DEATH = LIFE

How can death equal life? I’m thinking more about death these days, since my remaining kidney has a tumor that is most likely cancer. [I’m still praying it’s benign.] My upcoming surgery can go either direction, but it doesn’t do any good to worry or speculate.

However, I am thinking more about the words that Jesus gave Martha after the death of Lazarus in John 11:25-26, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.”

He’s not saying I won’t die in the physical sense. He’s saying that I – my soul – won’t die. My heart will stop beating, but my spirit won’t miss a beat. It sounds to me that I’ll instantly be transported to Paradise, just like the thief on the cross, to whom Jesus said in Luke 23:43, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."

Death has been described in songs and poems as falling asleep and waking up in Heaven. But, I’m thinking that I will be conscious as I am transported upward. Perhaps the angels will carry me up as they did to the beggar named Lazarus in Luke 16:22, ^“So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom.”

I may even be able to see Jesus as Stephen, the first martyr did in Acts 7:55-56, “But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, ‘Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!’” Then as he was stoned, “he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not charge them with this sin.’ And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” [Acts 7:60] At least it looked like he was asleep, but he was more awake than he had ever been!

We can’t be both awake and asleep. We are either here on Earth or up in Heaven. Paul confirmed this in 2 Corinthians 5:6-8, "So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”

This is a very comforting truth. It removes the sting and fear of death as stated in 1 Corinthians 15:54-55, “So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death, where is your sting? O Grave, where is your victory?’"

God will remove the fear of death that has haunted us our entire lives, as it says in Hebrews 2:14-15, “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.”

I must admit, I have feared death and hated the thought of it for most of my life, but now as I am closer to it, as I am approaching the inevitable, unknown darkness of it, I feel God’s comfort, just like David in Psalm 23:4, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” This is not a psychological, self-induced, delusional wistfulness, but a supernatural gift from our loving Heavenly Father to help me in my time of need.

So I can say with Paul in Philippians 1:21-23, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell, for I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.”

I can’t yet say with Paul that I’d rather be absent from the body. I’d prefer to have many more years with my family and friends. But when God wants to take me to my eternal home, because I believe in Jesus, I’m ready to go.

ALWAYS THINKING

 The brain is always thinking, even when we aren’t. I first discovered this while singing in a number of choirs, beginning in Junior High. We would see a new song and practice it a couple of times and set it aside. Then at the next practice, the notes flowed much better, as though we had continued rehearsing it. In fact, our brains had continued practicing the music unawares to us. It was quite amazing to me.

 And even now, with school a distant memory, when I do word puzzles in the Penny/Dell books I have, I’ll be stuck on a puzzle, set it aside, and return to have the answer pop right out. It’s the same with games on my cell phone. I don’t have the answer but, voila, it appears to me the next time I play. My mind continues to work.

 This is due to the non-conscious part of our brain. According to David Rock, Ph.D. “the problem-solving resources of the non-conscious are millions if not billions of times larger than that of the conscious.” Psychology Today (09/18/12)

 Of course, the non-conscious is void without our conscious efforts to think and learn. The effort we put in to evaluate, to solve, and to ponder as we read and listen and discuss with others, all feed the raw data into our mind so it may find a solution we may be seeking. That’s the work of thinking that both adults and children must do in order to learn and increase knowledge.

 The brain, the mind, is an amazing creation of God – a gift to us humans that sets us apart from and above the animals. We can use our brains for good or for bad. What we see and hear will affect our lifelong ability to process the world around us, which is necessary for success in our job, with our family, and finding a relationship with our Heavenly Father.

THE SKY ISN'T FALLING

Tell everyone you know: “The sky isn’t falling!” Climate change is not an existential threat. It’s happened before and the world survived. Glaciers melted before, and refroze. They’re melting again and we have a lot more climate decades ahead of us.

How do we know this? It’s because of the finds in the melting ice around the world. According to an article from June of 2021 in the Smithsonian Magazine, in the remote Lendbreen ice patch in Norway’s Jotunheim Mountains, a wooden box with a candle inside was found, along with clothing and shoes. Other finds have revealed many “rare items preserved in deep banks of ice and snow for centuries.”

Other finds, from as many as 1500 years ago, are an ancient forest in Alaska, a frozen horse and dog in Norway, many human remains in several places, reindeer infected with Anthrax in Siberia, some new islands in Greenland, and a camel-hair rope found in Mongolia.

There are many more, but the point is that the glaciers were not always there, so it must have been much warmer before they were formed. The fear back then was probably that climate change was causing such cold that the earth could not survive. But of course it did, and it will.

By the way, the term existential is way overused today. It’s based on the root “exist” and pertains to anything that affects our existence or our perception of our life. So an existential threat refers to something that will harm us. Thus to call climate an existential threat conjures up the fear that we may not continue to exist because of it. It’s fearmongering at its worst, especially for children.

On a final note, the sky will not fall until God brings down the New Earth and the New Heaven, wherein righteousness dwells!

AMERICA'S HOPE

 Is there hope for America? Will we survive the challenges we face? Are these just trials to test us, or are they the harbingers for the end of the greatest nation in modern times?

No need to enumerate the problems that exist today. Some have been around for decades, even centuries. Others are new, just appearing in the past year or so. Most of us are completely aware of them. 

Is Washington the solution? Is the UN the solution? Is it up to each state to find its own solution? Is it up to each individual to find their solution? Or is it too late for any solution? 

A look at history can be helpful. The USA has been in trouble before and found its way through. Sometimes it was a change in the President. Other times it was an international event that turned our focus to helping other countries. But always it was the determination of our citizens to improve our situation. 

And the ultimate assistance we received was from God. Christians prayed, and God heard and answered. This intercession was done without news reports or a Congressional hearing or any publicity at all. It was done in Churches and homes and small groups of Believers who asked for God’s help. He helped us then and He will help us again – if we turn to Him. 

This is seen in the most complete historical book, the Bible. The verses that best reflect this are found in II Chronicles 7:13-14: When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 

To answer the questions above, I believe God is testing us to see if we will humble ourselves and realize that our only hope is in God.

COPYRIGHT 2022 BY CARL E GUSTAFSON

BIRDS CHIRPING

 It’s called the “dawn chorus” – the birds chirping and singing even before the sun rises. If you’re not awake already, they may arouse you from a sound sleep. Of course the rooster is the most famous of these early birds, but city birds can be almost as noisy. The normal chirp is about 65 decibels, but many birds can chirp over 100 decibels. That’s loud!

The purpose of the chatter, mostly by males, is to either warn other males to stay away or to invite females to not stay away. And a louder chirp may indicate how strong the bird is as it competes for territory. This makes sense, since birds can’t arm wrestle.

Birds have been around since creation week. On day five God created them along with fish and other sea creatures. Genesis 1:21-23 (NKJV) “So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.”

The birds have indeed multiplied. Plus there are over fifty verses in the Bible that mention birds in general as well as thirty species of birds. My three favorite verses are these.

Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV) “But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”

Obviously we can’t fly like the eagles, but we can have strength from God and be emotionally and spiritually uplifted.

Matthew 10:29-31 (NKJV) “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

 Even as we lose hair as some of us have, God still keeps count, because we are very valuable to Him.

 Matthew 6:26 (NKJV) “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

 Jesus told us not to worry about food or clothing or shelter. Just as he cares for the birds, he will care for us. Even in times of pandemics and inflation.

HAVE A VERY NICE EASTER!