September 23, 2022

Just before 1 a.m. on Wednesday, my precious mother went to be with the Lord after being in the hospital for six weeks. Mom had been in a lot of pain, but now she is pain-free. Thank you to all who prayed for her and our family. We have so many wonderful memories of Mom and her love for us. Dad moved into a seniors’ residence at the end of August and is very grateful for the many blessings that he and Mom experienced during their 72 years together. One of the many things that Mom inspired me to do is to study God’s Word and read books by Christian authors. Mom was an avid reader and passed many helpful books and magazines to Karen and me.

I am reminded of the words of the apostle Paul to Timothy, his son in the faith: “when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also” 2 Timothy 1:5 (NKJV). When I was 17, I trusted in Christ as my personal Saviour and soon realized how often my mother and grandmother prayed for me. Their love for the Lord is now a model for several generations.

Last week, I began studying “Mastering Life Before It’s Too Late” by Robert J. Morgan, a pastor with a gift from God to share truths from God’s Word. In the first chapter of his book, Morgan writes: “ If we’re going to master life and fulfill the distinctive purpose God has for us, we have to say: ‘There are many things I can do in life, I have many possible venues and avenues, many options and opportunities, many decisions and distractions. But Christ gave me a pattern to follow, and He died to provide eternal life. Under His lordship, I pledge to live for Him, to devote myself to the Father’s business from this moment and forever. I want to find and fulfill God’s unique docket and destiny for my life, whatever it means – just like Jesus.’”

In the second chapter, Morgan writes: “Having made an abiding decision to commit ourselves to the lordship of Christ and the will of God, we must then reduce it to bite-size realities, which we call ‘days.’ With the trajectory of our lives aligned Godward, we can faithfully implement this attitude on a daily basis. Awakening each morning, we can say: ‘This is the day the Lord has made for me. Today I must be about His business.’”

Driving home after being with my father on Wednesday, Karen and I saw a beautiful rainbow that appeared to be right over the hospital where Mom was. As we crossed the bridge over the St. Lawrence river, we saw a bright “pot of gold” in the distance and marveled at the spectacular sunset. We thank the Lord, for these displays of His amazing creation and for giving us such loving and kind parents. We treasure our memories of Karen’s parents and can only imagine the joy that they experienced when Mom entered Heaven on Wednesday.

If you have never asked God’s forgiveness for your sins, I would urge you to read the gospel of John and ask the Lord to help you understand how much He loves you and longs for you to trust Him.

Scripture for the weekend: “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!’” Psalm 139:16-18 (The New Living Translation)

Thought for the weekend: “The secret to being effective, efficient, and effervescent is this biblical truth: God has a specific purpose for our lives, and when we turn aside from all else to follow God’s plan, we synchronize with the sacred … We don’t know the future, but we can simply pray with the hymnist: ‘Father, lead me day by day, ever in Thine own sweet way; Teach me to be pure and true; show me what I ought to do.’” – Robert J. Morgan