It was Saturday, May 11, the day before Mother’s Day. My wife and I were at the cemetery putting flowers onto the graves of our parents. Hers are buried not far from mine. I was walking from one grave site to the other, reading the headstones as I went. One caught my eye. I don’t even remember the name or the birth or death dates, but the message of the inscription at the bottom of the stone really slammed home. It said, “Asleep In Jesus”.

Those three simple words spoke volumes. In the span of an instant I knew that there is where I wanted to be. In this life, that would be my greatest achievement, “Asleep In Jesus”. This passage from Psalms will help me explain:

My frame was not hidden from thee,
When I was made in secret,
And curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance;
And in they book they were all written,
Even the days that were ordained from me,
When as yet there was none of them.
(Psalms 139:15-16)

The point is this. I know there is a day coming when I will be no more on the face of this planet, but don’t get me wrong, I am thankful for my life. I am enjoying myself and hopefully have many more years left. I have no special desire to “check out” or “leave it all behind”. Dying is scary to say the least. Besides, I’d really like to stick around and see my granddaughter’s face. We can debate the point if you want to, but God will not have made a more beautiful child. However, those powerful words “Asleep in Jesus” have a connotation that goes along with them.

If a person is truly asleep in Jesus, it means that he or she took their last breath with hope in the work that Christ accomplished on the cross. It means that to the best of their ability they lived a life that was Christ-centered, thus they loved others the way God wanted them to. There is a strong likelihood that their life touched someone in a positive way. It means all of their sins have been blotted out and they have attained the righteousness of Christ Himself. It means they were chosen from the beginning to time to occupy a place in the coming Kingdom. It means they will be with Christ, and see Him just as He now exists.

When you are asleep in Jesus, the reward Christ promised to all those that love Him is on its way! Christ Himself said:

Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me.
In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you; For I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you unto myself; that where I am , there ye many be also.
(John 14: 1-3)

Man, that sounds great to me. I wouldn’t mind at all being where Christ is right now. So as strange as it sounds to those of us who are alive, being “Asleep in Jesus” is where you want to be.

Give your life to Him. Ask for His forgiveness and grace. His Peace and his Spirit will make their abode with you, and you will be guarded through faith until the last of your days. Better start making plans on how you want your room decorated. I have a feeling that no request will be impossible. Amen.

Amazing love, how can it be,
That thou my God should die for me?

The above are two lines from one of my favorite hymns. Lately, the reality of those simple lines has really come home.

Think about it. Christ, who existed before the beginning of time, the Creator and sustainer of all things, foreknown indeed by His Father in glory, stepped into time and space for the express purpose of allowing himself to take on the penalty that was due me. God takes sin seriously. How serious? When you consider the nature of Christ’s death, you get a sense of how serious it is. Psalms 22:11-18 says:

Be not far from me, for trouble is near;
For there is none to help.
Many bulls have surrounded me;
Strong bulls of Bashan have encircled me.
They open wide their mouth at me,
As a ravening and roaring lion.
I am poured out like water,
And all my bones are out of joint;
My heart is like wax;
It is melted within me.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
And my tongue cleaves to my jaws;
And Thou dost lay me in the dust of death.
For dogs have surrounded me;
A band of evildoers has encompassed me;
They pierced my hands and my feet.
I can count all my bones.
They look, they stare at me;
They divide my garments among them,
And for my clothing they cast lots.

Christ’s death was a lonely one and excruciatingly painful. In the throes of His agony, no wonder He felt as if His Father had abandoned Him.

When I consider some of bonehead deeds I have done in my own lifetime, some caused by the ignorance of youth, some by sheer stupidity or immorality, causing hurt to not only myself but others, I know in my heart that His death should have been mine. Indeed worst would be my lot if He had not offered Himself instead.

This Easter I will remember Him, risen, sitting at the right hand of His Father in heaven, making intercession for me and all those who call on His name in faith. It truly is an amazing love, that the creator of the entire universe died for me, and that I will and now do have the privilege of spending eternity with Him in glory. The Word says I will see Him, and be like Him, and be where He is. Maranatha – come, Lord Jesus!

In order to understand why the Gospel truly is good news, one must understand what it actually is. Simply put, the gospel is a tale of God’s greatness, and his love and mercy toward fallen humanity, particularly me. There are many Bible verses that support the following paragraphs, but I will not toss you to and fro between them at this time. In a nutshell the Gospel goes like this:

God Is Great

God is immense beyond comprehension. He created all things; the universe fits into the palm of his hand. He is unimaginably awesome in power, righteousness, perfection, and holiness. He is the creator of all things, and sustains all things. He created all life, including me through His vast power and loving will. I owe all to Him. He is worthy off all the praise, admiration, glory, and reverence I can muster.

I Have Fallen Short

Instead of being thankful for what God has done for me and humbly submitting to His will for my live, I rebelled, and broke the letter and spirit of God’s law in countless ways. I am ensnared and bound as a slave to my sin. I am guilty before God and worthy to receive whatever righteous judgement He deems appropriate. I am lost and without hope of ever doing anything that could pay Him back or avoid His wrath.

God Stepped Into Space and Time

Sin cannot go unpunished. As a matter of fact, God says that apart from the shedding of blood there is no expunging of sin. Thankfully, God gave me a way out. In His great love for me, He sent His own son, Jesus, into the world on my behalf. Jesus took on flesh, became a man, and as a man lived a perfectly sinless, God-centered life. Ultimately, in perfect submission to the will of His Father, Jesus laid down His own life as payment for the sins that were mine.

My Salvation

Three days later, God raised His Son from the dead and exalted Him to His own right hand,  where He reigns in complete authority over all power and principality. By doing so, God declared that Jesus’ death is completely sufficient to forgive and cleanse all sin. The instant I placed my faith in Jesus and His work on the cross, God instantly granted me total forgiveness of all my sins, past, present, and future. God poured his Holy Spirit into my heart. I was spiritually reborn as a child of God, and became a joint heir with Christ in the kingdom which is to come. Sin no longer has power over me, and I do not have to obey it anymore. I have a new Master, one who literally loves me to death.

Wow! If that is not Good News Only, what is? That’s the Gospel in a nut shell. Over time I will share more about the Word and its power. Thanks for visiting and please feel free to comment or share your opinion.