Missie's Service

Romans 8:18

As I listened to that song, the first line of the first verse, has been our church for a pretty good while!

In 2015, I asked Matthew and Missie to meet me at Pizza Hut, my purpose for meeting them was to discuss and ask Matthew about serving the Lord and His church as a deacon. Pretty much straightway after that meeting, those 2 began on a journey of struggle with their physical bodies.

Missie came close to this day, right after that and during that is when Matthew found out he had cancer.

It was physical struggle after physical struggle. Both of them.

Never really having a chance to serve as us mere humans would define service.......but their service in my view was greater.

Would define and limit service to good deeds done, I believe you would be coming up short if you define it as such.........One word I thought about Sat. morning was “endurance”!

They were truly servants before I asked them, but their service was amplified quite a bit after I asked them to put a title to their service. They had to endure!

And they did!

Matthew 24:13 “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”

Endure meaning to continue in faith, continuing to believe, no matter the struggle.

Continuing in trusting in Jesus Christ and Him crucified, The Gospel, and living that out no matter what you are faced in this life.

On a couple of occasions, after Matthew had go on to be with Jesus, Missie told that she wondered why she was still here. She would say that she couldn’t do anything, but I would say she was doing more than she could ever think!

I am plumb ashamed of myself that I am saying this now and not then......I told her she had value that we were all the Lord’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus, but I believe Michelle said it best and I asked her if I could share it, so here goes........

She endured the hard days (with a little whining) and thrilled in the joyous ones.

The last 2 years, she battled health issues living alone. Her anchor had gone on to be with Jesus. I honestly was surprised that she did as well as she did without him. It was a clear testimony to me of God’s grace to empower us all to do the things that we could not do alone. Mim was not the type of go-getter that squared her shoulders back and attacked hardship aggressively. She was stronger than that. She was the type to recognize her weakness as a human and fall heavily into the mercies of Jesus and be carried through the hardships. And He faithfully carried her. He did it by his Spirit and by the family and church family that He had given her. I believe the truest bravery is found in recognizing our frailties and resting in His strength. That’s the type of bravery Mim demonstrated to us all. It’s called FAITH!

She kept the faith and Wed. night at 5:45, Donna Castillow received her reward!!

Paul said in 1 Timothy 6:12 “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.”

No matter what we say about Miss, it was a fight, a struggle, but she endured till the end by faith!

She believed that Jesus was her Lord and Savior!

That Jesus is Lord of all and that we are all stained with sin with no power within ourselves to redeem us from this awful lot!

Christ came and endured the cross, the wrath of God, because of my/her sin and was raised from the dead 3 days later giving us a promise of everlasting life with the Father!

I think of a part of a song that AJ sings and also the kids sing........I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back!

What do we say then about this faith, this endurance??? Paul tells in 1 Corinthians 15:19 “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”

What we believe about Jesus Christ doesn’t end here on earth, it continues forever! Peter tells us in 1 Peter 1:3–4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,”

With the promise of this inheritance to the believer in mind I can think of quite a few verses that I could use, but one seems to stand out to me......Romans 8:18 “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

We could say a lot about physical struggle, some may have struggles or witnessed them, anyway, that are greater than what Missie endured, but those struggles cannot get on the scale with glory that will be revealed to the believer!

That verse and also 2 Corinthians 4:17 “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;”.....seem to mock our earthly struggles

One old commentator states about our affliction being light and for a moment....that it is comparing our earthly struggle to a gnat flying around your head when you compare it to our inheritance with the Lord!

I am not trying to minimize Miss’s struggle because it was tough, but I do want to maximize and amplify her inheritance that she has received by her faith in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ!

There are 2 verses that come to mind, from Paul and Peter:

2 Corinthians 5:1 “For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”

Peter when speaking about his death in 2 Peter 1:14 “Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.” ......spoke of putting off this earthly tabernacle.

Eternal in the Heavens.........Jesus said in John 3:15 “That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Eternal life, everlasting life......When Jesus spoke of eternal life, He wasn’t just speaking and describing a duration......He was speaking of a quality that human beings has not known since sin entered the world! A quality where purity, holiness, perfection reside and it is only found in the Godhead....Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!

According to Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Sin is work and the payment is death, but the gift of God is given by the work of Jesus Christ and it is eternal life!

A preacher once said that the only thing that makes Heaven and eternal life what they are is the presence of the Lord!

John had vision of the reality of our life with God the Father in Heaven when all is made right.......Revelation 21:1–7 “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and will be his God, and he shall be my son.”

Abiding with God the Father, God the Son, where no tears, no pain......

I love what it says in the next chapter Revelation 22:3–5 “And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.”

Lastly, I like what David said about the presence of the Lord: Psalm 16:11 “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: In thy presence is fulness of joy; At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”

I believe we can say this about Miss, as Paul said about himself 2 Timothy 4:7–8 “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”

Song...............

Prayer: Matthew 25:23 “His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”