Crosswalk.com--The Devotional

[Judy Harder]

Is the Aim of Your Life to Please the Lord?
by Anna Kuta, Editor, ReligionToday.com

Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him (2 Corinthians 5:9).

My pastor mentioned today's verse in a sermon several weeks ago, and it has stuck with me since then, convicting me.

Basically, this verse is telling us that if our ambition is something other than being pleasing to the Lord, we need to reevaluate. Too often I find myself going through life with a totally different aim, whether it be to please others, to be perceived a certain way or to please myself. But this verse has me thinking, and it is something we all need to consider. How can I claim to put the Lord first in my life while continuing to do things I know are not pleasing to Him? Do I even claim to put Him first in my life? And if I continue in sin, what message does that send to unbelievers with whom I am trying to share the gospel message?

The Bible is our complete manual to following the Lord and living for Him. Though we are all sinful people, the process of the Christian life should be one of sanctification and becoming more Christlike – and we can find in the pages of God's word everything we need to grow in our faith and knowledge of the Lord. As Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 4:1: "Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus."

We can't live to please God unless we know who He is and what He commands – and we can't know that unless we read His word. As Romans 10:17 says, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." As Christians, our aim should be constantly striving to better know the Lord, to follow Him – and to please Him.

What is your aim?

Intersecting Faith & Life: Are you living in a manner "well pleasing" to the Lord? If you do not read your Bible every day, commit to set aside a few minutes. Ask the Lord to open your eyes to His directions as you read His word. Pray that He will help you live a life pleasing to Him.

Further Reading

Colossians 1:10

Colossians 3:16

Hebrews 4:12

[Judy Harder]

Faith Like a Little Child
by Debbie Holloway, Crosswalk.com Family Editor

"Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all" (Mark 10:15).

Most of the times I have heard this quote from Jesus used, it has been a reminder to have simple faith. Christians tend get caught up in theological squabbles, and when it gets intense usually someone will chime in at some point with a reminder that the bottom line is to have childlike faith.

And while obviously divisiveness is to be avoided among brethren, sometimes I think we forget what children are actually like when we use the phrase "childlike" to describe desired attitudes or attributes. As someone who been around children my whole life, I've recently had some thoughts on relating this verse to the truth about how (most) children behave.

1.       Children require relationship.

If a child is told to do something with no context or established relationship, it is very likely said child will simply be scared, angry, or will even fight. Each one of us is on the journey to build a relationship with God through Christ, but we are each at a different step in the journey. To expect someone without a relationship with God to "have childlike faith" with what they're struggling in would be a silly as expecting to convince a stranger's child to do something they did not want to do. Children know less than adults, naturally, but children will very rarely follow you instructions unless they know your face.

2.       Children never stop asking questions.

Unfortunately, being told to have faith like a child is often a response given to a hard question. Kind of a wet blanket, huh? But it's so misguided, because children naturally ask a million questions a minute! Now obviously as they grow older they learn tact (and often learn from endless shushings to ask fewer questions), but innately, children are open to learning and want to learn. They want to know the stories behind traditions, the logic behind chores, and they want to rip the mystery off why we do things the way we've always done them. If we are to "be like a little child," we must never lose our drive to ask questions.

3.       You must earn the trust of children.

When I was a very young child, a man in my church body used to make a habit of teasing and tickling the children in the congregation. Most children liked him and didn't mind his antics, but I was an incredibly sensitive toddler – one who rarely felt at home away from my mother's arms. I needed my personal space, and very much resented the intrusions of this (admittedly, very well-intentioned) parishioner. At one point when he accosted me, I am told by my family that I calmly ordered him to "never touch me again." He had not earned my trust with his particular brand of playfulness, and therefore I was not OK with him being inside my bubble. (*disclaimer: don't worry, I grew out of this sensitivity. This poor man did not remain my arch-nemesis!)

This phenomenon can be seen every Sunday morning when children are dropped off in the nursery and crying fits ensue. Is it because they are bad kids? Of course not! It's because they have itty bitty reasoning capabilities, and all they know instinctively is that they've been dumped into the arms of someone who has not earned their trust.

And yet so often we, as adult Christians, are asked to put our trust in the hands of pastors, teachers, or specific caricatures of God before they have actually earned our trust. If we raise a concern with how a pastor leads a congregation, or with how someone in position of leadership interprets the Bible, we are far too often shushed and told to just trust, follow, and believe.

But if we are to be like little children in God's Kingdom, surely we ought to place our trust where trust is earned! We should be telling each other to look for fruits of the spirit, look for love and truth, and follow those roads. If someone feels discomfort, pain, or abuse from a source of authority, telling them, "you must have childlike faith," is quite a faulty comparison.

Intersecting Faith and Life: How does the metaphor of God as "father" and us as "children" help us learn how to think of him, and interact with each other? What does accepting the Kingdom of God "like a little child" look like to you?

Further Reading

Luke 18:17

Who is Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?

Living as Sons and Daughters, Not Slaves

[Judy Harder]

What Will Your Legacy Be?"
Debbie Wright, Assistant Editor at Crosswalk.com

One of the most spiritually provocative songs I've ever heard is called War Sweater by the band Wakey!Wakey!.

"New York is dangerous, littered with thieves
We've no morals here, we just do as we please..."

...sings the narrator in the opening lines. He continues:

"But I don't want to go home where they all stare at me
'Cause I'm tattooed and fired up and drunk and obscene."

I'm sure many of us can picture a similar "wayward" family member or friend. But why exactly does this narrator feel so uncomfortable with this scrutiny? He explains in the following chorus:

"You wear your religion like a War Sweater
You ask for the truth, but you know you could do so much better
And you sat on your fences, and you've screamed "no retreat!"
...So what will your legacy be?"

Every time the singer repeats that phrase, "what will your legacy be?" I get knots in my stomach. Because I know my actions and my words will create whatever legacy I leave behind. Reputations are not created by beliefs – rather they come about by observed behavior. No one will remember me simply for getting all my doctrine right or wrong.

They will remember, though, if I wear my religion like a War Sweater. If I thrash my faith about like a flag and scream in the faces of unbelievers. Sadly, many Christians have created such legacies for themselves. Emperor Constantine created the legacy of Christianity's ties to the government. The Crusaders connected Christianity with war. Even today there are self-professing Christians who stand on street corners and picket funerals, wearing their religion like a War Sweater.

But my faith, my religion, informs me of something better. My religion tells me: "James 1:22." My religion does not allow me to sit on a pedestal and judge; it says to Galatians 5:13. My religion Psalms 149:4 that salvation cannot come through pride. My religion does not stand for violently demanding all people bow to my standards; rather, it tells me that, Romans 12:18.

So take a look at the words you speak, at the people you mock, at the bumper stickers adorning your car.

Are you wearing your religion like a War Sweater?

What will your legacy be?

Intersecting Faith and Life: When confronted with a hard situation today, see how you can leave a legacy of Christ's love.

Further reading

Matthew 5:9

John 16:33

2 Corinthians 2:11

[Judy Harder]

Fill 'er Up
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com

"Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness—the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints." Colossians 1:24-26

Right after I got married, I gave up computer software updates and PC troubleshooting for something a bit more... down to earth, you could say. I needed work in my new hometown, and since employers weren't tracking me down and forcing jobs on me, I gravitated toward the only available option: construction. With a booming housing market at the time, finding enough to do wasn't a problem.

But finding motivation was a problem. Going from a specialized, higher paying job in computers, where I mostly sat at my desk all day, to cleaning up cinder blocks, wrestling with insulation, and scrubbing windows—that was quite the humbling thing. Honestly, I'd never had to do any real manual labor in my life before that (yes, I was coddled). The heat and pain and bloodied hands were all new to me.

The first few weeks, after a particularly arduous day of gophering around the jobsites, I'd come home and crash on the living room floor. My muscles weren't used to the beating they took, and they made sure I knew about it.

Slowly, however, with all the wood slinging and nail pounding and putty slapping, things changed. The nights of carpet collapses became less frequent, and my hands didn't split open nearly as often (unless you count the numerous times I stabbed myself with a chisel). In fact, I came to enjoy the process of seeing something come together, seeing a house take shape.

My spiritual growth has come in a similar fashion—just without the splinters. At first, the failures dragged me down and beat me up. The rejections when I tried to share my newfound faith stung. The transformation cut deep. But as I grew and as God worked in me, something changed. The pain still stings and the transformation still cuts (that never stops), yet I began to see the pain as an important part of the overall process. Christ is building something in me—and in His Church.

As humans, we all suffer. But as Christians, we fill up on suffering. Sounds bad, but the point is that instead of us letting the suffering go to waste, God uses it for the good of other believers (and our own). He takes the pain and makes it passion, passion that spills out as love for our brothers and sisters.

Intersecting Faith & Life: We each serve as a breathing example of the gospel played out in real life. Our pain and restoration make us a family like nothing else can.

Further Reading

1 Corinthians 12

Ephesians 3

Build in Layers

[Judy Harder]

Turn with Me to Your Next Prayer
by John UpChurch, Senior Editor, BibleStudyTools.com

According to Hollywood, most funerals should include the pastor intoning the morbid notes of the twenty-third Psalm. All the black around the pastor makes it seem that much more depressing. Usually, there's rain.

But there are two things about this that strike me as odd. First, Psalm 23 isn't depressing. Yes, it mentions the "shadow of death," but it's chock full of hope and paths of righteousness ... and oil pouring over heads. You can't be depressed when oil's dripping down your nose ... at least in biblical terms.

Second, I don't really hear people pray from the Bible. Sure, they toss in a verse or two about being "more than conquerors" or "God working all things for our good." But I've never seen a pastor reach for Psalm 23 or any Psalm for that matter when praying in public.

Now, don't get me wrong. I've heard plenty of great prayers from pastors and other believers. Some of them have hit home hard. But it seems as if Evangelicals especially are averse to anything that isn't somehow unique when it comes to praying. It's as if we think that just praying from the Bible isn't quite spiritual enough. We have to say something original.

Honestly, that's too bad. Because the Bible is crammed with better prayers than I could ever come up with—ones that fit almost every situation. And, really, that makes sense. After all, God inspired Scripture. These are His prayers to us; they're gifts of His grace.

In the Psalms alone, there are prayers for depression, loss, fear, moments when you just gotta praise ... it's like an encyclopedia of prayers. Just dial up a Psalm, and you've got a template for expressing what may have seemed inexpressible a few moments earlier.

Now, I'm not saying we should reject all original prayer-making. I'm just saying that there's no reason to ignore the Bible as a source for some pretty great prayers. We don't always have to come up with something original when God gave us His own Word to pray from. These prayers are creative for you creative types; passionate for those who like passion; and orderly for those of you who like things with three main points.

Just make sure that you aren't praying the Psalms like those pastors in the movies. Put some heart behind it.

[Finish Psalm 23]

Intersecting Faith & Life: God's interest in our prayer is that we spend time giving Him everything we've got. It's easy to think that we have to have the right words—or that prayer is a test of our creativity. But it's really a test of our hearts.

There are no original words ... nothing new under the sun. Using the Bible as a prayer manual isn't a cop out; it's brilliant. Who better to teach us how to pray than God? Start there and see how well God's Word fits the problems you face. Then, if you still need to wax poetic, you can do that, too.

[Judy Harder]

Our Love Should Be Ridiculous
by Stephen Sanders, Salem Web A/V Editor

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Romans 12:10

Every once in a while, you meet a Christian who just flat out makes you feel good about life in general. It doesn't happen probably as much as it should, but nonetheless, it's always nice to see. Even though it may just be a brief encounter, you leave that conversation feeling important, hopeful and restored. Sometimes, it's even so powerful that it inspires you to become a better person.

I recently had an encounter with a certain pastor who just flat out blew me away with the way he carried himself. This was actually my 2nd time meeting him, and I just can't describe the attitude of this man. His love for God and love for people was simply contagious. Everyone in the room was just so peaceful and complimentary after he left. I found myself wanting to be more like that because, well, I'm not.

Showing "brotherly affection" towards others is not something that comes naturally for me. I tend to make a lot of excuses when it comes to being more outgoing and more loving. After all, it's much safer to just ignore people I don't know or have things in common with. That makes perfect sense, right? It's wiser to just let someone else share God's love with them; someone who can "minister to them more effectively than I."

God continues to deal with me about this on a daily basis. Not only is displaying love towards one another one of the chief commands of the Christian faith, but it's the core of who Jesus Christ was while he was on earth in the flesh. It's easy to assume that Jesus would have gotten along easier with the "church folks," but He actually spent all of His time with tax collectors, prostitutes and such; people who He had absolutely zero in common with.

The religious people of that day mocked Jesus for loving the way He did. Jesus' love was ridiculous.

I've been studying the heck out of the book of Romans lately. It's been great because I've begun to see this continuing contrast between the "church folks" and the "actual church" that Paul was ministering to in those days. The "church folks" were so proud of the list of regulations that defined who they were and set them apart from the society in which they lived. The "actual church" simply grabbed hold of the free gift of Christ and displayed it openly to that same society. The "church folks" disqualified others from becoming God's Chosen because of what they were unwilling to do. But the "actual church" made no assumptions about who could and could not be "saved."

The early church let the good news of the cross speak for itself... and they would scream this truth to everyone... everywhere... even if it meant dying a gruesome death. Their love was ridiculous.

In today's culture, self-sacrificial love to the point of death sounds just as extreme as it did back then. So many of us make excuses as to why we don't need to love like that. Christians and church doctrines manage to create unwritten laws that shield us from having to actually love like the Spirit of Christ so desperately wants us to. We take specific scriptures and turn them into shield for our own protection. Take Romans 12:1-2 for example:

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Until recently, I'd only recognized this scripture as an instruction to "beware of society and it's influences." And it's true that the world does things way differently than the Holy Spirit does. But I've always overlooked the importance of "test and discern what is the will of God." You see, we cannot "test the will of God" if we are so far removed from society that we are out of touch. The same "enemy society" that we are to not become influenced by is also the same exact place where God has strategically placed us to seek His will for our lives and display the gifts and talents He has placed in us.

Sound impossible? It's really not... it just takes a ridiculous love for this lifestyle to be functional.

In actuality, it may appear to many as being very dysfunctional. But that's okay! This Christian walk was never meant to be something that caused us to take ourselves more seriously than we ought to anyway. To tell you the truth, Jesus said that the "actual church" would "confound the wise and shame the strong." So don't be afraid to be excessively full of life, hopeful, positive and patient when others try to make that difficult to do. Look for excuses to just randomly meet the needs of others... especially your enemies! That's love... that's the sort of thing that everyone, Christians and non-Christians, long for deep down inside. That's what the love of Christ is all about.

I'm challenging myself (and you) to reach out in some way to someone every single day... starting today. God has radically changed our lives. He has given us something that is more valuable than anything. It's time we share it, not from a soapbox or inside our church walls, but in the every day hustle and bustle of where we already exist...

...and be proactive because, chances are, if you don't then no one else will.

For further study, read Romans 12:1.

[Judy Harder]

Elbows & Ears
by Shawn McEvoy, Crosswalk.com Managing Editor


I will redeem you with an outstretched arm.
Exodus 6:6

Be merciful to me and hear my prayer.
Psalm 4:1

Once, when my son was just shy of three, he informed his mother he was drawing a picture of God.

"Oh... What does God look like?" she asked.

"Well, I put some elbows and some ears," he replied, and he went back to his work.

I was told that story when I came home from work. Cute, I thought. Not exactly as awe-inspiring as Ezekiel's vision, but sounds like a weird picture. I mean, where is the face?

"The face of the Lord is not one you could look upon" (Exodus 33:12-23), came the voice inside my head.

Where are the hands and feet?

That's you.

Oh yeah, that's true...

So... elbows and ears, huh?

Well, I guess God does reach us, and move us, and nudge us, and hold up the light to our paths. As Wayne Watson sang, "No one in this world can slip beyond the reaches of the long arm of the Lord."

And I know he hears us. He created us for fellowship. He desires praise and prayer. He's absolutely listening. He can even hear things we don't even know we're saying. As Steven Curtis Chapman sang, "The cross should have been mine, But His love broke through time, And heard my heart's cry."

So in one statement about one drawing by one child, I had digested a complete meditation on the nature of God, who He is and what He does, even what He leaves for us to do. As Casting Crowns sang, "If we are the body... Why aren't His hands healing... Why aren't His feet going?"

Intersecting Faith & Life: Consider today what part of the body you are playing, and what other parts (eyes, mouth, shoulders, etc.) describe what you know about the character of your God.

Further Reading

Video: "Proof" Most of us have thought how much easier it would be to follow God if we could just see Him once. The truth, though, is that He is all around us...
Matthew 5:8

[Judy Harder]

Spiritual Health
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor

"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. – John 14:27

Lately I've been reflecting on the story of Jesus and the paralytic. You've probably heard it before; it appears in Mark chapter 2, when four men break through a roof to bring their friend to Jesus.

And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying. And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, "Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?" Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, "Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven '; or to say, 'Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk '? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins "-He said to the paralytic, "I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home." And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this." – Mark 2:2-12       

What gets me when I read this story is that, after all these men did to get their friend to Jesus, the first thing he does is say, "Your sins are forgiven." I must have read this story a hundred times, yet I always seem to forget that Jesus healed the man's soul before he healed his body. I don't know about you, but it bothers me how easy it is for us to focus so much on our physical needs that we overlook our spiritual ones. They don't necessarily have to be selfish needs either.

"Please let me be healthy, please let me find a job, please let my car not break down."These are things everyone prays for, but what happens when we grow so concerned about our lives that we forget to ask God for more faith, or wisdom, or opportunities to exercise His Grace? Walking with Christ means balancing the physical with the spiritual, because while our bodies were made for this world, our spirits were made for somewhere else.                     

Intersecting Faith and Life: Are your physical needs overshadowing your spiritual ones? Take time to pray and meditate on his word.

Further Reading

Hebrews 11

[Judy Harder]

A Crown without Jewels
by Ryan Duncan, Crosswalk.com Entertainment Editor

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.– Hebrews 4:16

Like most kids who grew up in the church, I was enrolled in Awana the moment I had the ability to memorize John 3:16. Not that I'm complaining, I enjoyed the evenings of games and Bible stories. However, like every Bible club for small children, Awana had its share of speed bumps. One such bump appeared during a lesson where a young woman was sharing her testimony. She had just finished telling everyone the story of how her grandfather accepted Christ on his deathbed when a hand shot up in the back of the audience.

"Does this mean we can do whatever we want as long as we say sorry before we die?" asked the child. I can vaguely remember the look of panic that came into the woman's eyes when she discovered her class was trying to cheat the system. Torn between theology and a group of minors, she opted for the easiest answer.

"Well, yes, God will forgive you if you ask him," then reaching down to her jacket, she pulled out the tiny crown pin reserved only for the best children in the club, "but it also means you will have fewer jewels in your crown when you get to heaven." I'm not bothered that our leader chose to use this explanation; it's hard to describe the grace of God to a room full of third graders hopped up on gummy bears. What does bother me is the number of adult Christians who still believe this idea to be true.

"I grew up in a Christian household."

"I accepted Christ when I was only seven."   

Many Christians will take these statements and present them as proof of their superiority. Proof that the person who just gave their life to Christ is somehow "Second Class." Thankfully, Jesus didn't see it that way, and said as much in the parable of the vineyard.             

"So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.' But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?' So the last will be first, and the first will be last." – Matthew 20:10-16

It does not matter if you spend your entire life ignoring God or trying to build a stairway to heaven, we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of Christ. But when we accept him as our savior that all changes, regardless of how old we are or how we've spent our past. The whole, wonderful point of grace is that it cannot be earned. How else could it be called grace?

Intersecting Faith and Life: Remember to be humble and show understanding to others. We are all on a journey to know God, so love others as he would love them.

Further Reading

Romans 6:14

[Judy Harder]

October 30, 2013
Honoring All Souls
by Sarah Phillips, Crosswalk.com Family Editor

Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you." Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha said to him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" She said to him, "Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world." John 11: 17 - 27

Most of us who've been around for more than a couple decades have experienced the death of a loved one. I remember when a close family friend died while I was in high school.

"Uncle" Ed was only in his 40's, a tough looking, bearded guy with a jolly sense of humor. I remember the day he called my mom, a seasoned ICU nurse, with some unusual symptoms. My stomach felt uneasy as I overheard my mother tell Ed he needed medical attention as soon as possible.

My sisters and I would only see Ed a couple more times after that call. Once, just before he was admitted for a bone marrow transplant to treat the rare disease attacking his body. He was wearing his regular clothes and looked like the Ed we always knew.

The second time was in the hospital after his transplant. He looked weak and bald, and that scared me a bit. It was the day before prom, and mom urged me and my twin sister to tell him about the prom dresses we designed. Ed listened to our descriptions as if our dresses were the most important topic in the world. A few weeks later, I got a phone call from my mom telling me Ed passed away.

One of the saddest aspects of Ed's untimely death was that he never fulfilled his long-held dream to marry and have children of his own. That stuck with me. But another thing that stuck with me was Ed's memorial service. I was not a Christian, and to my surprise, Ed's Lutheran funeral was filled with one story after another describing his devotion to Christ and his lengthy trips into the mission fields. Ed's death played an instrumental role in bringing me to faith in Christ a few years later.

I know many of you have similar stories. Life was going along swimmingly, and suddenly the phone rang and nothing was ever the same. I also know many of you have encouraging stories of how God worked through the death of someone in a special way.

Some of the most encouraging reflections on death and eternity I've read can be found in a book published by former hospice nurse, Trudy Harris, titled Glimpses of Heaven (Revell, 2008). Harris collected stories of her dying patients to offer comfort to those who have experienced loss, and also to share the profound spiritual insights she has gleaned from those getting ready to pass into heaven. Having observed God's tender care for her patients time and again, Harris says, "Those who have allowed themselves the luxury of being present with patients as they are dying come away realizing in a whole new way that there is only one Divine Physician, and it is He alone who sets the timetables of our lives."

While death is always a tragedy, Harris confirms what Christianity teaches – that even death has merit when doused with God's grace. Harris writes that many of her patients could sense – even see -- God's presence in ways most of us can't right now. She notes her patients, who endured painful illness, were anxious to give hope, comfort, and wisdom to the living before they passed on. Some even died with so much grace, they wore a gentle smile.

Of course, we can look to our Savior, who did not avoid death even when He could have, to see two truths: God works through the dying process to draw each of us closer to Him, and death – no matter how horrible - does not have the final word.

While it can be difficult for those of us here to bear the weight of losing a loved one, like Martha we can find peace in knowing God does not abandon us or our loved ones even in the darkest moments of death. And while we don't yet have the privilege of seeing God in all His glory, we can faithfully entrust our futures and the futures of our loved ones' to the merciful love of Christ.

Intersecting Faith & Life: While many of our loved ones are not famous Saints like Augustine or Aquinas, they are just as precious to us and to God. Nov. 2 is the Feast of All Souls – the day when Christians officially remember all who have gone before us, like Ed. Thank God for the blessings of the time you had with your loved ones, and perform some little act of kindness in their memory

Further Reading

Romans 5: 5 - 11
John 10: 9 -10
1 John 3: 1 – 3
Living -- and Dying -- Well