Tuesday, June 5, 2018

Fw: bittersweet

1 Thessalonians 5:For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
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Shirley and I attended a memorial service for a good friend this past Sunday.  This fellow was so full of life and fun.  He wasn't perfect but he wore his flaws openly and dealt with them honestly.  He came through the forge of life's trials and his own stumbles and had fallen before the Lord in complete submission.  His name was Tex...or at least that's what everyone called him, because he was from Texas.  He was warm and caring mixed with a bit of mischief and a love for theater/acting...coupled with a passion for the game of football, which he'd starred in Texas and at William and Mary.  All of this came together in the courtroom, where he was a defense attorney for folks like me (traffic tickets) but, more importantly, for folks who couldn't afford a lawyer..he eagerly stood in as the public defender.  He was passionate about standing up for those who didn't have the means of defending themselves.
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Reminds me of Jesus.....who stood up and was nailed up and then lifted up for all of us.
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Bittersweet.....that's the word that came to mind as I heard all the wonderful stories about Tex.....but far sweeter, ultimately, and satisfying to know that Tex is alive today in the place beyond pain and beyond our stumbles...the place where living with the Lord is a bigger experience than any courtroom, because Jesus has represented Tex and all who will trust in Him.
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We must taste the sweet and not the bitter over our loss, now become Heaven's gain.
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blessings,
Rob Smith

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"Death is inevitable.  Life is a choice!"

John 11:25
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live."


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