Strange gods come and go.



 

“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:8

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
A man named Solomon Peas died. His tombstone in London reads:

“Beneath these clouds and beneath these trees
Lies the body of Solomon Peas.
But this ain’t Peas - it’s just the pod.
Peas shelled out and went to God.”

I like that. That’s what your body is. It’s just a pod. What happens to a child of God who has trusted Christ as his personal Savior? When he closes his eyes in this life, he opens them in the next. Jesus did not say, “After two or three thousand years, you’ll be with Me in paradise.” Jesus said, “Today, truly, you’ll be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

This reminds me of my close friend Brother Brian Dayhuff  who always says if we are not able to meet then we shall meet in heaven. Wow! Just think about it . His words have mighty anointing power. He assures us to look at the bigger picture. Once you try practicing the same you will make a difference.  I think he follows the Holy spirit in whatever he does or says.  I am always blessed when I remember the words that he reminds me of and about the hope his life is all about. I thank the Lord for sending him and his family into my life.  

For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith’” (Romans 1:16,17). It is remarkable when it comes from Brian who also fought many a battle for the US army.

As a young, aspiring  leader, I began to wonder what it would take to excel in the years ahead.  My quest began with a calling and a vision. I also had a plethora of questions that drove my learning, an abundance of curiosity, and an immeasurable drive and passion that fueled me. What I didn't have though was a mentor to guide me in a personalized, customized way. I didn't have someone who was willing to take the necessary time and offer the invaluable investment to guide me, sharpen me, and motivate me to be who God designed me to be.  That's the dilemma I believe many young leaders face. That's the dilemma the church is staring in the face as we ponder how the next generation of leaders will be developed.

As my journey evolved, God did lead me to a few key mentors like Brian Dayhuff, Stanley Benjamin, Frank Farag, and Senior Pastor Eric Hansen that have truly altered the entire trajectory of my ministry, and my entire life. It hasn't been a path I expected, but it has been transformational, developmental, and most of all, personal. As a result, I've come to believe more deeply than ever in the power of being a mentor.  And perhaps more significantly, I've come to believe more deeply than ever in the power of being a servant of the Lord. 
 
Are you living your life well? That is an important question, because you never know when your life will end.

In a broad sense, life for the Christian will never end. There is an afterlife. There is a heaven. And ultimately, there will be a new earth where we will rule and reign. But according to Scripture, what we will do then is connected to how we live now. So we want to think about our lives and how we are living them today.

We all assume we will live a long life. Maybe you are a young person just getting started. Maybe you have lived many, many years. Maybe you are middle-aged. Whatever age you may be, you don't really know where you are in life's journey. And that is the thing we all have to think about.

We live our life as a story that is being told, and, for some of us, we may be further along in that story than we realize. So we have to ask ourselves questions like, "What purpose does God have in mind for me now that I have committed my life to Jesus Christ?" And, "What will the legacy of my life be? How will I be remembered?"

We are here to bring glory to God—nothing more, nothing less. So the objective is not to be the most successful or to have the biggest this or that. It is to be faithful to what God has set before each of us.
  
Irrespective of what happens, remember this; God is in control. Bad things will still happen; we live in a fallen world. But God is in control and history is moving toward His end. The ultimate needs of His children are met, and we have the promise of eternal life. Beyond that, we must cling to the fact that we are pilgrims, sojourners to another world—heaven, where our true citizenship lies.

Blessings,

Raj Kosaraju

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