No April Fool's Joke
(S) Scripture
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort;
who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NASB77)
(O) Observation
Paul is opening his second letter to the church in Corinth. He does so by encouraging them with the words of God's comfort. This was a troubled church and many needed to hear these words and to have this exhortation to comfort others with the comfort they had received from Christ.
(A) Application
Today is the 25th anniversary of my Dad's death. Each year on this day I am especially reminded of the impact he had on my life. My Dad was a man of faith and he led our family by example. He and my Mom were (and my Mom still is) leaders in the church. They taught my sister and me to love Jesus and to be faithful in our walk with Him. Church attendance was not optional in our house and the norm was faithful Christian living. Now my folks were not sinless saints but they were close, at least in my mind. I thank God for them each day. I miss my Dad. He died from lung cancer. I got to spend the last few hours with him. We talked about a lot of things and none of them were trivial. We talked about our love for each other and taking care of my Mom. We spoke about faith and living each day. We talked about my girls and the responsibility I had to them and their faith development. We spoke of God's comfort in times of grief, sorrow and loss. My Dad on his death bed assured me of God's comfort and faithfulness. I can say that I experienced a deep seated sense of joy throughout that time that could only come from the Lord. My Dad was OK and we all would be too because of God's comfort and faithfulness. After 25 years I can say that my Dad told us the truth and that God's comfort is real and that is no April Fool's joke.
(P) Prayer
Holy Father, I thank you for my Dad and the lessons he taught me about You. I thank you for Your constant comfort and faithfulness to me as I seek to follow You. Let me impact others the way my Dad impacted me for Christ. Amen
1 comment:
You will never forget him...nor should you. Those of us who have sent our parents to their heavenly reward can relate to the anniversary. I still remember the exact location where I was standing when I received the word. May God's peace and comfort consume you Pastor Robin as you celebrate his legacy and the manner in which it has shaped your life and ministry. God bless.....YOur friend, "Bud"
Post a Comment