Author Archives: Royce

Dec 12 2011

Death…when a person is reduced to memories


Just over 15 years ago I was at work on a Wednesday afternoon when I received a frantic phone call from a neighbor. He advised me that EMT personnel were outside my home with my wife. I immediately started to drive the short 6 1/2 miles home but somehow knew that I would not find her alive. My suspicion was confirmed when I got out of my vehicle and was told by this same neighbor, “Royce, don’t go to her…where they are…it isn’t good”. I complied, and in a few minutes I saw them load my wife’s lifeless body into a van. It would be much longer before the doctor came out to me with a sad face giving the news I fully expected, “I’m so sorry Mr. Ogle, we couldn’t get her back”. It was official, my wife was gone….forever.

Now, fifteen years later as I reflect on that day, and the days and months that followed, I am amazed at how God helped me through one of the toughest times of my life. I remember the pain as sharp as a knife, the loneliness, the utter sadness, and all the flood of emotions that continued to ebb and flow as I walked the lonely road of grief.

Now I have been married to another Texan for almost thirteen years. Carol is a wonderful wife, the perfect one for me! I am so thankful that it pleased God to bring us together as He did. Two broken and battered hearts who when joined together would be used to help and encourage many others who too were in the darkness of grief.

Today, that bubbly, funny, wild and beautiful woman I married in 1980 is only a memory. When we exchanged wedding vows we said these words, “…’til death do us part.” Death did it’s unwanted and unacceptable work, it parted us…forever.

Marriage is only for living earthlings. Every marriage begins at some moment in time and ends at some moment in time, either by death or divorce. The key word is “time”. Marriage, and other familial relationships, are only for time, they are not for eternity. When we all get to heaven there will be no marriages, the Bible is clear about that. You see, when my love and yours is perfect like our heavenly Father’s, we will no longer discriminate between people. When I love like God loves, I’ll love your mom as much as I do mine. Those family relationships that are only intended for time will be no longer needed, they will be obsolete.

It is against the back drop of these truths that memories of loved ones who have gone become even more precious and guarded. I think it is God’s design to give us sweet episodes to relive in our minds, to remember good times with those we love so much, until….. Until we see Jesus our Lord face to face and finally know fully what it is to love and be loved…unconditionally, forever.

I have had good cause to contemplate these things. Deaths of parents, loved ones, family members by the scores, and a wife… and now in the autumn of my life I am very aware that my time is drawing near, a myth doesn’t satisfy. I want to realize the goal of my faith. I want to see The Lamb of God.

While I’m here I want to fully enjoy and appreciate all the relationships God has been so kind to give. But when they are gone it is…, well it is…, as Paul said it “Far better..”. I don’t know about you, but I’ll take “Far better” anytime! No more funeral homes, no more grave side services, no more sickness, no more pain, no more broken hearts. Every child of God will be perfectly whole because “By His stripes we are healed”.

Cherish your precious memories. They are one of God’s best gifts to you, until you have it all! Whatever Jesus owns you and I will own, whatever He loves we will love without measure. I can’t begin to imagine how it will be one day when memories become as useless as the sun, no longer needed.

Precious promises and precious memories! God is good indeed!

Royce

 

Dec 8 2011

Celebrate!


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“God with us” Matthew 1:23

The announcement of the birth of Jesus, God in flesh, was good news!

“God for us” Romans 8:31-39

That God is for us is better news!

“God in us” Colossians 1:26-28

The hope of future glory!

We celebrate the coming of God in flesh, to live a life of perfect obedience before the Father. To fulfill every demand of God’s holy law, FOR US! Jesus offered his own body as a sacrifice for our sins. He died FOR US! And now everyone who believes the record of God about His Son and surrenders to his Lordship can know God is in us! His dwelling in His people is His promise that we, like him, will be raised from the grave to live forever with Him.

How could we who know him not gladly celebrate his incarnation? Joyfully we say to all, Merry Christmas!

Royce

Dec 6 2011

God is at work…


 

for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.  Philippians 2:13

Today I was reminded in a very personal way of the compelling truth of this statement. I was buying a few items for my wife at a local retailer when my cell phone rang. I answered, and what I heard was confirmation that God is at work…IN ME!

It would not be appropriate to give details but I can say that some tiny action on my part, which I could have done earlier, but felt compelled to wait for some reason (now I know the reason..) was in fact serving God’s greater purpose. God’s ways are higher and more important than mine and since He is my sovereign God He can use something rather insignificant to do something wonderful!

The verse above was written against the back-drop of this passage:

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:4-11

It says to me, Don’t be self-centered, consumed by your own needs. Think of someone else’s needs for a change. Think of the humiliation of Jesus and like Him, humble yourself so that the one who loved you and died on a cross for you can receive even more glory. It is a good plan!

I now wonder, how many times some little act of kindness, maybe just a warm smile or a few words of encouragement, might have been used by God to make a huge difference in someone’s life?

What a wonderful, exciting experience, to walk with God, knowing full well that He is in me, not just as a silent spectator, but as the omnipotent God working through me to bless others and to magnify Himself!

I am a blessed man.

Royce


Dec 6 2011

Sin, Original Equipment or an add on?


To get us thinking in purely theological terms, which came first the chicken or the egg? Well, the evolutionist and the creationist would both answer the chicken. It’s pure logical deduction. There can be no egg without a chicken. (However a chicken can exist without an egg.)

When we think about theology and biblical doctrine it is not the time to suspend logical thinking. Evidently that is exactly what some people do. How else could they arrive at such illogical positions? And, it is imperative to allow the Bible to guide our thinking and advise our conclusions, rather than what someone we respect, or someone who has a book published, has said about a matter.

My last post was titled A Politically Incorrect view of a person without God. I challenged the idea that people are basically good. That view is the prevailing one but according to the Bible it’s wrong. More than once I have heard some Christian talking of a neighbor, relative, or co-worker, say “He is a good man he just needs to start going to church”. Oh my, how wrong can you be?

In that last issue of GraceDigest I presented a brief argument for the biblical teaching of the sinfulness of mankind, that we are not good by nature, and in fact that by nature we are ungodly and against God.

If you accept the idea that men are sinners and need a solution for their condition you then raise the question, when do people become sinners? There are all sorts of answers to this fundamental question. Some teach that it’s when a child is mature enough to know right from wrong. Others teach it’s when a person reaches the “age of accountability”, whenever that is. Others hold different views. Consider these opposing views from the Bible.

The first book of the Bible gives us a clue. After the flood (which wiped out all humanity because of sinfulness, men, women, and children) God had a change of heart after he smelled the pleasing aroma of the burnt offerings Noah made as he worshiped.

21And when the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, the LORD said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.  Genesis 8:21

Don’t miss the phrase, “the intentions of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” An evil heart with bad intentions is not reserved just for adults.

Now, when God describes “evil” He just might have different definition than yours or mine. In the economy of God’s justice all sin is evil. And all of us share that common flaw. One of the top 10 sins is lying. If an 80 year old man tells a lie, or a 25 year old soccer mom tells a lie, or a 9 year old school boy tells a lie, it is sinful, period, no question. And, if a 3 year old tells a lie it is sinful.

Our sweet little children, very early in their lives start to show signs of rebellion. They are impatient, selfish, and as soon as they are able they will take what is not theirs, and they will lie to try to hide what they know they have done wrong. Why? Because it is their nature to be rebels.

Now I want to be quick to say that toddlers are not condemned by God. Neither are mentally incompetent older people. In my view the Bible is clear that even though sin is universal in every human life, only those who can discern right from wrong are guilty before God. (Romans 2:12-16) Those who do not have the ability to make choices are covered by the sacrifice of Jesus just as those who receive the gift of life by faith. Now you might disagree with this but God’s integrity is what is at stake. God would no more allow a child who dies to perish in the fires of judgment than he would someone in a far away place who never had the opportunity to hear the name Jesus. How one responds to the light of revelation (of God) given matters.

The record of sin and sinners is stark and not up for negotiation.

To the Christians at Ephesus Paul wrote:

2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—3 among whom we all once lived .. Ephesians 2:1-3

“You” in these verses includes them all. All of them followed the course of this world (away from God), following the devil who is the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. And he says plainly “among whom we all once lived”. A pretty grim picture of the unregenerate person, spiritually dead, disobedient, following the evil one, and none of us are excluded.

Through out the Scriptures this truth is repeated.

The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.” Psalm 14:2-3

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
Jeremiah 17:9

This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that the same event happens to all. Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead.  Ecclesiastes 9:3

2 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.  Romans 5:12

How many humans are sinners? All. How many die? All. Why? Because all sinned.

If sin does not come to us just as God says it does here why can’t just one person get it right? Many of my friends do not believe the doctrine of “original sin”. So I ask, if people are not born sinful why can’t just one person make right choices and avoid committing sin? The obvious answer is they can’t because sin is what comes natural. It is our nature to sin.

Thank God, this isn’t the end of the story. Jesus made a way for each of us, a way to have a new nature, to erase our sins and take away our guilt.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:23

“The free Gift” is here for the taking. Receive the gift of God. Put your trust in Jesus and set out to please Him in every way you can. You can trade your old life in for a new model, one that will love and live forever.

Royce