Ascetic X
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The great 19th century evangelist Charles Finney mourned long and hard when his wife died.
She had been weak and ill for some time; Finney knew her passing was coming, and he labored long hours in prayer to surrender her to God, but when the day finally came for his wife to go home and be with the Lord, Finney found himself passing through “seasons of sorrow that were almost overwhelming.”
Eventually, during a time of deep prayer, God challenged Finney with the words, “You loved your wife?”
“Yes.”
“Well, did you love her for her own sake, or for your sake? Did you love her, or yourself? If you loved her for her own sake, why do you sorrow that she is with Me? Should not her happiness with Me make you rejoice instead of mourn, if you loved her for her own sake? Why do you think of your loss instead of thinking of her gain? Can you be sorrowful, when she is so joyful and happy?”
Of course, one could say it’s possible to be both happy and sad.
Sad for the lost years, sad that your children no longer have their mother, sad that you will miss her direct companionship, while happy for her blessed relief and sweet communion with God.
But it strikes me that death is the moment that tests just how “sacred” our marriages really are and just how real heaven is to us. It also reveals the root of our love—whether it’s selfishness or authentic love. Can we be truly happy that our spouses are enjoying their eternal reward, while we suffer without them? Won’t that be the true test of how selfless our love is?
— Gary Thomas
garythomas.com
Gary holds a B.A. in English Literature from Western Washington University, an MA degree in systematic theology from Regent College (Vancouver, BC), and an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Western Seminary (Portland, OR).
He served on the teaching team at Second Baptist Church, Houston for 11 years and is currently on the teaching team at Cherry Hills Community Church in Highlands Ranch, CO. Gary is also an adjunct faculty member at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon and was previously an adjunct faculty member at Houston Theological Seminary in Houston, Texas.
She had been weak and ill for some time; Finney knew her passing was coming, and he labored long hours in prayer to surrender her to God, but when the day finally came for his wife to go home and be with the Lord, Finney found himself passing through “seasons of sorrow that were almost overwhelming.”
Eventually, during a time of deep prayer, God challenged Finney with the words, “You loved your wife?”
“Yes.”
“Well, did you love her for her own sake, or for your sake? Did you love her, or yourself? If you loved her for her own sake, why do you sorrow that she is with Me? Should not her happiness with Me make you rejoice instead of mourn, if you loved her for her own sake? Why do you think of your loss instead of thinking of her gain? Can you be sorrowful, when she is so joyful and happy?”
Of course, one could say it’s possible to be both happy and sad.
Sad for the lost years, sad that your children no longer have their mother, sad that you will miss her direct companionship, while happy for her blessed relief and sweet communion with God.
But it strikes me that death is the moment that tests just how “sacred” our marriages really are and just how real heaven is to us. It also reveals the root of our love—whether it’s selfishness or authentic love. Can we be truly happy that our spouses are enjoying their eternal reward, while we suffer without them? Won’t that be the true test of how selfless our love is?
— Gary Thomas
The Root of Your Love - Gary Thomas
The Bible’s depiction of true love is so astonishingly unselfish, we may not even realize how much selfishness we take for granted and are blinded two. Two men—Charles Finney and John Gossip—had a wake-up call when their wives died and they realized the true root of biblical love. The lesson God...
garythomas.com
Gary holds a B.A. in English Literature from Western Washington University, an MA degree in systematic theology from Regent College (Vancouver, BC), and an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Western Seminary (Portland, OR).
He served on the teaching team at Second Baptist Church, Houston for 11 years and is currently on the teaching team at Cherry Hills Community Church in Highlands Ranch, CO. Gary is also an adjunct faculty member at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon and was previously an adjunct faculty member at Houston Theological Seminary in Houston, Texas.