I wanted to share the message that a pastor gave at my dad's funeral service. It was a good one and summed up my dad's life.
I couldn't make it, so my older brother recorded the service and typed the message. It was a military service. My dad served in the navy and was very proud of this. He also rode his motorcycle with the other veterans for charity. He loved us kids and was very proud of us.
This will be images of the message. You may have to zoom in to read it. Enjoy!
Psalm 135:15-18 ESV
[15] " The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. [16] They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see; [17] they have ears, but do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths. [18] Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them."
This passage speaks volumes as to why people refuse to listen to the Word of God and why they walk away when they hear the name of Jesus. They are so into their idols (cell phones, electronics, pornography, music apps, social media, jobs/money, gambling, online games, AI social apps, friends/family, YouTube/online entertainment services, food, drugs, alcohol, etc.), that they deny accepting Jesus into their lives. The desires of the eyes and the pride of life is what their minds and hearts crave. Therefore, they run to it. This is sin nature - they don't know what the other side of life is like so they ignore it thinking there are more ways to heaven and more time on earth.
They also can't see that the path they are walking is leading to destruction, to hellfire.
You see, God created us with a spirit that gets energized from reading His word and spending time with other believers. Studying his word, constant prayer, and seeking to have a character like Christ is what feeds our spirit - brings us back to life with a renewed purpose and plan for our existence (Jeremiah 29:11 ). This is why Christians will die with their faith in Christ because they know the difference between their new lives and their old ones. They can sense the change and would rather die preaching Jesus than die without Him and spend eternity burning in hell for that one mistake. It would be devastating.
This is also why, for over 2000 years, believers have given their lives to Jesus. And the movement has never died out. No matter how many Christians lose their lives, people are being saved and take their place over history. You would think people would take notice that this is a movement from God. But sin nature, together with our desires, blind us to this truth and to the voices out there that have seen heaven and hell and came back to warn the living ( Acts 5:34-40 ). They're out there - just look it up on YouTube.
I got on Tik Tok one day, and spent time watching videos just to see what all the hype was about. I went from one video to another, a constant scrolling and I noticed how mesmerized my eyes were to the screen. I couldn't pry my eyes away. When I did, hours had passed. Hours that could have been spent helping others, helping my husband, or writing for the Lord. Instead, I allowed this app to distract me and waste precious time.
Modern idols dull our minds and corrupt our spirits. We don't sense anything. Its frightening for me to think about. Not how I want to navigate life. I ended up repenting and deleting the app. I am struggling with other idols also that God is revealing to me. It is a struggle, but a good one. Addictions are hard to break, but with Jesus in our lives we know it has to be done. And we can lean on the Lord for help by crying out to Him. If we truly want to be set free, Jesus will carry us through the process.
If we honor the Lord, the Lord will honor us
I pray this post has hit home with you. What do you struggle with? Do you need prayer? Let me know and I will pray for you. It's a burden God has placed on my heart - to pray for those around me.
