Lessons from an Apple Orchard

1 Corinthians 15:20  (ESV)

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

It’s difficult to put into words how it feels for the owners of an apple orchard when a bumper crop of apples is just beginning to ripen. You could ask the owners, of course. But even they would find it difficult to come up with what to say. What they feel in their veins is a strange brew of adrenalin, purpose, anticipation, and joy. And that indescribable sensation begins every time they spot those first few ripened apples on those first few trees. The core of such a thrill is in knowing that this beautiful, ripened fruit is only the first of many and many more to come.

Keep that in mind the next time you are in a funeral procession. Keep that in mind the next time you find yourself accompanying the remains of a Christian to the cemetery.

As you stand at the gravesite, look at the casket or the urn. Then look at the row upon row of tombstones around you. Think of all the Christians whose bodies quietly rest beneath the green lawn on which you stand. Even though, in that moment, you are looking at that place through the eyes of grief, remember how your God sees it. For those who die in the Lord, a cemetery is not a final resting place. Not at all.

Rather, a cemetery for the Christian is more like an orchard. Not only is it like an orchard, it is like an orchard poised and pulsating with anticipation and joy. For the reality is that Jesus Christ, has already risen from the grave, His body glorious and perfect.

Because He has already conquered sin and death through His own death on the cross, we know that His resurrection is only the first of many and many more to come.

And so, do we grieve when death comes? Of course. But never forget that underneath even our grief there is that wonderful pulse of anticipation and joy.

It is there because Jesus lives!

Dear Lord, the next time the death of a dear Christian brings us grief, remind us that underneath our grief there lies the vibrant joy of what soon will come. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

A Big Surprise

Mark 16:6 (ESV)

And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.

The dreaded phone call came from Canada in the middle of a missionary term in Papua New Guinea. The housemaid answered and relayed the message to Rick when he arrived home for lunch. He says he will  never forget her exact words: "Rick, sorry … your father is … what … dead." "Yes," she said in her usual shy way, "your father is … what … dead."

Surprised? Shocked! His dad had been well the last time he had talked to him just a couple of weeks prior. He and his mom had traveled to visit just the year before, and he looked as strong and healthy as ever. How could this be? How could he be dead?

With tears in his eyes and a lump in his throat, he called home to his mom. Long distance phone calls from Papua New Guinea were of questionable quality and unreliable at best. It took him, as usual, the better part of an hour to get through. First, he had to dial and connect to a long distance operator (often a challenge in itself), then the operator called him back to confirm his phone number. An hour later, the operator placed the call and then called back to connect to him after the receiving party answered.

During that hour, memories of his dad flooded back — of a father who never deserted him, of a devoted father who would give of himself for any of his children; a father who gave them his all.

Finally, he got through to Canada. Surprise! "Hello!" Came his father's usual cheery voice. And in an instant, he realized in quite a different way how important his father was to him. His dad, who he had thought was dead, was alive! Surprise!

He never did find out whose father had died, and how the misdirected phone call had reached his house. It was a moot point compared to the thrill of knowing that a loved one whom he thought might be dead was alive.

He recalls that incident, as it turns out, was a blessing, for in the ensuing time before his father actually died ten years later, it allowed him time to make  peace with him, and to tell him of his gratitude and love for who he was and the example that he had been for him.

As much as hearing his dad's voice and knowing that he was alive was a surprise and relief to him, imagine how much of a surprise it was for the disciples and friends of Jesus to learn that He was alive! Unlike Rick, they had actually witnessed Jesus' death, a horrible, cruel, and humiliating death that would have led them to believe that He was never going to be seen alive again.

Earlier on that first Easter morning, Mary Magdalene and Mary came to the tomb where Jesus' lifeless body had been laid. The gospel of John says that it was still dark. John could have been speaking both literally and metaphorically, for there was darkness over all the earth before Christ's resurrection. Without His resurrection, our lives would still be lived in darkness.

If we live with no promise or understanding of life to come when our earthly life is over — if aging, pain, and death have the final say — then this is a dark world indeed.

But because Christ has risen, because of His resurrection and His promise of eternal life for each of us, we, too, can live confident that better days are always ahead!

Dear Lord, May we live lives worthy of Your sacrifice for us, and live with the confidence of eternal life always. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

All is well

2 Kings 4:26 (ESV)

Run at once to meet her and say to her, ‘Is all well with you? Is all well with your husband? Is all well with the child?’” And she answered, “All is well.”

The death of a child is always a sad occasion.

That was certainly the feeling of some Paraguayan parents when their son was born 16 weeks prematurely.

Without response, hardly any respiratory reflexes, or a heartbeat, the doctors declared the infant "dead."

The parents received their son in a small box with his name scribbled on the outside. They took their child home in that box. It was the box that was to serve as his coffin.

Then, as one of the family members took the child out of his "casket" to prepare his body, the corpse did a most unusual thing: he cried.

Apparently, he cried very loudly and, along with crying, he began to move his arms and his legs.

And what was the reaction of the family? One said, "I got scared, we (all) got scared."

As I think about it, fear was probably the reaction of the religious leaders when they first heard the crucified Savior was alive.

Just as on Judgment Day, there will be a lot of unbelieving souls who will be surprised -- and scared -- to find out that Jesus, just as He promised, has raised them and would now judge them.

To minimize that fear and to make sure everyone's reaction to Judgment Day will be a happy one, Christians are committed to sharing the Savior's story of salvation. We want people to know Jesus' sacrifice and glorious resurrection over death changes everything.

It most certainly can take their cries of fear and transform them into shouts of everlasting gladness and joy for the Christ who has given His life so we might have life eternal.

Dear Lord, we thank You for Your victory that surprised the world and defeated death. May we share Your story with a lost world so they may not be shocked or lost when You return again. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Hold onto God

Isaiah 41:13 (ESV)

 For I, the Lord your God,

    hold your right hand;

it is I who say to you, “Fear not,

    I am the one who helps you.”

In December, 1965, Susan had just had her second baby, another daughter, Balinda. Her two-year-old, Annette, became the baby's "second mother," always checking to make sure the baby was warm and dry. Susan and her husband were delighted with their daughters and the life they were making for their family. During that time, "We were in the process of moving from Moweaqua, a little town in Illinois, to Crown Point, Indiana," Susan says, "and one day I left the baby with my mother-in-law while I moved the last load from our old home." Susan's sister-in-law, little Annette and Susan dropped off the final load in Crown Pointe. On their way back to Moweaqua, Susan was involved in a car accident. Annette was killed instantly.

There is no way to describe the trauma of losing a child, of whatever age. But Susan did the best she could to go on with her life. Months passed, and in June, she discovered she was expecting again. For the first time since Annette's death, Susan felt happy. "The new baby would give Balinda someone to grow up with," she says, "and perhaps it would even help to fill the terrible void Annette had left." No one could take her daughter's place, but perhaps things wouldn't seem so empty now.

However, it was not to be. Just a few months later, Susan was rushed to the hospital. The baby, another daughter, was stillborn. Worse, doctors told Susan that she would never be able to have any more children.

It was another terrible blow. Susan looked in the mirror "and saw a person that God must not like very much. If he loved me, why did so many bad things happen to me?" She wondered. "I must be a terrible person." Shortly after Balinda's first birthday, the sorrow completely overwhelmed her. "After my husband left for work one morning, I took Balinda to my mother's house and asked her to babysit for me," Susan recalls. "Had my mother known what I had planned, she would never have left me walk out the door."

Susan went home, locked the door, closed all the curtains and sat down at her table with a large glass of water and a pile of pills. She wrote letters to her parents, her sisters, and her husband, telling them how sorry she was to be killing herself, but explaining that she was no good, and surely not the mother she should be. Why else would God have taken two of her babies?

Then, reluctantly, she began her letter to Balinda. How would she tell her baby daughter how much she loved her? "I want you to have a good life," she began, "You'll be a lot better off without me."

Suddenly, the front door opened!

Susan almost screamed. She had definitely locked the front door, and her husband had the only other key. But there stood her husband. "What are you doing home?" Susan asked him.

Her husband's eyes traveled to the water and the pills in front of her. Immediately he realized what Susan was attempting to do, and he rushed to the table, grabbed the pills and threw them all into the toilet. "Susan, you can't do this!" He protested. "We all need you!" Susan burst into tears.

The machine Susan's husband had been working on that day had broken down, and no one could find a replacement part. So her husband had been sent home early, the first time such a thing had ever happened to him. (Even more unusual, the replacement part was located just moments after he left the building.) "I think the angels were all over that one!" Susan says.

Most likely Susan was suffering from postpartum depression, but in 1965, not much was known about this difficult situation. Coupled with the grief over the loss of Annette, it had all become too much for her. But now that people knew, Susan was surrounded with help and care, and gradually she came to see that this desperate act was not the answer. In fact, God had planned a wonderful life for her, including a baby boy, born five years later despite the doctors' predictions.

"When I look back, I thank God for each and every experience," Susan says. "Had I succeeded that day, I would have missed out on so many blessings-my son and daughter's beautiful children, my family and friends. I am so thankful that His angels watched over me, and I know He walks with me moment by moment."

Susan hopes that anyone who is contemplating suicide or has lost a child may read this and understand that it is okay to go on. "You cannot curl up and die," she says. "Life goes on, and it can be a most beautiful and blessed life too." Just hold on, and trust.

Hold on to God today no matter the circumstance.

Dear Lord, we pray for strength when the circumstances around us are more then we can handle. Help us lean completely upon You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Our God is a God of miracles

Psalm 77:14 (NIV) 

You are the God who performs miracles;

    you display your power among the peoples.

Solomon Baski lay on his bed. He was dead. The whole village had gathered in his house. His wife and other women were weeping.

The news reached the surrounding villages. People were streaming in from different places to pay homage to the departed soul.

Solomon Baski hails from Beddia village in Jharkand State, India. He belongs to a tribe called Santhal. In spite of his poverty, he accepted Christ’s Lordship and was leading a witnessing life. Whenever the Church Elder was absent, he used to conduct the church service. His wife too was a strong believer in Christ.

Baski fell ill with Malaria. Also he had the attack of the deadly disease “Kala-zar”, which was caused by sand flies. He went to the doctor a few times. But they were not helpful. Finally, bereft of all strength, he committed himself to God’s care. He grew steadily worse and became bed-ridden.

When he was struggling for his life, his relatives came to his house. They accused his wife saying, “Because you accepted Christ, Baski has become like this. Listen and do what we say. Throw away the Bible and all things relating to it. We will bring a witch doctor. If we perform some religious ceremony through him, he will be alright.”

But the wife did not heed to their advice. She retorted, “Even if my husband dies, I will not allow a witch-doctor to enter my house. Jesus will surely heal my husband. No one else can help us in this matter”.

One week passed and Solomon Baski suffered from breathlessness and soon he breathed his last. It was past 12 Noon. The man who was arranging the funeral was asking whether all had come.

A group of people was coming at a distance. The women were beating their breast and weeping. But the men in the group were angry.

One of them came to Solomon’s wife and was shouting, “You have killed Solomon by not allowing the witch-doctor to come”. Another man shouted, “Kill her also”.

Soon Solomon’s wife found herself surrounded by a hostile crowd. They began to beat her. Some people rushed to her help. She ran into another room and bolted the door inside.

The people outside were knocking at the door while she was praying at the Heaven’s door.

Suddenly, there was pin-drop silence outside. Solomon’s wife opened the door and came out. Her husband got up and was sitting on the cot. Praise God!

She said Jesus is alive today. He is the same, yesterday, today and forever. My husband Solomon Baski stands as a powerful testimony to God’s power to raise the dead to life.

Dear Lord, thank You for the miracles that You preform. Help us have our hearts and eyes open to them. Helps us to pray to You so that those around us can see Your love and power. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Walking through the dark valley

Death is something we don't like to think about it, much less talk about it. However, death is that one reality that will not leave us alone. We lose friends and family members to death. At one point in our lives, we too, will face this inevitability unless Jesus comes before our passing. So what is our assurance as we face the inescapable? Our Shepherd! He will walk us through, guiding and protecting and comforting us in our journey. And as Christians, this promise is more real because we know Jesus as our Good Shepherd, and he has taken the walk ahead of us to insure that our walk through death's valley doesn't end in death, but in glory.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
— Psalm 23:4

Dear Lord thank you that we do not have to face death alone. We look for your guidance and listen for your voice to lead us through death's dark valley and bring us to your holy and glorious presence in victory and with joy. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Please pray for a friend who said goodbye to her brother today, but is excited that someday she will be reunited with him in heaven.