God wants us to finish strong in this race of life. During the nearly 20 full marathons I’ve done, I often remember getting past the 20-mile mark and growing tired. It would be easy to stop and say I’d done enough. But with God’s help, I summoned the resolve to pick up the pace and run strong across the finish line. The same is true as we live each day, knowing Christ could return for us at any moment. The finish line could be now or years later.
I lost a friend this morning. I knew him briefly at a local church. He was vibrant, loving, and kind. I will miss him. I do believe that prayer is vital while we are on earth. I continue to pray for his wife and family. This morning I was comforted by my Father’s love and truth. I’ve been reading five psalms each day—here is what I read this morning.
Have you ever read a book or watched a movie—and you skipped to the last chapter or watched the last five minutes? It just seems to take all of the tension and worry out of the adventure. Sometimes, that’s a good thing.
I remember some pretty cold mornings getting up for school in the middle of a Missouri winter. My Mom’s loving voice let us know it was “time to get up.” After being asleep, it was worth the effort to “rise and shine” and get into the day. When Christ comes back, the “asleep” in Christ are going to get up. And believers who are alive will also get up with new spiritual bodies.
I went for a run yesterday to the top of our hill. Which is like a small mountain. It was a sunny day with ocean views and beautiful flowering plants and even some nice people to meet.
I was feeling pretty good at about the 20-mile mark of the Columbus Marathon. It was invigorating to have just run through a part of the “shoe,” The Ohio State football stadium which is shaped like a horseshoe. As I continued on the course, I saw a man sitting beside the road who seemed to be “out of it.” When I stopped to help him, I noticed a scripture reference on his headband: Hebrews 12:1,2.
Sickness fully overtook him,
Lazarus was in the grave,
Messengers sent to the master,
oh my brother can you save?
After four days he hath rotted,
stinking at the doors of death,
Now could even the Messiah,
bring back mortal life and breath?
I remember throughout my younger years enjoying Alan Hale Jr. as the “Skipper” on the television show “Gilligan’s Island.” When, as a news reporter, I was promised an interview with him, I anticipated his arrival on what was Sherry and my “tropical paradise” (Guam). With this hope, I believed to prepare some good questions, and even dressed up like his “little buddy.” We had a great time together, and I won a Gannett Award for my article on him.
We saw in Part 1 that to be “asleep in Christ” refers to a born-again believer who is physically dead and awaits the return of Christ. That is when believers will “wake up”! That is our great hope for the future. Now let’s see more of the how and when those who are asleep in Christ will get up.
Many sincere Christians believe that upon death a believer goes to heaven to live with the Lord. They even teach that those who died are conscious and are “looking down” upon those of us on earth. This teaching opens the door to spiritualism and evil spirit impersonation of the dead (familiar spirits). What do the scriptures say about those who are “asleep in Christ”?