Tuesday Writings in WFM......3/15/16

  Good Morning Readers  

But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one.
Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God;
for He has prepared a city for them.Hebrews 11:16
(NASB)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Tuesday's Devotional  

Death Be Not Proud

Below is a poem that was written by John Donne in the late 1500's. The language is English but not the English that is familiar today, Still it is readable and easily understood by us.

Death be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not soe,
For, those, whom thou think'st,
         thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill mee.
From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee,
Much pleasure, then from thee,

         much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee doe goe,
Rest of their bones, and soules deliverie.
Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poyson, warre, and sicknesse dwell,
And poppie, or charmes can make us sleepe as well,
And better then thy stroake; why swell'st thou then?
One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die. 

John Donne

I first studied this poem in my English class as a senior in high school. I loved it that the message is that Death cannot conquer us. In an informal way death liberates us at the end of life to go on to eternity.  This is a poetic coverage of the power (or lack thereof) of death. In the poetic imagining death is designated to be the power that we poor mortals cannot fight or escape.

This not so. Death is a natural part of life. It just happens when our life is completed. The 
only thing that demise which is called death is is just a concept. In the poem death is personified as a shadowy person who uses power to take us down. This is not true. Our mortality and demise was set in the mind of God long before we were ever born. There is nothing to fear or dread if we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, the Son of God.

"...then know this, you and all the people of Israel: 

It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified 

but whom God raised from the dead, 

that this man stands before you healed. 

Salvation is found in no one else, 

for there is no other name under heaven 

given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

Acts 4:10,12 

NIV

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6

So the take away here is that death is not something to fear and worry about. We may not want to die at a given moment. We want to see our great grandchildren. We feel that we have things to complete...maybe a Pulitzer Prize novel or a set of paintings. We like life and hope we will not miss the wonders that might happen a year after we pass away. There is a writing that asks God why did He makes that world so beautiful if He wants us to die peacefully and joyfully. All those things come to mind but these thoughts need to be balanced by the realization of the untold wonders and joy promised us by the sacrifice of Jesus when we accept him. When we go to our real home with God for eternity we will remember this life no more.

Written by 

Corinne Mustafa

_____________________________________________

  Do You Believe?  

There was this Christian lady that had to do a lot of traveling for her business, so she did a lot of flying. Flying made her nervous, so she always took her Bible along with her to read, and it helped relax her.

One time, she was sitting next to a man. When he saw her pull out her Bible, he gave a little chuckle and went back to what he was doing.

After awhile, he turned to her and asked, “You don’t really believe all that stuff in there do you?”

The lady replied, “Of course I do. It is the Bible.”

He said, “Well, what about that guy that was swallowed by that whale?”

She replied, “Oh, Jonah. Yes, I believe that, it is in the Bible.”

He asked, “Well, how do you suppose he survived all that time inside the whale?”

The lady said, “Well, I don’t really know. I guess when I get to heaven, I will ask him.”

“What if he isn’t in heaven?” the man asked sarcastically.

“Then you can ask him.” replied the lady.

___________________________________

May you walk in peace and have a beautiful Tuesday.

With prayers for you
from
The Writing Staff
ofWomen's Focus Ministries