Christian Living

When Reba Went Home

by Thomas Kirkpatrick
09/13/21
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“But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed, therefore I spoke,” we also believe, therefore we also speak, knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you.” (2 Corinthians 4:13-14)

I remember when I was twenty-three, which does not seem more than a few years ago, but in truth, it is forty-seven years long past. At that time, I had it all together. I believed that because some of my friends had said so. By day I was a partner in a tent-making company. I was a busboy at a classy restaurant by night. After work, I hung with some pretty cool friends raising Caine everywhere we ventured. I wasn’t the leader of anything, but I was the councilor all came to for advice. I have often wondered how many I have led astray.

I thought I had the world lying on my dinner plate. I was hitting on all eight cylinders and pictured my mind as a four-barrel carburetor. I remember the night as was just the last as the whole world came crashing down. The most saintly woman I have ever known, my grandmother Reba went home to be with her Savior and Lord Jesus. Today I am thrilled, but back then, I was crushed. I had seen death before but not one who I loved so much. I want to spend the rest of today and the next telling you of our times together. But it would not be as precious to you as it is to me.

As my meal was lost, I, the counselor with all the right friends, a part of the most supportive family, and a whole world. I guess I’m like most. I can give good advice, but I can’t take that advice myself. So I did as I’ve seen my associates do. I tried to drown my sorrows in a fifth of Cutty Shark Scotch. I spent the memorable part of my night playing that game so many play when death takes one away. Oh, just one more word that I had not said to her. One more hug, that one I missed along the way, and that last I love you that will never be said. 

Much has changed these past forty-seven years, and I have left foolish and hopeless years of my younger days behind. Each day I make it a point to read a chapter of the Bible before anything else distracts me. There is no other better way to start a new day the Lord has given than to hear His Word at the beginning. I have never read the Bible from cover to cover. Over the years, I have read 90% of the two books of Chronicles make up the other 10%. I am in Paul’s letters these past few weeks, as I love how he writes. Paul is rather wordy, and I tend to be, as I like being complete.

This day I read the text we are looking at and the eternal life that shines flickered brighter, and I was reminded of true hope. Each of us is unique in brainpower, physical power, and spiritual power, and it helps us take our individually to support the other notes in the songbook of life. We see there are so many that cannot get their thinking in unity with others. Look at politics; it is one way or the other and can never be the better part of both. Even Churches suffer the same affliction. Churches rarely support the whole Church body, as it doesn’t focus on them.

How are we to bring so much diversity together? Paul tells us in the first phrase. “But having the same spirit of faith.” As a Christian family of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we believe in the same doctrines of His Word, then we have a unity of thought. Not the same thoughts but the same belief. The Word of God has been called and is a living word. Life is in the spirit, the Holy Spirit, as He speaks to each of us the message that we need to hear and obey. We must take the Scripture as a whole, not just cherry-picked verses, as they all speak in unison of the same absolute truth. Therefore, we must have knowledge of the Word as it speaks to us individually in the same truth.

The key is that we do this in the spirit of faith. Faith is action. The action is living in the Word. Knowing the world does not profit unless we use it in faith. If we believe God’s Word is true, then those who have not heard the Word need to hear. Their spiritual lives depend on understanding and accepting the Word of God. God loves the sinner as Jesus died for you and me while we were sinners. Jesus didn’t suffer the cross for the Jews, which had rejected Him. He went to the cross for the Gentiles too. John 3:16 says that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that none should perish.

Believing the Word of God is true, knowing the world is filled with hopeless people, and loving them as God does, we must share the truth. “I believed, therefore I spoke.” Faith is taking want we believe and living it before a darkened world that the light of His truth will enlighten their hearts. Believing His Word is true. We should express His love as an adornment to be seen and desired. “Your adornment must not be merely external--braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.” (1 Peter 3:3-4)

Our spirit of faith unifies us in hope. Our hope would gain no weight if Jesus did not rise from the grave. Our hope is in the truth that Jesus defeated our worst enemy death by coming out of the grave. He wasn’t exhumed. He wasn’t revived. Jesus was resurrected not to die again but to live eternally. “He who raised the Lord Jesus.” Our bodies are only vessels on loan from God and used to carry us through this world to the next spiritual world. Jesus rose from the grave that we can be raised from the dead in an immortal body fit for a spiritual being. Never to suffer again but to live in love, peace, and joy. “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)

The now and then is this. We have hope through these short days of this world and then enjoy the reward on the day of eternity. I find it amazing at the beginning of His earthly ministry. Jesus proclaimed the charge from Isaiah. Jesus came to preach the good news of the coming Kingdom to the poor in spirit. He came to set the captives free from their bondage to sin. His truth opens the eyes of the spiritually blind. He will set us free from the oppression of this twisted world. He gave us hope in the promise He would return and justify all wrongs. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are oppressed, To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” (Luke 4:18-19)

There are prayers each day for healing, some are answered in this world, but all are answered in the coming world. All will be healed spiritually, physically, and our souls restored. Much of this healing can take place here in the world, but it will ultimately when we get to our heavenly home. On the cross, His flesh was pierced to assure the worldly desires were dead, and His Spirit pierces our heart to ensure we have life abundant. “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)

The promise of God’s Word should lift us each day, as He was lifted nearly two thousand years ago. “Will raise us also with Jesus.” Those of us who have accepted Jesus into our life will never lose that life. We will suffer and may die for the sake of Jesus and our faith in Him, but we will never lose our eternal life in His Kingdom. That alone is far greater glory than the weight of trial and tribulation we may face here in this world. If we are a mind to look at a profit and loss sheet, I propose you tear off the loss sheet and only count the gain of the free gift of salvation by His grace.

We have traveled a journey to get to the point of this meditation. I suffered a bell ringer of a hangover feeling sorry because I didn’t have some last words with Reba. Maybe it is the Kirkpatrick in me that I always have to have the last word, and I missed it with Reba. I live on the memories of how she would snuggle me close to her on lonely nights and tell me stories of her dog Carla. I have missed those hugs in the evenings of childhood. I bear a deep pain as I never said I love you, Grandma, one last time before she was gone. These last words of this verse have brought peace in the storm of a long-ago memory. “Will present us with you.”

That great day will soon come when we shall gather in fellowship with our Lord and Savior at the trumpet sound and the loved ones we have missed over the years. We shall fellowship with the family that came and went before we arrived. There we will find rest from our labors and meet the fruits of that labor. And we all will share in the everlasting riches of God’s glory. “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.”(Ephesians 1:13-14)

Thomas Kirkpatrick

First Baptist Church of Durant, May 21, 2020