Facing Death now
I am drawing my comments from Lloyd Ogilivie's book, " 12 Steps to Living Without Fear"
Step 10 says, " I will face my eventual physical death and claim that I am alive eternally. Therefore, I can live abundantly without panic for the rest of my time on earth."
I would add thru Christ. He says that in the chapter. I like this one.
One lady who he quotes who was ill says, " I'm not afraid of death anymore. In fact , panic over sickness is gone. However long I live physically matters so much less now, and I'm really free to live now and forever." This she says about facing death.
" We'll discover that claiming death as a transition in living----a new beginning, and not an end---will be the start of a wonderful freedom to live more fully now and for however long we have left on this earth."
" Lurking beneath our gusto for living is the grief we harbor about dying. Unfortunately, many Christians, who should have the greatest freedom from the fear of death, are often no more confident than nonbelievers."
I Corinthians 15:25-26 reminds us ...." the last enemy that will be abolished is death."
---thru the Resurrection of Christ and the Ascension ( proof of the Father's Redemption accepted) we have now defeated death.
Hebrews 2:14-15 tells us too about Christ destroying the power of the devil who has the power of death" His resurrection is our personal assurance that death holds no power over us. It's more than an idea we accept; it's an experience that can transform us. For that, we need a firsthand experience of the presence of the resurrected, living Lord and a personal realization that because He lives we also shall live now and forever."
-----a TEST. " A good way to test how much of a firsthand experience we have had with the risen Lord and the power of His resurrection is to think and feel through how we would react if we were told that we had only one month left to live..."
------" would our relationship with Christ give us the courage we would need?...."
an example Lloyd shares is he asks the above question at a retreat of 500 people:
75 only said they were ready . To die and be with Christ forever.
220 said they were shocked by the question and were not prepared to die.
160 said they felt cheated and had things left undone.
40 were concerned about those left behind.
80 said they did not know.
Some said, " It's none of your business!"
---the rest of the retreat Ogilivie says was an " intense time of encounter with Christ." I like this statement here, " That assurance can come only as a result of A FIRSTHAND RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM."
John 11:25-26 " For the Christian , eternal life is now, through the life, death , and resurrection of Jesus."
More to follow....It is a long chapter!!!!
Step 10 says, " I will face my eventual physical death and claim that I am alive eternally. Therefore, I can live abundantly without panic for the rest of my time on earth."
I would add thru Christ. He says that in the chapter. I like this one.
One lady who he quotes who was ill says, " I'm not afraid of death anymore. In fact , panic over sickness is gone. However long I live physically matters so much less now, and I'm really free to live now and forever." This she says about facing death.
" We'll discover that claiming death as a transition in living----a new beginning, and not an end---will be the start of a wonderful freedom to live more fully now and for however long we have left on this earth."
" Lurking beneath our gusto for living is the grief we harbor about dying. Unfortunately, many Christians, who should have the greatest freedom from the fear of death, are often no more confident than nonbelievers."
I Corinthians 15:25-26 reminds us ...." the last enemy that will be abolished is death."
---thru the Resurrection of Christ and the Ascension ( proof of the Father's Redemption accepted) we have now defeated death.
Hebrews 2:14-15 tells us too about Christ destroying the power of the devil who has the power of death" His resurrection is our personal assurance that death holds no power over us. It's more than an idea we accept; it's an experience that can transform us. For that, we need a firsthand experience of the presence of the resurrected, living Lord and a personal realization that because He lives we also shall live now and forever."
-----a TEST. " A good way to test how much of a firsthand experience we have had with the risen Lord and the power of His resurrection is to think and feel through how we would react if we were told that we had only one month left to live..."
------" would our relationship with Christ give us the courage we would need?...."
an example Lloyd shares is he asks the above question at a retreat of 500 people:
75 only said they were ready . To die and be with Christ forever.
220 said they were shocked by the question and were not prepared to die.
160 said they felt cheated and had things left undone.
40 were concerned about those left behind.
80 said they did not know.
Some said, " It's none of your business!"
---the rest of the retreat Ogilivie says was an " intense time of encounter with Christ." I like this statement here, " That assurance can come only as a result of A FIRSTHAND RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM."
John 11:25-26 " For the Christian , eternal life is now, through the life, death , and resurrection of Jesus."
More to follow....It is a long chapter!!!!
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