I have never been so moved as I was yesterday in Darrell Burnhams funeral service. Such an incredible testimony of a life lived for and through God. The words that Sarah Burnham , Luke, and Drew spoke of their dad and how he faithfully taught them about Jesus every single day of his life and the peace, love, & security that gave them was so moving. How precious that they promised to spend their days showing honor to their dad by trusting and living for the same God that their dad taught them about. The words that his friends & colleagues spoke of him and of how he never tired of always doing the right thing, living an upright life, and always being kind to others was evidenced by the fact that there were 3,000 people at his wake. Darrells service accomplished just what Im sure Darrell would have wanted, what Tracy McMahon Burnham wanted, and what was no doubt pleasing to God. And that was that Christ was honored in his body, in life and in his death (Phil.1:20). I spoke with several gathered yesterday, who said the service and the words spoken about Darrells life caused them to look inward at their own lives and their own motives and their own testimony of faith. For myself, I can testify that my greatest regret in life is that I lost faith in what God could do in our lives and I that I turned away from God for a season, wasting years by putting all my attention & faith in friends, parties, & possessions. How wonderful that Christ does not command us to live in that dark place of regret, however. He calls us to live in the light, so all I can do now is to give thanks to God that He alone waited for me to come back to Him, He alone saved me and remade me. I can give thanks that God saved us for a purpose and that the joy I feel now comes from Him. I am thankful that my desire now is to live a life that will please the Lord. I urge you, brothers, in view of Gods mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God -- which is your spiritual worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12:2 Because of His grace, the hunger and thirst that I used to have for others approval & acceptance & for the best material possessions & for whatever would make me happy is being replaced by the desire for righteousness. There is no doubt, & I feel this every single day now, that Jesus wants to satisfy a deeper thirst in my heart—a longing for the One and only Source that can satisfy my soul. I do not do this perfectly, and I know I have to stay in constant contact with God throughout my day, or I can slide back into my old ways. I know satan tries to use our past & people to shoot us back down to that pit. Sometimes all it can take is a disapproving look from someone, or a feeling of rejection because someone doesnt speak or keep their distance, or a fakeness felt from others to cause the old feelings of insecurity to well up again. FORTUNATELY & THANKFULLY, however, all I have to do now is to do what Jesus did in Mark 8:33, when he rebuked Peter who disapproved of him: Get behind me, Satan!’ I have the armor of God now! After drinking deeply of Gods love my soul is filled with the same uncontrollable urge that King David felt: I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live and in your name I will lift up my hands. (vv. 2–4 NIV) Today, I will not be afraid to praise God for all He has done, and I will be unashamed to tell others, too. I KNOW that without Christ I would be destroyed, helpless and hopeless. I want to spend my lifetime in praise of God, and I want to find fulfillment and satisfaction only in the best — in God.
Posted on: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 14:26:20 +0000
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