Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. – John 3:18 (NIV)
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. – John 1:12 (NIV)
My brother emailed me to thank me for the birthday card I sent him few days ago and was so glad to receive it exactly on that special day. He was happier even to see the picture I enclosed of his nephew (my son) who had grown so fast and who he knew was a big blessing for my husband and I.
“They would bury this guy in a few days…” he added…
“He died from a heart attack. That’s really an awful thing when it suddenly occurs. We were just talking to him in a mall and then we heard what happened to him…”
This was the same brother who emailed me last month about his own brother-in-law who also passed away from a heart attack. His brother-in-law, who had been dear to my family, especially to my parents, who treated him like their own son. The relationship became more special as my brother ended up marrying one of their sisters.
Reminded me…I was just talking to my friend last night that it would be time again to renew our CPR (Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation) skills. But I told her I wanted to just take it near my house instead of going all the way down to the hospital where I used to work.
We, as healthcare providers, are required to renew it every 2 years. But since 2010, the American Health Association had changed the sequence of ABC (Airway-Breathing-Compression) to CAB (Compression-Airway-Breathing), giving more emphasis now on doing the compressions as they determined that it increased the chance of survival for those who become unconscious.
But......Does it?
That’s the man’s knowledge. When we enter the spiritual knowledge, it’s a completely different story. To know God is the highest form of knowledge. It becomes the source of strength for believers of Jesus Christ. Christ warns us not to have our hearts be satisfied and feel accustomed to the things of this world. It would only weigh the hearts down. But rather, when a man’s heart is being weighed down by sins, it is an opportunity to seek Christ and humble himself in front of Him. For anyone who welcomes Christ as their “Lord” are reborn spiritually, getting a new life from God. By faith, it is this kind of birth that changes a man’s heart. From the inside-out. A man’s heart being compressed to lessen its worldly desires to be replaced with things of God. CPR…God’s way is:
C- hrist
P-roduces
R-edemption
When a man has the knowledge of the Holy One, the more love and faith are strengthened by His truth. The more we know Jesus, the more we love Him. With this knowledge comes hope…of what is to come…Of what He had already done to save men from their sins. Man’s knowledge is but a blur compared to looking through the telescope of hope that Christ brings. And when he looks, he discerns the glory that is to come…With a sure confidence…
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
–Hebrews 12:2 (NIV)
So…even when death comes, there is no mourning. There is rejoicing. A true believer will not cry. Because of Christ’s promise of eternal life to those who believe in what He has done on the cross, when physical death comes, he will rejoice. He will sing…He will dance…
