It is the Lord’s Day and we will worship Him with joy this Sunday. As Jesus Christ is worthy of our focus, He will be our lone object of adoration. Yet I am also thinking with love and deep fondness of a great and godly woman who would have been in some church-house, somewhere worshiping Him with the saints this morning also. Today would have been the 61st birthday of my mother in law, Deborah Samples. She has spent the last three September 29th’s in paradise with her Savior after leaving this place in the summer of 2011. Her life was all about Him, His Kingdom and intentionally pouring His truth and love into others. I am not sure I have met a more selfless, gentle, sacrificial person than Deborah. I married her daughter and have reaped joy where Deborah sowed purposed example into Amy. My children were unspeakably precious to her and they are forever marked with the selfless love she poured into them while she was here. Deborah was rare and you that knew her understand that I don’t need to say much more than that. Earth does not have too many like her and I am so grateful that she has been in glory these 2+ years and free from what pained her below. We deeply miss her and take great comfort that it will not be too terribly long before we will be where she is and rejoice again together in ways that we could not rejoice as those confined to limitations of earth. Deborah is supremely happy today. She lacks nothing and is as free & filled as a soul can possibly be.
Amy and I will gladly serve our King today but we cannot lie to you…Deborah will be in much of our thoughts today. I am so blessed to have been able to see the selflessness of Jesus in action through her life. I hope to be more like her and Him before I make my own exit from this place.
“I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” – 1 Corinthians 15:50-58
If more of us here on earth could be like your precious Deborah, what a wonderful world we could have. The Holy Spirit will do that for us, if we will only die to our flesh daily and allow Him to lead our lives. Furthermore, it is the only way to win our victory in Heaven. Praise God for His great love for us, that He gave us His only begotten son, Jesus, to die for our sins and sending the Holy Spirit to live in us to be our strength and guide. May we ever be so grateful.
Beautiful. Thank you Baby!