Tuesday, April 20, 2010

A Saint Awaits Life
**Update**
* Wendy went to be with Jesus just hours after I wrote this post. She is presently experiencing a joy unspeakable and full of glory.

A friend of mine is moving toward life everlasting. Oh death thinks it is about to be victorious, but in the end life will triumph. Go ahead, Death, enter her room and search for her sins…you will not find them. They are gone. But you have witnesses, you say? Let God be true and every man a liar. This sinner named Wendy has been forgiven, redeemed, and given eternal life. It was not deserved and it certainly was not earned.

The sufferings and the horror of Christ’s death was imputed to her forever simply because of childlike faith. Oh death and oh law, how can you compete with that? Go ahead, parade ever jot and title of the law, and demonstrate how this sinner broke them all, and all you have done is further illuminate the grace of Jesus. Accuse all you want, but it falls on the deaf ears of her Judge who declares her righteous before the angels of heaven and the company of saints.

You have come to enjoy a victory but all you have is a shell once used by a redeemed sinner. This death is the last enemy, and yet God has waited to perform His promise to each and every one of us. You think cancer will take her life?? You are eternally mistaken, and in fact, no one can take that which belongs to Christ! The sorrow will be ours who remain in this world, but when this saint enters the Gates of Splendor and sees the Risen Christ in all His glory her joy will be transcendent. On this earth she has been a blessing to many, many others. Her passing will stand as a spectacle of a godly woman who with many flaws served a flawless Savior. I have wept with her, prayed with her, worshiped with her, witnessed with her, and, yes, I have danced before the Lord with her. I have seen her publicly admit she was wrong. I have seen her energy as she hurried to minister to others. She and her family have loved me and my family like none other on this earth.

But in the end there is only one thing that matters; this woman believed in Jesus and her life was changed forever. And like me her sins and faults were many, but six hours on Golgotha and one moment of resurrected glory wiped those handwritings of ordinances that were against us, and soon her redemption will become an eternal reality. In actuality, her life has always been hid in Christ with God since the day she was born again. I have loved her and her husband.

She has fought a good fight; she has kept the faith; and she has finished her course. If the Lord sees fit to keep my decaying frame alive much longer, I will remember her often. But more often, I will imagine her weeping, praising, worshiping, and, yes, dancing before the Lord who saved her. Jesus will soon come for you, my friend. I may not be far behind…

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you brother for your slightly early eulogy of Wendy. She has had the pleasure many who are dying have not, which is to hear a friend speak of her life in Christ with affection and understandable envy of her soon coming meeting with Jesus face to face. I just read it to her and she said "That was beautiful."
Your Brother in Christ ..Marty

Anonymous said...

Never again broken. Praise to Jesus!

Anonymous said...

Rick, thank you for your words about Wendy....you have a way of expressing what others want to say but can't.
You know my heart. Thank you for speaking out...I'm so glad that God saw fit to let our lives mingle over the years, and also with Wendy.
Laurie