TWO WINNERS IN LIFE'S RACE

    Two marvelous women, both of them wonderful Christians and leading ladies in their respected families, finished their work on earth a few years ago.

    Both women went home to meet their best friend, Jesus Christ himself, and to ultimately receive their eternal rewards. 

    This happened on two consecutive Sunday mornings. God picked these beautiful lilies from my flower garden. As their pastor, I couldn't complain, because they really do belong to the Lord. 

    I simply had the honor of serving as caretaker of these lovely flowers as they budded, bloomed and grew so productive for Him while going through this life.

    So, we had two funerals. It was sad, quite sad, in one way, but a time for rejoicing in another. Their battles are over, their race has been won. Jesus said in Revelations 2:10, "be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life."

    In John 11:25, 26, He also declared, "I am the resurrection , and the life, he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he life. And whosoever believeth in me shall never die. Believeth thou this?"

    That says some mighty things about what Jesus can do, doesn't it? And it also speaks volumes about what life is really all about for every man.

     I firmly believe that God wants all of us to find out who He is, what He's all about, what His will and purpose is for each individual on earth, and what we personally can do to set these things in motion, and carry them out.

    Therefore, I firmly believe that no man should have a more important goal in his lifetime than to win in the game (experience) of life. To do that, you must realize that the Bible is the unadulterated Word of God, and it was written for our knowledge and adminition. This gives us the knowledge we need to carry out God's will (not our own), as we travel this often rocky journey through life.

    These two precious saints, both key member of our church family, were well aware of this. Both had obeyed the Gospel requirements for eternal life as laid out in the Bible. While walking by their faith in God, both had held to those principals that they so dearly believed and adopted as cornerstones of their lives.

    The Apostle Paul, as he was about to lay his head on Emperor Nero's chopping block, said in II Timothy 4:6-8: "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them that also that love his appearing."

    Hebrews 11 is the Bible's faith chapter. The writer goes through the Bible outlining a wonderful roll of the faithful. In my years in Dearborn County, I believe God has taken home a number of faithful saints that could well be added to the Hebrews list

    Would you like to be one of those? You can be. If I can help you in any way, email me at ashepherdsblog@email.com, and I'll try to answer any questions you have.