Christian Living

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Death Valley

Death Valley is associated with LSU football in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. As I hear the words Death Valley I think about Golgotha the place where Christ was crucified. At this time of the year we focus more on Christ Crucifixion and His Resurrection. It is a place where people that broke the law was murdered or put to death. How LSU named their stadium Death Valley I don’t know; but I do know that when anyone on LSU side enters the stadium they are expecting their team to win. Well even in death Jesus won the battle for us!

Death means in the natural cease to live, lifeless. In the spiritual we take death as the beginning of life. The dread of death and the old meaning of the word have been replaced with the softened phrase, “asleep in Jesus” for He has abolished death according to Timothy.

II Timothy 1:8-10 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner; but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; who hath saved us and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who have abolished death, and have brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

The content of this letter was written by Paul to Timothy from Rome where he is awaiting execution. Everyone had forsaken him but Luke. He is anxious for Timothy, who was at Ephesus, to come to Rome before winter. Paul is very concerned in view of his own situation that Timothy fulfills the ministry to which he was called. The content of the letter is rich and varied and includes a number of touching appeals, especially in view of his upcoming death. There are four specific charges Paul addresses to Timothy that have to do primarily with his personal life as a minister. The threat of false teaching looms large in this letter. Paul with deliberation showed his Pastors the necessity of the God kind of righteousness that can only be obtained through faith. God sets us right by means of what Christ has done and then the Holy Spirit makes us like Christ in the end. It was a glorious doctrine then and our gospel for today. At a point before Paul died it became a crime to be a Christian in Rome. Just like Jesus Paul’s death was the beginning of life for many in Christ. Nero beheaded Paul but he still could not take away what was or had been the mind of Christ in him. Paul was in Death Valley but the only thing he was dead to; was sin. Paul’s crime was being a Christian; and he stood alone, he; and the Lord.

In Death Valley we find loneliness, decision making, destitution, and death. How far are we willing to go when the heat is turned up under us? Will we stand the test of time? Can we take the punishment that comes with being a Christian? Are we willing to give up our ease for sorrow of mind, a trembling heart and a failing of eyes for Christ’s sake? Will our strength fail too? Will we allow iniquity to come in our lives again; will we turn and go back? Will we acknowledge that Christ still reigns and speak up boldly for what we believe? When we hear that the time has come for the Christians to be persecuted and killed will our hearts be pricked where we will say; what shall we do? When we say Lord what shall we do it should be with much conviction and mean it with our whole heart. The secrets of our hearts will be made manifest in Death Valley. Can we still fall down and worship God out of a true heart when life takes a turn on us? If we can say yes to these questions; then we will be judged accordingly as God knows the heart of man.
A valley is a place that is hollow, a basin, a low-land. A hollow is not a; hallow. During a hallow we are in a time of blessing, consecration, and sanctification. It is a scoop, excavation, indention in the earth that has been dug out using a shovel. A hollow is very much a valley sunken in, deep, there is rumbling there, a reverberating and everything down in it is muffled by the dull resounding noise. However it is an unsound, empty place of pretention. A valley is for the arrogant, for the deceptive, and the imitators of what true holiness really is. We must always present or exhibit true holiness proper, satisfactorily, and attractive to God and man will see God in us and glorify the Lord. We must preserve God’s honor, protect our salvation, conserve God’s strength in us and keep the Sanctification awarded us. In the valley we must rehearse the Word; speaking what God says about us. We however must meet the requirements necessary to stay the course. It is essential that we prepare our hearts for these valley experiences. We must be fit, ready, trained and educated in the Word. We have been so preoccupied or distracted that we have absorbed stuff in our hearts that had previously been purged.

Death Valley is a place of death. It sucks the life out of us until we die. It holds negative forces and destruction to life. It is a place that once was priceless; but has been torn down. It has lost is vigor, beauty, and its worth. There is no conservation there and nothing can grow. Imagine a valley as a deep hole, a bath tub, pan or container. It has a beginning and a quick end; unlike the desert or mountain that goes on and on. Jesus went to this deep hole to bring us to the mountains of life. He brought us out of the desert that only contained dryness in our life. He put the fluids back in our veins again. The blood flows again plentifully. When we believe, trust, accept Him, and put him first we will behold the beauty of His glory. We will conform to the Word and turn our behavior around. Sin is no longer a part of us where we will continue in the darkness of sin. No longer will we allow the smallness of the valley in Satan’s mind to deceive us. We will not think we are something when we are not. It is Jesus Christ in us the hope of glory. It is He that brings us out of the valley and place our feet on solid ground. Make a decision today not to accept what Death Valley has to offer!

Why halt between two opinions? If God is Lord of our lives then we should serve Him. We are to purpose in our hearts not to transgress His Holy Word. We are to fix our mouths not to sin against God. Turn not to the right or to the left to sin again that we remove our body from the pleasures of sin for a season. Trust God that He will help us that we be not confounded or taken in by sin that we be ashamed. Shame says I did wrong; sin says I am wrong. No one can serve two masters and God is not in the valley although He will reach down and pull us out of the valley. We need to be persuaded as Jesus and Paul was that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, not things present, nor things to come will separate us from the love of God. Although they reached the valley of death they still remained constant in their belief, doctrine, and understanding of who God is. Paul told the Christians at Rome to be persuaded in their own minds about their beliefs. He told the Church at Galatians not to be weary in well doing for they would reap in due season eternal life if they did not faint. We are to be steadfast, not moved by every other wind of doctrine but abound in the work of the Lord.

Christ according to Paul would be magnified in our body, whether it is by life or by death. To live is Christ, and to die in Christ is life eternal. Not only do we have an eternal promise of life after death but a crown of righteousness. How much are we willing to give up for this life? In this life is no death; the flesh dies but the spirit of man goes back to God that gave us life. If we overcome we will not be hurt of the second death that shall surely come; death to the spirit in hell. Death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. This death is for the fearful and unbelieving, the abominable, murderers, whoremongers, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars. If we partake of the Death Valley experience then we shall have our part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone. These are the wicked that works a deceitful work while they live; they shall have their reward.

We don’t have to die twice but we can live twice. Watch stand fast in the faith, quit the mess and foolishness of sin today; be strong. If we continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel which we have heard and which was preached to every one of us, we have a sure reward of life eternal in heaven. God will comfort our hearts today and establish us in every good word and work. Fight the good fight of faith, finish the course with Christ. All that is righteous keep the faith that we be righteous still when God calls for us. Be holy for the Lord God is a Holy God.

Come out of Death Valley, the call is being made today. Come and receive Christ today that we be not blinded continually by what the valley has to offer. It will be ashamed if the knowledge of God presented today is not regarded as life. It is not good that the soul be without knowledge. The foolishness of man perverts his way and his heart frets against the Lord. Don’t let this be us today. Life is in the shed blood of Jesus Christ and the blood in the flesh is our lifeline. We need the blood today to circulate in the principal parts of our body that we will be nourished all the way to Heaven. We must first accept the blood shed for us that we may live. Become that living sacrifice today that God can use. Surrender all to Him and allow Him to dwell in us richly that we can escape the corruption that lingers in Death Valley. He wants to bring life today to all that will hear.

Be thou faithful unto death and God will give us a crown of life; don’t you want it today?

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