Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Thursday October 27, 2011

As I was working my fingers to the bone, I heard the voice of The Great Blonde informing me that she had a great statement that I needed to do an article around. Having heard such statements over the last forty seven years and knowing that they are not offered with the idea of imparting information, I listened and you will read the article forced upon me and now you.

It seems the bride of my youth is reading a book titled, The Killing of Lincoln, by one Bill O’Riley who knows all there is to know about everything, so I listened to his enthralled reader. During the War of Northern Aggression Mr. Lincoln during one period received eighty threats upon his life. Being warned of the danger by associates President Lincoln stated:

"If I am killed I can die but once, but to live in constant dread is to die over and over again."

Lincoln was on target with this statement and more honest than most men concerning it. People dread death. Many dread death more than they dread the afterlife. Many do not believe in any form of afterlife, yet in the inner sanctum of life, they dread the very thought of death. Thus as President Lincoln acknowledged they die a thousand deaths.

One beneficiary of this dread is medical research in that the more lifesaving medicine and techniques discovered means there is one more thing that we don't have to worry about being the agent of our demise. It does appear that every time some cure is concocted, ten more things we knew nothing about show up on the radar.

I chuckled at the reality and humor of the goal of one of my health food nutty friends who honestly believes the goal of eating properly, weighing the correct amount, whatever that number is, etc. is not that we won't die, but that we may die healthy.

Those of us who have a biblically based understanding of death grasp at least to some degree that death is a passage from this frail life to the robust eternal one where there is no death or dying and even tears are wiped away. David commented on this in Psalms 23:4 "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." (Emphasis mine). This man who trusted God understood and taught that death is a passage way to true life.

Jesus passed through this valley and even returned via the resurrection to assure us that we do not have to be enslaved to fear and thus die from dread every time the subject is raised. Notice the comforting truth in Hebrews 2:15 "And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."

Bondage to the fear of something is taught to be worse than the something.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2011 Use with credit

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