DEATH

Theme 28/09/2019 Admin

Genesis 27:1‭-‬2 ‬‬‬ Now it came to pass, when Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see, that...

Genesis 27:1‭-‬2 ‬‬‬

Now it came to pass, when Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see, that he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son.” And he answered him, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Behold now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death.

INSIGHT
-Death in Hebrew is written as maveth which means to depart or fall asleep. As we read and write about life; we cannot fail to talk about death. Death has in the past or recent times affected each one of us either through the loss of a loved one, a leader, an icon etc. In Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; we see that there is a time for every purpose under heaven; a time to be born and time to die, a time to plant and a time to harvest, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. More that thirty scriptures have sighted the word death in the Bible. A few of them are:- Romans 5:12; just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned, Romans 6:5; since we have been united with Him in His death through faith we will also be raised to life as He was, 1 Corinthians 15:55 O death, where is your sting? O hades, where is your victory?, Revelation 21:4;And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away, John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” etc.

-When Isaac got old and he could no longer see; he knew that he was soon going to die. He then called his eldest son Esau that he may bless him. Like Isaac, some among us are old are feel like their time of death has come, others fear that diseases like cancer may take away their life, others are depressed and have given up hope. Jesus reminds us that we should not worry about anything, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear (Lk 12:22). These are things we cannot control but only God can sustain us. By worrying we only overburdened our minds and hearts for no good reason. Like Isaac who was old did not know the day of his death, all us too; do not know these things. It is only prudent therefore to wait on the Lord for everything. If anyone is old or weary; wait on the Lord for strength, if anyone is sick or depressed; wait on the Lord for healing, if anyone is anxious, wait on the Lord for rest. Christ is our Savior, if anyone is frustrated or overburdened let him/her wait on the Lord; our source of hope. When we are weak, then we are strong for God lives in us. Through Christs’ death and resurrection; we rest secure in Him for He gave us victory over all sicknesses, frustrations, weaknesses by His precious blood. It is only in Him that we find life and life more abundantly.

PRAYER
Lord You are good and Your mercies endures forever. Lord You are merciful and Your love endures forever. Thank You for Your everlasting love and mercy upon our lives, families, churches, nation and on the whole world. Thank You for the gift of live, for the air that we breath and the opportunity to start a new week in good health, all glory and praise belongs to You. You have protected us, sustained us, comforted us, healed our wounds, guided us and given us good health, we bless Your holy name. Many among us are sick, tied, hopeless, depressed and others are advanced in age, heal them all loving Jesus and renew their strength. Others are depressed and contemplating death, have mercy on all of them Holy Spirit and grant them hope in life. Some have lost their loved ones, comfort them with Your peace Abba Father. Increase our faith Jesus that we may receive healing from You always and protect us from all snares of the wicked one. By Your stripes we have been healed Jesus; restore us physically, emotionally, financially, morally and spiritually for You died for us Jesus so that we may have life more abundantly. Amen

Romans 5:12

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.

INSIGHT
-Apostle Paul reveals that death came into the world through sin. Through the sin of Adam we were conceived in sin from our mothers wombs. In the Old Testament, anyone devoted to destruction was put to death (Lev 27:29). God then set life and prosperity, death and destruction before all mankind; so that we may choose life. That through obedience to His commandments which circle around love, we may find life, increase and abundant blessings (Deu 30:15‭-‬16). It is also written that the‬‬‬‬ wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. In our society today we find many men and women who die before their time because of sin. Ecc 7:17, says that “do not be over-wicked and do not be a fool, why die before your time”. When Christ set us free from sin; we became slaves to God so that we may live holy life and through faith inherit eternal life with Him (Rom 6:22-23).

PRAYER
Thank You Jesus for loving us with an everlasting love. Thank You for setting us free from sin causing death and granting us eternal life. You have called us Lord to be holy because You are Holy; give us the grace to live holy lives and cleanse us from all unrighteousness with Your precious blood. We all have sinned and fallen short of Your glory Lord, have mercy on us. Have mercy on all those who don’t know You are bring them to the light of Your salvation. May Your word dwell deeply in our hearts that we may always walk in Your light and testify the truth through You Holy Spirit. May Your grace find a home in our hearts that we may always radiate Your love. We pray all this believing and trusting in You our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

Romans 5:12

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.

Psalms 23:4‭-‬6 ‬‬‬‬‬‬

Yea, 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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.

INSIGHT
-Sometimes we may face drought in particular areas of our lives, fall prey of certain threats and affliction that may occur as distressing situations in our lives. It is in such a states that fear and anxiety sets in and our thoughts are troubled. The Lord cautions us from fear and promises never to leave us nor forsake us; for He is always with us (Heb 13:6). His goodness and mercy are everlasting in our lives. It is in this realization that we rest in the Lord; our source of strength and our sure Foundation.

PRAYER
You are our refuge and strength Lord; our strong foundation, we put all our trust in You. You have always been there with us and for us, we give You all the praise. You have protected us from all the snares of the evil one, all strength and power belongs to You Jesus. You have journeyed with us through drought situations and have seen us through, grant us rest Lord. Protect our familes Lord; restore our businesses; give hope to all the youth and secure all marriages and give grace to all those who are single Almighty Father. Cover us with Your hedge of fire and secure us under Your pinions Lord. Though we walk through the valley of the shadow of dead we shall fear no evil for You are always with us; Your rod and stuff comfort us. We thank You Father and praise Your holy name. By Your merciful love Lord; we shall dwell in Your house all the days of our lives. Amen

1 John 3:14

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.

INSIGHT
-Often times have we seen people making selfless sacrifices to others, for instance; parents to their children, husbands to wives, wives to their husbands, sacrifices between friends, within the family unit and in the society at large. Some go to the extent of donating kidneys to their loved ones and others do it for strangers. Many individuals and organizations offer food, shelter, clothing, education and other incidentals to the less fortunate in the quest of love. Acts of love can also be demonstrated in many other ways as we follow the example of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour, who died and resurrected so that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. For this reason; if we live, we live for the Lord and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord (Rom 14:8‭-‬9). It is in love that we abide in life but hatred; stirs up strife leading to death. When Cain was jealous of his brother Abel, he killed him. We are called to demonstrate the love of Christ for one another and abide in His love through selflessness as we are led by the Holy Spirit.

PRAYER
Fill us Your love Holy Spirit that we may abide in You as You are in us. May Your love produce good relationships and interactions with one another as You have called us to do. Help us Lord to always be selfless as we forsake our self seeking needs for the benefit of others. Thank You for loving us Lord with an everlasting love. Deliver us merciful Father from all jealousy and grant us the grace to forgive others as You forgive our trespasses too. Shepherd us Jesus in all our endeavor and take control of our lives, families, jobs, businesses, relationships, marriages, studies, plans and our nation. Heal all those who are sick and suffering and shine Your face upon them. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ; and the love of God; and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forever more. Amen

John 11:25

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

INSIGHT
-Jesus demonstrated that He has power of death often times before and after raising his friend Lazarus. Jesus is the resurrection and the life and calls us to believe in Him so that we may have life everlasting. To believe that He died and rose again; and God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him (1 Thes 4:14). ‬‬‬‬ It is in this belief that we hold fast our faith in Christ; in all things including those situation that seem dead in our lives; that we may receive His restoration, healing and abundant life with Him forever.

SUMMARY
Often times when the death is mentioned we become curious to hear probably owing to the fact that; this is not the most comforting subject but a reality of life. According to the 2017 population data in Kenya gathered from different sources, it was estimated that the mortality rate was 6.7 deaths/1000 population and 23.9 births/ 1000 population (www.indexmundi.com). This reveals that as much as people pass on, the birth rate is way higher than the death rate and such matters should be left to the Lord who created us. Some bloggers have also posted articles about diseases like cancer which have caused a lot of panic among some members of our society. It is true that many have fallen because of cancer but we need to submit our lives to the Lord who is our Protector; and believe that such diseases will not harm us. The tongue has power over death and life and those who love it will eat its fruits (Prov 18:21). Jesus tells us often times that we should not fear. He reminds us that He will never leave us nor forsake us and even if we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, He will always be there to protect us. All diseases are basically psychological in nature and if we believe in Christ; our portion is wholeness, healing, restoration, comfort, strength, goodness, mercy, grace, protection and all other good things. In Luke 8:43; we find a woman who had the issue of blood for twelve years and had struggled consulting many physicians with no success. When she had faith in Jesus; she touched the hem of His garment and was healed immediately. At the end of time; there will be no more death, mourning, crying or pain, for the old order of things will pass away (Rev 21:4). Jesus calls us to hold fast our faith in Him and not to despair or become anxious about anything; for in all things He has grant us life and life everlasting; and should rest secure in Him.

PRAYER

Jesus You are good and Your mercies endure forever. Jesus You are merciful and Your love for us is eternal, we thank You and give You all the praise. Thank You for the far that You have brought us. You have protected us, healed us, comforted us, provided for us, sustained us and granted us many other graces for the glory of Your name. All glory and praise belongs to You. Have mercy Jesus on all those who are suffering from cancer, diabetes, arthritis, cerebral palsy and many other diseases that You heal them and grant them peace. Many others live in fear of disease, death and their hearts are not yet settled, have mercy on them Father and grant them Your perfect peace. Sickness has no place in our lives and families Jesus; we trust in You. Direct us in our studies, work, investments, families, churches, leadership, nation and deliver us from those things that cause us pain. Grant us Your grace Jesus to live a good old age; and to love You and one another as You have called us. May Your peace that surpasses all understanding dwell in our hearts and minds as we await to live with You forever and ever. Amen