All tagged death

Living and Praying in the Valleys

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Life in the Valley

Most Christians envision themselves standing on a mountaintop with their arms stretched up towards the sky, and there is nothing wrong with that because it is a Holy place, but when it comes right down to it, we live out our everyday lives in the valleys. We go to the mountain, but we return home to the valley, and yet we spiritually seem to have this idea engrained in us that valleys are bad places to be. Perhaps it is because whenever we think of a valley we recall the 23rd Psalm and its reference to the Valley of the Shadow of Death, but scripture has much more to say about valleys than to tell us that death resides there too. After all, death can only reside where first there is life.

Coffee Stains and the New Covenant through Christ

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Covenant on Calvary

Are you in a covenant relationship with God? Have you accepted the blood of Jesus Christ as the offering that sealed your covenant with the Lord? Has God’s forgiveness of the world’s sin through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus become your covenant? Many of us see the cross and say “this is the covenant”, but it is only a sign. We see the rending of the temple curtain and say “this is the covenant”, but it is also a sign. Then we see the empty tomb and say “this is the covenant”, but it too is only a sign. The covenant is forgiveness, and the blood of Jesus is the offering that seals it. Is His blood upon you? Are you forgiven?

Death, a Two Part Mystery that Baffles Us?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Death and Dying

For a God who created the universe, breathed life into man, and on more than one occasion raised him from the dead... what is death? We are so small, and our experience so limited to this body, and this existence, that all of our judgements have become founded on this little slice of physical reality that we inhabit. Because of this limited view we have of life and death, as if through a drinking straw, we convince ourselves that we know what it is… but do we? Let’s take a higher level look at death.

What is a Missionary if not a Disciple?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional, Missionaries as Disciples

The hardest question that any missionary faces isn’t “can I go out and do this?”, but rather “is Jesus able to do this through me?” It all boils down to faith, and it begins with the faith of the missionaries themselves. Going out and reciting scripture can be done by anyone, but believing belongs to the disciple, and what is a missionary if not first a disciple?

The Aroma of Life, Death and Jesus in Us

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Aroma of Jesus

God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are far more than spiritual thoughts that have no substance; they manifest themselves in the world every day through miracles, and by allowing us to experience them through visions, sound, touch, taste, and, yes, smell. Yesterday we discussed the sweet scent of anointing oil, the foul odor of death, and the fragrance of saints known as Osmogenesia, along with others. Today let’s continue this discussion of smell by delving into the aroma of Christ, and understanding how we ourselves are meant to carry it, and spread it throughout the world.

Our Celebration of Life after Death

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Death’s Sting

The mourners gather and hearts break when a loved one passes from this life to the next, but when the deceased is a Christian believer, and the mourners take possession of the victory that has been won, then although their hearts might be sad, their souls rejoice as they share in the victory claimed in that triumphant moment. We mourn for a season, but claim victory in the promise of eternity.

Our Victory over Death, and the Blessing of Forgetfulness

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Death

We go through hard times in our lives, and then become all too familiar with death, but for Christians there are two things that miraculously occur in death, the first is that we, or our loved ones who have passed away, are assured of rising up again in Christ, and the second is that our memories of life with them, or our friend’s and family’s remembrances of their life with us, become rich and wonderful as most of the hardships we encountered together in life are either cast off as insignificant, or become treasured moments for us. This is unfathomable or misunderstood in the world, but not to the believer. While the unbeliever finds no peace in death, and little comfort in their memories, we are comforted by God, and the moments of triumphant joy in our faith in Christ lifts us up.

Are we walking in Fear through a Dark Valley?

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Valley of Death

I was speaking with a good friend yesterday about a place known to all who even casually read scripture, “The Valley of the Shadow of Death”, and he mentioned that as he toured Jerusalem that this was presented as a real place, The Kidron Valley. We quote this phrase when we are facing terrible situations in which we might truly die, and we have also affixed many figurative meanings to it as well, but when David was writing this psalm (23rd Psalm) he might, quite literally, have been writing about this very real valley; an evil place of deep darkness where children were sacrificed to Baal. Are we facing a place of evil in our lives today? Are we at the entrance to a very real valley of deep darkness in our lives, a place where death awaits, or are we walking through a more figurative place, such as a season of darkness and evil?

Baptized into the Death of Jesus

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Baptism into Death

Death is not a topic that we as people like to dwell on, but it is one of the central themes to us as Christians. It goes hand in hand with resurrection. We symbolically recognize this in our baptism by being immersed, or dying to our old selves, and it concludes with our being raised up out of the baptismal water, resurrected, to live as new creations. Without Jesus suffering, bleeding, and carrying our sin into death, then rising again righteous and glorified from the grave, what hope would we have of salvation and eternity? How would our sin have been absolved? The Angels sang in celebration at His birth, and all of heaven and earth stood still at the moment of His death, but we are not privy to what transpired in heaven at the moment of His resurrection; it remains a mystery to us now, just as it did then, and all we hear on this subject is divine silence. We do know that our sin died, and we weren’t made one with Him.

Glorious Baptism, where Death becomes Life

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Baptism

The old and unrighteous in us dies, and the new sanctified person rises up. From the living waters of baptism springs forth the people of a new covenant, like babies they have been washed, and are lifted joyously for all to see. They have become an image of the Risen Christ, with the Words of the Father ringing in their ears, and a new song bursting forth from their hearts… “Glory to God on the highest, and come quickly Lord Jesus!” These are now the heirs of the Prince of Peace! These are the children of God! On them rests the Holy Spirit, and in them their Father is pleased.

Suffering our Cross now, so others might find Hope

Richard Forbes
Christian , Daily Devotional , Suffering in Life

When Christians are afflicted in this life the unbelievers say “Look, there can be no Jesus or God in them because they suffer the same as we do!”, but they say this because they don’t understand why Jesus suffered and died for them, and that we are his disciples who have picked up our crosses and now follow after Him... even unto death. What we should show the world is not a glorious life of ease, but a life in which we might suffer, yet still love them, even as our Lord loves us all.

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