Funerals~

As a Pastor I can say this without uncertainty that some funerlas are celebrations and some are filled with grief. Today's funeral were one of celebration. In most cases I am left the huge question of "Where are they really?" I will not lead anyone astray, so I will not say anything about where they are without a positive testimony.
When I was asked about what I might say at the funeral, I merely said as I always do "I probably will not know until its time to speak." After spending time with the family I was led to 2 Corinthians 5. Listen to what the Apostle Paul is writing beginning in verse 16 "So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. The old is gone and the new has come. All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconcilliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting peoples sins them. And He committed to us the message of reconcilliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. As God's co-workers we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. For He says 'In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.' I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation."
The testimony in which the family was that the family member reconciled with everyone. They saw a peace and a joy in her last several weeks. What a beautiful testimony. She obviously made peace with Jesus and because of Christ in her, she reconciled with everyone else. What a blessing.
Why do I share this with you? Because of the testimony of God that His grace will be there for us until the end if we choose to be reconciled to Him. We cannot look at people and their sin if we are Christians without compassion, and God's forgiveness. We need to notice that the 'New' person in Christ is uged to share the truth with others. We are to be Ambassadors on His behalf to a lost and dying world. Paul urges us to not recieve God's grace in vain. we are not to claim to know God's grace and then do nothing about it. We cannot go on with our sinful nature, but be made new in Him. Paul ends up this message by saying "Now is the day of salvation."
As I gazed at the pictures being shown on the slide show it brought back many memories. It rbought back good times, and also reminded me of how old I was getting. I remebered that I had never truly reconciled myself with my own mom. When she passed away I realized that it ws to late. If only I would have known the scripture. If only I would have laid down my pride and loved as Christ loved. Reconcile while we have time. Reconcile with others, but most of all reconcile to God. He did not walk away, we did.
If we are not ready to surrender to Christ then we are playing with the salvation in which we desperately need to be living in. If we feel that we have been reconciled to God, and yet continue to sin, then we are receiving His grace in vain. Why go on with God if it is for nothing in the end? Today is the day that any and everyone can surrender to the Lord Jesus (all of you). Today can be that day of salvation. Today you can become a 'New' creation. Today can be the beginning of a life in which you have never dreamed. We all will die one day and we will all face the Lord Jesus. What will be our testimony~