the discontent and resentment of jealousy is focused inward toward something we have and want to keep for ourselves. For example, Rachel was envious of Leah because she had given birth to Jacob’s children but both sisters were jealous of one another whenever Jacob slept with the other one. Most often used in the context of romantic relationships and often coming from insecurity, jealousy is a mix of overwhelming possessiveness with a little paranoia on the side.
Like his cousin Jesus, John’s impending birth was announced by the angel Gabriel, it took God’s intervention to take place, and his name and calling were determined before he was conceived. The angel Gabriel told Zechariah that, “in the spirit and power of Elijah,” John was “to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” When John was circumcised, Zechariah prophesied that John would “go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins.”
Aside from Adam and Eve’s fig leaves, Scripture doesn’t tell us much about people’s attire. Both Matthew and Mark, however, specifically mention the unconventional attire of John the Baptizer—a camel’s hair garment and a leather belt around his waist. Rather than the luxurious fabric of woven camel’s hair we know today, it probably was a dressed camel’s hide. Moreover, since Scripture rarely refers to people’s diets, the mention of John eating locusts and honey is equally unusual. When the Bible’s writers veer from the norm, we should take notice and ask ourselves, “Why?”
Heather Kaufman’s novel Up From Dust is historical fiction. Based on what Scripture tells us about Martha of Bethany, her sister Mary, and their brother Lazarus, it gives the reader a fictionalized version of their backstories. Kaufman’s extensive research for the novel allowed her to paint a vivid and accurate picture of 1st century life in Judea. Even though the story is a figment of her imagination, it reminded me that the people who spent time with the Lord while He walked on earth were real (and flawed) people like us—each with their own personal history. Ordinary people with parents, friends and, for some, spouses and children, they had jobs, responsibilities, secrets, regrets, and weaknesses. Like us, they were people who worried, disagreed, cried, laughed, loved, rejoiced, and mourned. The only thing that made them different from their neighbors was their love for a man called Jesus!
Devotions of the Heart 