Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day

 (Reprint from Mother's Day, 2009)

 

 What do you do for Mother’s Day?

In the last two weeks,

I have done three funerals.

All of them were mothers.

I performed the service

for my Mother on April 25^th

and two others on May 7^th and 8^th.

All three Mothers

trusted in Jesus Christ

and made a wonderful impact

on their families.

They were loved by their children,

grandchildren and great grandchildren.

They are all now with Jesus!

Jesus has given each one of them

a special Mother’s Day gift.

Something they all needed very badly.

He clothed them in a new body

because their old bodies

were full of pain and limitations.

Now they are clothed in the latest heavenly fashion,

walking on streets of gold,

as if it were as common as concrete.

When my Mother passed away,

my brothers, sister and I asked,

“What do we do for Mother’s Day?”

What do you get Mom who has all of heaven?

I was surprising how fast and simple the answer came to me.

There are two things every good Mother wants….

Her family to live a life that would make her proud!

and a family reunion!

The only difference for these Moms

is they now see this from a heavenly perspective.

To make Mom proud,

we must ask God to forgive us of anything

that would bring shame to Mom and God.

Because we wouldn’t do those things

if we had the power to change,

we need to ask God to give us the strength to change.

To give these Moms a family reunion

we must become part of the only family in heaven,

the Family of God.

This can only be accomplished by adoption.

God is looking for those who are willing to:

DO what He wants them to do!

SAY what He wants them to say!

GO where He wants them to go!

If this is your commitment to God,

then He wants to be your Father.

Make Mom and God proud,

whether your Mother is alive or not,

make this Mother’s Day

a day, you and your family, will be in church.

Make sure you, and your family,

will be reunited in heaven.

Scripture Reading

2 Corinthians 4:16-5:3 NIV

16 Therefore we do not lose heart.

Though outwardly we are wasting away,

yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us

an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.

For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

5:1 Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed,

we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.

2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 The Message

The Master's Coming

And regarding the question, friends,

that has come up about what happens to those already dead and buried,

we don't want you in the dark any longer.

First off, you must not carry on over them like people

who have nothing to look forward to,

as if the grave were the last word.

14 Since Jesus died and broke loose from the grave,

God will most certainly bring back to life those who died in Jesus.

15 And then this: We can tell you with complete confidence —

we have the Master's word on it —

that when the Master comes again to get us,

those of us who are still alive will not get a jump on the dead and leave them behind.

In actual fact, they'll be ahead of us.

16 The Master himself will give the command.

Archangel thunder!

God's trumpet blast!

He'll come down from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise — they'll go first.

17 Then the rest of us who are still alive at the time

will be caught up with them into the clouds to meet the Master.

18 Oh, we'll be walking on air!

And then there will be one huge family reunion with the Master.

So reassure one another with these words.

We Do Not Lose Heart

We Do Not Lose Heart

Tents are ok for vacation fun.

But it won’t work for my permanent dwelling.

April 19, 2009, in Toledo was a warm sunny day,

something we have not seen in months.

Buds were popping on the trees

and the flowers were blooming.

It was a sign of hope that summer would come.

But for the Self family,

that day brought sorrow and tears

 as we buried our Mother.

Those of you who have lost a mother

or close loved one,

knows the feeling.

I have always said the greatest honor

you can give another person is a tear.

The tear shows that person meant something to you.

You never get over the loss of a loved one

and you don’t want to.

But God’s grace over time

helps you deal with the loss.

Paul the Apostle gives a very good reason not to lose heart

when we see the physical body of the believer fail.

 Paul reminds us that the things we see around us are temporary.

Our earthy bodies are a temporary dwelling for our spirit

until we receive our heavenly dwelling place.

Our mother knew that her earthy body was failing.

The more she was failing outwardly

the more her thoughts focused on what it would be like

to see Jesus face to face.

The things we see around us can be very nice

but when they begin to fail,

we need a greater hope.

So when we begin to miss those things that are temporary,

we should be reminded that God has a more

permanent dwelling in store for us.

So to lose this temporary body,

is like living like a worm one day

and the next, like a butterfly.

When we see pain, decay and destruction,

we do not lose heart

because we know we are getting closer

to our permanent dwelling.

Who knows,

maybe our new bodies will be like Christ

who in His glorified body enjoyed:

 Eating and speaking to others,

locked doors did not stop Him;

He had the freedom to go anywhere,

even walked through sold walls.

So when it seems to get bad,

get ready

because it is about to get a lot better.

Scripture Reading

2 Corinthians 4:7-5:21 NIV

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay

to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed;

perplexed, but not in despair;

9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus,

so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.

11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake,

so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.

12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

13 It is written:

"I believed; therefore I have spoken."

With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak,

14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead

will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence.

15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more

and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away,

yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving

for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.

For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Corinthians 5:1-21 NIV

5:1 Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed,

we have a building from God,

an eternal house in heaven,

not built by human hands.

2 Meanwhile we groan,

longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling,

3 because when we are clothed,

we will not be found naked.

4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened,

because we do not wish to be unclothed

but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling,

so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

5 Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose

and has given us the Spirit as a deposit,

guaranteeing what is to come.

6 Therefore we are always confident

and know that as long as we are at home in the body

we are away from the Lord.

7 We live by faith, not by sight.

8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body

and at home with the Lord.

9 So we make it our goal to please him,

whether we are at home in the body or away from it.

10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,

that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body,

whether good or bad.

11 Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men.

What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.

12 We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again,

but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us,

so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen

rather than in what is in the heart.

13 If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God;

if we are in our right mind, it is for you.

14 For Christ's love compels us,

because we are convinced that one died for all,

and therefore all died.

15 And he died for all,

that those who live should no longer live for themselves

but for him who died for them and was raised again.

16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view.

Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,

he is a new creation;

the old has gone, the new has come!

18 All this is from God,

who reconciled us to himself through Christ

and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:

19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,

not counting men's sins against them.

And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors,

as though God were making his appeal through us.

We implore you on Christ's behalf:

Be reconciled to God.

21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us,

so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Make Time to Celebrate

Make Time to Celebrate

Our God loves a celebration.

In the Old Testament,

He ordained an everlasting celebration called

Passover or feast of unleavened bread.

In the New Testament,

Jesus gives it new meaning and calls it

The Lord’s Supper or Communion.

In heaven,

this everlasting celebration will be called

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

Are you planning a celebration?

 A few years ago we had a great celebration

for my Mother’s 75^th birthday.

We spent a year planning it out,

making sure that all of Mom’s children

and grand children could be there.

We determined that it would not be a surprise because we

wanted Mom to have the joy of looking forward to having

all her children, grand children and great grand children together.

What fun we had making the plans;

the grand kids jumped in and worked together

even though they lived states apart.

That year of planning brought a loving family even closer.

Everything came together sleeping arrangements, food,

birthday cake, cameras, trip to COSI, roses and gifts

for a five day celebration.

We laughed and played – it was a great celebration.

I will never forget the only tears were when

my brothers, Dan and Mike and sister, Carole and I

stood up and spoke a blessing on our mother.

As we laid our hands on her to pray,

you could see Mom felt the loving touch

not only from us, but from the Lord.

 It was a lot of work and the time went by too fast,

but now years later,

my brothers, sister and the grand kids

can’t stop talking about that special time.

Two years later my Mom

went to be with the Lord!

As we go through the photos

and share the memories,

we can not express how grateful we are

to have had the celebration.

God wrote into the law of the Old Testament

special feasts and celebrations.

God is preparing a celebration for us

called the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

What joy to look forward to that day

when we will feast with our Savior.

But until then, make time to create good memories; times to rejoice.

Don’t let the business of life keep you from making plans to celebrate.

Those special times that you show your love for someone else.

You never know how much longer you will have the opportunity.

Set a date and make plans,

give others and yourself something to look forward to.

Scripture Reading

Psalms 145:7 NIV

7 They will celebrate your abundant goodness

and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

Exodus 12:14-15 NIV

14 "This is a day you are to commemorate;

for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD

— a lasting ordinance.

Exodus 12:17 NIV

17 "Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread,

because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt.

Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.

Matthew 26:18-19 NIV

18 He replied, "Go into the city to a certain man and tell him,

'The Teacher says: My appointed time is near.

I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.'"  

Revelation 19:1-9 NIV

19:1 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting:

"Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,

2 for true and just are his judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries.

He has avenged on her the blood of his servants."

3 And again they shouted:

"Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever."

4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God,

 who was seated on the throne. And they cried:

"Amen, Hallelujah!"

5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying:

"Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!"

6 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude,

like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:

"Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.

7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!

 For the wedding of the Lamb has come,

and his bride has made herself ready.

 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear."

 (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)

9 Then the angel said to me, "Write:

 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb !'"

 And he added, "These are the true words of God."