Life, Death, & Eternity

This past week my friend and co-pastor lost his only son in a motorcycle accident.  His son was 29 years old, six months younger than me.  As I flew to Alaska to spend time with the family and attend the funeral I had a lot of time to process and think about life, death, & eternity.

Life is a gift

"He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities."

- Psalm 103:10

Has anyone ever asked you, "How are you doing?"  I want my response to be, "better than I deserve."  What a perspective change, isn't it?  Our culture tells us all the time how much we deserve.  Nothing is a gift anymore because we justify in our heads why we deserve it.  Have you ever thought about the fact that the reason you are still breathing is because God allows you to.  Each day we are given here on this earth is truly a gift from God no matter how good or bad that day is.  God blessed Ryan Beachy with 29 years on this earth before he was called home.

Death is a transition

"For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep..." - Acts 13:36a

God created each of us for a purpose.  Our life should be us living out that purpose for the glory of God.  When God says we are done, we are done.  After that comes the transition.  Most transitions and changes in life are met with challenges and difficulties.  Whether it's a new addition to a family, a loss of someone, or an organizational or church change.  We must continue on serving the purpose of the Lord in our generation that God has placed us in.  Ryan did just that with a humble spirit and now the friends, family, and community must continue on keeping their eyes firming fixed on Jesus.

Eternity is unfathomable

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." - Romans 8:18

The more I read Scripture the more I start to realize I have no idea how glorious eternity will be.  It is unfathomable.  I can read passages like Revelation 21 and be brought to tears but that still is only a glimpse of what is to come.  The sufferings in this life aren't even worth comparing to the glory that is coming for those who know and follow Jesus.  What an amazing truth to understand and know.  Ryan now understands the fullness of that truth.  He is enjoying an eternity that is unfathomable to us.

Mt. Everest

As you read through the book of Psalms you come to the Mt. Everest of the book at chapter 119.  This chapter is an acrostic poem composed of 22 sections, each containing 8 lines.  Each sentence in each section starts with the same Hebrew letter.  There are 22 Hebrew letters, one for each section, starting from the beginning and going in order.

The most obvious observation for me after reading this Psalm was how much the Word of God dominated the life of the Psalmist.  From before sunrise to after sunset his thoughts, prayers, and perspective were constantly on God's truth.  I encourage you today to pick up your Bible and read Psalm 119.  Allow the Word to speak to you and focus in on a few verses that really connect with you and commit them to memory.