Death - how do we prepare for it?

I know the subject line sounds morbid. Many of us would rather talk about other things than death. But the truth is, all of us will experience it. Hebrews 9:27 tells us, "Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment."

Last year, I attended the wake of my friend's mom, Tita Yolly, who was also a family friend. What was different about the wake was that it was a celebration of her life. People spoke highly of her because of her strong faith in the Lord. Eventhough her family mourned over their loss, they were also confident that she is now rejoicing in the Lord's house.

So how do you get that confidence of being with the Lord in heaven when you leave this world? I'm privileged to share with you the REAL TRUTH of it all:

First is the bad news. Do you know that there are two kinds of death? The first is physical death and the second is spiritual. This is found in Revelation 21:8: But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."

Second death is real and it means eternal separation from God. The passage also gives us a glimpse of hell. Sin has separated us from God. You might not have been a murderer or idolater, but how about lying at one point in your life? You might also say, "But I'm generally a good person. I do a lot of good works or I keep the 10 commandments." James 2:10 mentions, "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. " Another passage in Romans 3:23 is clear that all of us are sinners: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

So the equation is: Sin = death as Romans 6:23 says that the penalty for sin is death: "When you sin, the pay you get is death."

Because we are powerless over sin, God gives us the solution. Romans 3:28 tells us, "So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law."

What is this faith that the Bible is talking about? The good news is that, God gave us Jesus Christ to free us from sin and death. Romans 5:8, "But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." One of the famous verses in the Bible, John 3:16, also shows us this: God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life. That's how God loves you and me.

Moreover, Romans 3:22. "We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are."

JESUS CHRIST IS GOD'S WAY TO HEAVEN. Jesus himself said, as recorded in John 14:6, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Jesus paid for the penalty of your and my sin by dying on the cross. Blameless as He was, He was made sin for us.

Jesus is THE ONLY WAY to heaven. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us, "God's grace has saved you because of your faith in Christ. Your salvation doesn't come from anything you do. It is God's gift. It is not based on anything you have done. No one can brag about earning it."

Salvation is based not on our good merits but in trusting in Jesus alone. And in trusting in Him is not on religion but on relationship with Jesus. As Andy once wrote at the back of his car, "Christianity is not a religion."

How do we place our trust in Jesus? Confess to God that you're a sinner, repent from your sins and accept and acknowledge Jesus as your personal savior and Lord of your life.

Jesus Christ is God's gift of eternal life. 1 John 5: 11-12: "And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life."

Are you willing to trust Jesus with your life? I pray that you would. God does not force us, we need to accept Him. As stated in Revelation 3:20, Jesus says, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with them, and they with me."

If you're willing to let Jesus into your life, here's a simple prayer to guide you:

Lord Jesus, I need you. I confess that I am a sinner. I believe that you died on the cross to pay for all my sins. With your help, I will turn away from sins. Please come into my life and be my Savior and my Master. I accept your gift of eternal life. Make me the kind of new person you want me to be. Thank you for coming into my life.

If you've prayed such prayer, welcome to God's family! We are willing to share with you and study God's word. :)

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. - John 1:12

Bible verses quoted from Today's New International Version, New Living Translation and New International Reader's Version.

- Lulette

The Privilege of Prayer

"You who answer prayer,
to you all people will come."

- Psalm 65:2

Growing up, I thought prayers were something you said repeatedly, or through formal means, such as at Sunday service. I never thought of it as actually "talking to God directly." It was only when I came to know the Lord personally that I learned that prayer is not about being formal or having a planned set of words. God showed me that I can talk to Him anytime, in any form.

But what amazes me most about prayer is the privilege of talking to God Himself. When you talk with the CEO of a company, you have to go through the secretary to make an appointment. You also need to "dress to impress" and plan what you are going to say. Or when you meet with celebrities, there's a time limit because of their busy schedules. But with God, it's just the opposite. We do not need to schedule an appointment to talk to Him. We do not have to dress any particular way. We could just either bow our heads, close our eyes, or look up to heaven and pray. And to top it off, our time with Him is unlimited.

Isn't it amazing that we could talk directly to the most powerful Being in the universe?

Thank you Lord for this privilege!

- Lulette

Strong Woman vs. Woman of Strength

I found an old printed e-mail in my files which I'd like to share with you all:

To the women of the new millenium, something to bear in mind...

A strong woman works out every day to keep her body in shape, but a woman of strength kneels in prayer to keep her soul in shape.

A strong woman isn't afraid of anything, but a woman of strength shows courage in the midst of her fear.

A strong woman won't let anyone get the best of her, but a woman of strength gives the best of her to everyone.

A strong woman walks sure footedly, but a woman of strength knows God will catch her when she falls.

A strong woman wears the look of confidence on her face, but a woman of strength wears grace.

A strong woman has faith that she is strong enough for the journey, but a woman of strength has faith that it is in the journey that she will become strong.

The shortest distance between a problem and a solution is the distance between your knees and the floor. The one who kneels to the Lord can stand up to anything.

Have a blessed day/night!

- Lulette

Calming the Storm

I love how when sometimes, the scripture that I'm about to teach on happens to be the scripture that I need to read/hear myself at that moment. This is just what happened a few years ago as I was about to go over with my students, Matthew 8:23-27, where Jesus calms the storm.

Jesus was sleeping in the boat, and His disciples were worried about being shipwrecked. They saw the waves, the effects of the wind, the boat was rocking every which way (you have to remember, many of these fellows practically lived on boats. Their whole lives were spent fishing from boats, so they knew what could happen during a storm. They also knew how to guide a boat in a storm, and for even them to be afraid of drowning shows that they were enduring some heck of a storm). But notice, while they were freaking out about the current events, Jesus was sleeping calmly on the lower level of the boat. And when they woke him, he was disappointed that they didn't have enough faith in God during their time of trial. Then once He calmed everything down, they were in awe...like we are when the Lord answers our prayers in hard times.

Now notice in the beginning of the passage, Jesus got into the boat, and His disciples followed Him. In other words, Jesus led them into the boat. In the same way, Jesus leads us today (decisions about our jobs, school, relationships, etc.) So it's like Jesus was telling his Disciples, "I led you out here...did you really think I'd lead you out here just to drown?" No wonder He asked "Where was your faith?"

We too get being beaten down every day by the waves; the wind is blowing hard, trying to tip us over; and the boat is rocking every which way...and in it all, Jesus appears to be silent (as when He was sleeping). Yeah, it's tough...but He didn't bring us to this point so that nothing would happen. He didn't bring us out here so that we'd fail and fall. He brought us out here so that we'd be strengthened, yeah, but mostly, so that He'd be glorified. And once we get through the storm, we'll realize His part in it, drop to our knees, and glorify Him in awe.

Notice also 1 Corinthians 10:13, which says, "No trial has overcome you that is not common to others...for God is faithful and will not let you be tested beyond your strength. But in the testing, He will show you the way out so that you may endure it."

So what are the rain & wind in your life right now? What's rocking your boat?

No matter how tough it is, give up your worries & fears to Jesus, and let HIM take care of it all..He led you in the boat, let Him now lead you to the shore on the other side. And He's not silent because He's not doing anything, He's silent because He IS.

- Andy

Welcome :)

Welcome to "That We May See", a site that my wife and I prayed about putting together. We are both Christians. The reason we wanted to do this is because we've both compiled (and continue to) devotions, pondering thoughts about God &/or the Scriptures, prayers, Bible studies, and the like, and thought others may enjoy and be encouraged by them, too.

We got the idea of the name from a theme throughout the Gospel of John. For example:

• When Andrew asked Jesus where He's staying, Jesus replied, "come and see."
• When Nathanael asked Philip if anything good can come from Nazareth, Philip replied, "Come and see."
• When Jesus spoke with Nathanael, He included, "Very truly I tell you, 'you will see'..."
• In talking with Nicodemus, Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, no one can (even) "See" the Kingdom of God without being born from above (born again, born from God)."
• Then also, Jesus said, "We speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen."

In fact, as we've come to learn, Jesus' deity is revealed at least once in every chapter of John's Gospel...Jesus reveals His authority, Himself as the Messiah, God's Son, etc. in every chapter of John...yet nobody understands...they don't "see".

We've come to notice that people's biggest questions are usually either about life or God. Jesus said, "Seek and you will find, knock and the door will be answered, ask and you will receive."

It's our prayer that in all circumstances, we may see God. And we pray that as we include our experiences in this blog, that you may also.

We invite you to "Come and see".

Andy & Lulette :}>+-