Aunt Barbara Jean's Service

James 1:17

A good measure on how special someone is..........it is the way their family cares for them. This family has given great testimony of how special their wife, mother, “Nanny”, was to them. That would mean that person was precious to them........and in turn how precious you all were to her!

I was doing some math, Uncle Mike, (that’s dangerous) but I believe I have this right, they got married right of high school?........17-18 years old??? 59 years! That is a powerful testimony of love!

Raising 3 boys............I do remember a few times her hollering their names......Tony’s most especially! Just kidding that is only because we were closer in age. I am sure Tim and Toby got hollered at, although I was told that Toby was the “golden child”!

She would tell them that she was going to call their dad...........

All of that was for their good and she gave them good.........I am a firm believer that we just don’t stumble into being good.........The Lord plays a powerful role in that! James, the half brother of Jesus, tells us.....

James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

I read this about this verse.......... “Everything related to Divine giving is adequate, complete, and beneficial.”

Everyone here that was touched by the life of Aunt Barbara Jean, understands that verse and the explanation that a writer gave of that verse.

I have said before, that if you say of someone..... “I am going to miss her”..........that person has such an impact on your life that, when the pass from this life to the next, it will definitely affect your life.......that is a wonderful!

That means that someone cared for you and you did for them!

I certainly believe that for everyone here that was impacted by Aunt Barbara Jean!

In these days, weeks, months, and years ahead bombard your minds not with the thoughts of her being gone, but with the good gift that she was to all of us!

I happen to believe what some of the crowd around Jesus said about Jesus: Mark 7:37 “And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.”

He has done all things well, with this precious gift!

There was something that I cannot get of my mind about Aunt Barbara Jean! My mind is not as good as it once was, Dad used to say I had a photographic memory.......maybe so, but my memory might be photographic but the images are blurry or have been deleted about many things, but this one I do remember about her, fairly vividly.........

Uncle Wiley Downing had just passed and some of us were there at Aunt Sue’s house and Aunt Barbara Jean said basically what Paul tells us in Romans 10:9–10 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Her faith in Jesus Christ was concrete! There was a confidence in the Person and finished Work of Jesus Christ that she had and hopefully we all here today have!

That confidence was displayed in her reaction to a diagnosis..........all she wanted to do was to be with her family and wait on the Lord!

With that I think of the hymn......”Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine, O what a foretaste of Glory Divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God, born of His Spirit washed in His Blood.......This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long........Perfect submission, all is at rest, I in my Savior am happy and blest, watching and waiting looking above, filled with His goodness lost in His love.........This was her story and this was her song.........praising her savior all the day long!”

Aunt Barbara Jean was confident of her sins being washed by the offering of Jesus the Christ the Son of the Living God.........She was confident in His love........Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

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.”

That day that she said that about Uncle Wiley, there was confidence, and assurance in her voice of not our work but God the Father’s work through His Son Jesus Christ!

A work that only Christ could accomplish on our behalf, to gain us access into the Kingdom of God, into His presence and also make us sons and daughters of God!

Jesus told Martha as they were coming to the grave of Lazarus and she told Jesus that she knew Lazarus would be raised in the last day............John 11:25–26 “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”

Aunt Barbara Jean was confident in this promise and so am I.........I happen to believe that Jesus scoffs at death here..........death is not an issue to those that believe in Him, though it seems they are dead, they are actually alive.........the believer will never die!

A.W. Tozer once wrote: “The person of true faith may live in the absolute assurance that their steps are ordered by the Lord. For them, misfortune is outside the bounds of possibility. They cannot be torn from this earth one hour ahead of the time which God has appointed, and they cannot be detained on earth one moment after God is done with them here.”

God has told us all through His Word (His Son), to trust Him.........And that Aunt Barbara Jean did and she is now present with God the Father and His Dears Son Jesus!

Paul stated in 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.”

No more pain, sorrows, tears, I believe the Psalmist declared it perfectly.....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 Aunt Barbara Jean’s prayer/desire is for all of you to know that peace and confidence that she knew, believed, trusted, and is now living in forever!