The enemy's been defeated....

The enemy has been defeated
And death couldn't hold You down
We're gonna lift our voice in victory
We're gonna make Your praises loud

Shout unto God with a voice of triumph
Shout unto God with a voice of praise
Shout unto God with a voice of triumph
We lift Your name up
We lift Your name up

Despite my questions, despite my struggles, despite suffering, despite discouragement, despite death, Christ has already defeated all. Just as I learned this summer, and continue to learn each and every day, Christ is my only certainty in life, as well as for after death. Christ is King over all creation, and should be first in my life also.

I was watching an episode of Fringe tonight, and then decided that it was far too serious for my mood right now. So then I found a Paul Wright song to listen to, but that dealt with suicide. Perhaps this seems more jarring to me because I had been having a "calm" time, a wonderful time, things were looking up, in a sense.

Tomorrow is Mrs Quimby's funeral. For many of us that knew her, we thought that she was going to make it through her injuries and fight her way out. We offered so many prayers on her behalf and thought of her so much during her last week on earth. Yet she did not make it. I have not thought so much about the question of "Why do bad things happen to good people?" as much as...well, I'm not sure how to word this. It seems ridiculously unfair to say that an amazing teacher and woman would not go to heaven to be with God. (I disagree with the statement that she is now one of God's angels -- I don't believe we are made into angels when we die. Following that logic, it would appear that Hitler would have become a demon, I suppose.) Yet if we truly got what we deserve for the times we do not do what is Christ-like, then we'd all be up a creek without a paddle (is that how the saying goes?) -- who knows in what shape we'd be.

I don't know if Mrs Quimby was a Christian, a follower of Christ, in a relationship with Jesus. I don't claim to know the answer to that question -- but the bottom line is that I just don't know.

What can be done? I want my friends to be with God once their time on earth is done. Being with God, experiencing His love and sharing that with others is one of the best things ever....at the same time though, it is very demanding, GOD is demanding in that I have to put God before all else in my life, and seek God's glory above my own, and learn to see others through Christ's eyes.

Recently we've been talking about how God is love, yes, but yet God demands ALL of us. It's not just a "feel-good" gospel about how much God loves and sent His Son Jesus Christ, but that once we accept the gift of forever living with God, we must live like Christ. A high calling, indeed, but God gives us everything we need -- in the form of the Holy Spirit to shape us in Christ's image.

"He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him." (Luke 8: 25)

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
Your perfect love is casting out fear
And even when I’m caught in the middle of the storms of this life
I won’t turn back, I know You are near

And I will fear no evil
For my God is with me
And if my God is with me Whom then shall I fear?
Whom then shall I fear?

Chorus:
Oh no, You never let go Through the calm and through the storm
Oh no, You never let go
In every high and every low
Oh no, You never let go
Lord, You never let go of me

And I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds on
A glorious light beyond all compare
And there will be an end to these troubles
But until that day comes
We’ll live to know You here on the earth