Yesterday evening, part of the lesson I heard dealt with the three "R's" of Scripture; they are:  remember, repent, and return.

Christians need to remember why Jesus came and what He did for all people - if they choose to follow Him. We need to remember that we go to church/worship to honor Him. And we should never expect other Christians to be "perfect" human beings and flawless.

Christians should recognize God for who He is. God has standards of how Christians should behave and live. Sadly, even the most dedicated faulter.  We need to be a people who repent.  Repenting is a turning toward God and away from our wrong deeds and/or poor lifestyle choices.

Those of us who have been backsliding from our relationship with other Christians, studying Scripture, and/or God Himself need to return.  How easy is it to say I'll just sleep in Sunday morning and find yourself eventually not going to church at all?  How easy is it for someone to hurt your feelings and then become too proud to "deal" with those people anymore?  How many of us have gone through traumatic experiences only to disown God for His, seemingly, lack of protection?  We need to return to Him and know that eternity is eternal and that this earthly life is just a vapor.

The Lord's humbled . . . John A. Reeves

"The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot" (Proverbs 10:7).

Yesterday, my dog was taken to the vet.  It turned out to be a situation of dire-straights.  Surgery was needed or he would die.

It wasn't long ago that my wife found out that she had cancer.  Talk about dire-straights.  Well, she eventually died.  I have never been so distressed in my life.

I was amazed at how the situation with my dog flooded me with emotions.  I had to deal with a doctor, sickness, money, loss, lack of control, tears, and fear.  It took me back to my wife and the love and challenges that came with illness.

But in all things, I remember that I can turn and should turn to God.

The Lord's humbled . . . John A. Reeves

"But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope" (1 Thessalonians 4:13).

Grieving is a natural part of loss but not an easy one.  The loss can be anything from a job loss to the loss of a loved one.  (Please, see my article on God, Do You Love Me?)  But those who are in Christ have hope - Heaven.  Heaven is a place where God is and He promises to wiped away all our tears.  How glorious that will be. 

There are a couple of books on loss and grieving in my reference section.  It is hard to know what to say or how to act when someone is tramatized by loss and in the process of grieving.  My advice, as one who has experience the loss of a spouse, is not to give advice unless asked.  Be a good listener and offer a hug in quietness.  Yet, the best thing that can be done for someone in any loss situation is being proactive with the teachings of Christ.  The greatest gift you can give any person is the knowledge that the Lord is on thier side regardless of life's experiences.  Don't wait to teach them, and all people you come in contact with, the true Gospel of Christ and then "brothers . . . you may not grieve as others do who have no hope (I Thessalonians 4:13).

I encourage you to teach others, daily, about the hope in Christ.

The Lord's humbled . . . John A. Reeves