9/10/09

I come to you this morning asking you to pray very hard for me today. I am attempting to find God's will and I feel the need for the power of prayer. Thank all of you for what you have done and are doing for us.Pray for me to be at peace and silent so that I can hear what it is he would have me to do. I would also like to remind everyone in the western Birmingham area that the western star newspaper ran an article this week on Keri's visitation and it was well written. You should be able to find a copy anywhere newspapers are sold on the western side.

Matthew 25:31-46 (New International Version)

The Sheep and the Goats
31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

There are several points that I gathered from this passage. God will separate his followers from pretenders and unbelievers. We must be diligent daily to believe and follow his will because that is what we will be judged on. What we do for others demonstrates what we really think about Jesus' words to us. I will say this. Many of you have demonstrated this to me throughout the last month. We must also help anyone else in need that we run across.Sheep and goats often grazed together until they were sepaerated for shearing. The sheep represent the believers and the goats represent the non-believers. Jesus will separate all of us and will take some with him for eternal life and others will be cast into Hell. We all mingle together here on earth but there will come a day when we will be categorized by the Lord. There are acts of mercy that we can provide everyday. They do not depend on ability, wealth, and intelligence. They are simple acts freely given and freely recieved. Jesus demands our personal involvement in caring for others needs. We cannot take a "somebody else will handle it" approach. There is an importance of serving where serving is needed. We should love every person and serve anyone we can. For those that are first shall be last and those that are last shall be first. Such love glorifies God by reflecting our love for him. Know that eternal punishment takes place in Hell, but eternal life takes place in Heaven. When Jesus warns against unbelief, he is trying to save us against agonizing punishment.

As I have flipped through some of Keri's personal effects, I have found all kind of things that have caught my attention. Every now and then I find some sort of journal entry in a notebook that I was never allowed to see while she was on earth. I am sure that she wrote them just for herself. Consequently the timing in which I have found them has answered many questions. One thing that I have discovered is just how much she loved me and our children. Secondly, I have discovered that she wished for me to be a deeply christian man. Every journal entry that I have found has a main theme of her and I reading the bible together, praying together and worshiping together on a daily basis. This was so important to my beautiful wife and sadly I am not able to say that I played a role in answering her prayers. That is something that I now wished I would have done. Husband and wives, love each other daily, grow in the word together, and walk with the Lord together while you still have time here on earth. I love you all.

Heavenly father I once again come to you asking for clarity in my situation. Show me what it is that you would have me to do. Thank you for the words of encouragement that I continue to find at just the right time. I realize that timing is everything to you and I thank you that it is not to late for me to follow your will if I will only be still and silent so that I can hear your voice. I pray that you teach me your ways. Please pierce my heart to recognize other's needs and meet that need for them freely. Lord I pray all those unspoken prayers and a special prayer for Karen as she continues to go through her trial. Thank you for the amount of recovery that you have given her and if it be your will, completely heal her body. Throw a blanket of peace over all of our family and friends that are still reeling from this event. Lord I pray that even more people will enter the kingdom as time goes on. Please let me never forget the good that you provided throughout our time of need. I pray for this nation as we prepare for your second coming. I look forward to it. I am not scared of death as it has no power over me as long as I cling to your feet. I can't wait to gaze upon your face and bow down to worship you in all your glory. You are an awesome God and the world needs to know your power and mercy. Open those doors for me so that I can yell your names from the mountaintops. I love you and I ask for your forgiveness in the places where I may fail you. In your precious name I pray... Amen