Devotions
from The Woods @Wanamaker
Need Prayer From Our Pastors? Click Here
Today I attended a funeral of a very good friend. I always knew he was a deeply religious man just from some of the conversations we have had. I am very close to his daughter and her husband as I was instrumental in them being able to adopt their little guy. However I realized that you can be around someone, sit across the table from someone at dinner, visit every Sunday with that person and not really know them. As I gathered information from the family and prepared their programs and other items for the funeral I came to realize I really didn’t know just how deeply Gary loved the Lord and how invested he was in making sure everyone he came into contact with had the opportunity to hear about his friend Jesus. As I listened to the testimonies that were given I came to know a different side of Gary and just how many lives he touched. Pastor Holmes during his message read the words to a song that really summed up Gary’s life:
Thank You by Ray Boltz I dreamed I went to heaven You were there with me We walked along the streets of gold Beside the crystal sea We heard the angels singing Then someone called your name You turned and saw a young man He was smiling as he came He said friend, you may not know me now But then he said but wait You used to teach my Sunday school When I was only eight Every week you would say a prayer Before the class would start One morning when you said that prayer I asked Jesus in my heart Thank you for giving to the Lord I am a life that was changed Thank you for giving to the Lord I am so glad you gave Then another man stood before you And said remember the time A missionary came to your church His pictures made you cry You didn't have much money But you gave it anyway Jesus took the gift you gave And that's why I'm here today Thank you for giving to the Lord I am a life that was changed Thank you for giving to the Lord I am so glad you gave One by one they came, As far as the eye could see Each one somehow touched By your generosity Little things that you had done, sacrifices made Unnoticed on the earth, heaven now proclaims And I know up in heaven That you're not supposed to cry But I was almost sure There were tears in your eyes As Jesus took your hand And you stood before the Lord And He said my child look around you For great is your reward Thank you for giving to the Lord I am a life that was changed Thank you for giving to the Lord I am so glad you gave I am so glad you gave I am so glad you gave I think Gary would want me to share the following insert that was included in his funeral program: Ever since Adam and Eve disobeyed God and he evicted them from the Garden of Eden, humanity has been lost to a relationship with God. Mankind's penalty for sin is death, which means we are lost to God. Because of our sin, we are separated from God for all eternity. Thankfully, God loves us so much that he put in place a way to save us from our sinfulness. He wanted to restore our relationship with him. He sent his Son, Jesus Christ to save us from the penalty we are charged with for our sin. Jesus paid our death penalty with his blood and was raised from the dead. To receive this free gift from God we must believe God and be sorry for the way we have lived against him. We must ask Jesus to come into our heart and ask God to forgive our sins. God's promise is that he will forgive us and now live inside us. We can now have a personal relationship with God. Because of our faith in Jesus Christ, God guarantees we will live with him forever. Are you willing to confess to God you are sorry about living against Him and ask Him to forgive you? Will you receive Jesus into your heart and enjoy God’s joy for you? Go to your Holy Bible & read God's word: Genesis 3:1-24, John 3:1-21, Romans 5:1-21, Acts 2: 38, Romans 10: 9-13, John 5:24, Revelation 20-22. With Love, Gary This was the opportunity that he gave so many people when he would visit with them. I don’t know about you, but it makes me really evaluate myself and am I being a Gary Dick with all those I come in contact with? Do I share my Jesus with all those I come in contact with, either in word or in deed? Will I leave the powerful kind of legacy that Gary left? Will there be those in heaven because of the life I lived? I pray so. Pastor Fran
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorNotes from the Staff @The Woods Archives
March 2023
Categories |