Live To the Lord

This devotional touches on an event that forever changed my life and that of my family. Even in the midst of agonizing grief, we can know for certain that if we have lived for the Lord Jesus Christ, we will be with Him in heaven.

2MefromHim Devotionals

“For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”

Romans 14:7-8

He was gone. Struck by lightning under a clear blue sky—my daddy went to be with his Lord.

The same bolt of lightning hit the rest of the family as we were told about his death. Where was God? Why did this happen when I prayed he would live to see his grandchildren grown to adulthood? There in my new prayer journal was my request, written after having lunch with him one last time, a couple of weeks before his death. I lay in bed, unable to get up and do anything productive. Questions circled in my head—but there were no answers.

Two weeks later, a fellow discussion leader from Bible Study Fellowship called to see how I was. Her dad had died only a few weeks earlier. She understood my pain. At her urging I read my lesson for the week, and in it were words I needed to hear.

God causes us to pray in order to reveal what is in our hearts, and so we are able to see His answers when they come. It was my desire to have him with us. It was God’s wisdom to take him home that we might lean on God.

My children remember their grandpa for the active role he played in their lives, and he lives on in their hearts and memories. The things he taught them make a difference, even 17 years later.

Jesus teaches us to store up treasures in heaven, where moths and rust can’t destroy. One of my treasures is my daddy. He is waiting for the wonderful day when we are reunited as a family, when we’re together again.

His death has impacted the lives of more people than I can tell. Those who knew him well, and those who heard his story were touched by his life, committed to the Lord. Some never heard his name, but benefited from the lightning safety information our family spreads at every opportunity. Lives saved for a chance to know God—lives saved by coming to know Jesus Christ through his testimony.

I heard of another man this week whose life was indelibly impacted by my dad, and I wondered what I will be remembered for.

I choose to live for the Lord because I want to be remembered for honoring Him and I want to see my dad.

Ab0ut the author:

Norma Gail’s contemporary Christian romance, Land of My Dreams, released in 2014. She is a Bible study leader, and writes devotionals for ChristianDevotions.us, StitchesthruTime blog, and “The Secret Place.” She belongs to American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, and the New Mexico Christian Novelists. She is married and has two adult children.