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Given Up to Death

by Jerry Ousley  
7/10/2010 / Death

Ten count them, ten White Castles! I ate them all. I love those little sliders! My brother and I had taken our sons to a professional basketball game in Indianapolis. We had a great time. But, as with most events, afterwards we were hungry. We drove out of the city and after a few miles, right beside the interstate was a White Castle. We stopped and ordered.

They had a special going on and my nephew told my brother, "Dad, I can eat them all," so he ordered ten. When it was our turn, my own growing teenage boy ordered ten. I thought, "It is a good deal; I can't let these boys out eat me," so I ordered ten. We took them with us and ate on the way home. I finished them off and I was really full. But I hadn't let those teenage boys out eat me!

Later those ten White Castles began to work on me. I was up half the night with stomach cramps like I'd never had before and, excuse my frankness, expelling from both ends! I thought I was going to die and quickly put my house in order then prayed, "Lord, if you'll let me live through this I'll never eat ten White Castles again!" He did and I didn't! I still love those sliders but six is my new limit!

Of course my tale cowers in the shadows of other near death experiences. Death is a fearful thing to us. It is facing the unknown. Will it hurt? What is it like to slip from this life into the next? Very few really want to die. The victory over death comes only in first dying in Christ Jesus. Let me explain.

God the Father gave His own Son up to death. He allowed Him to die because it was so important to all of humanity. We needed the sacrifice of His sinless Son to pay the penalty of our own sin. He conquered death by being raised to eternal life the third day. Now, because of our Lord, we die to sin and are resurrected anew in Him when we get saved. Still, we must face physical death. Unless we are alive when the Lord returns, one day we all will face this phenomenon.

We often face death situations. Why does our loving God allow it? Because He knows that we must be tried to test our faith. It is not a test to prove anything to Him. He tests us already knowing our faith. But we don't always know our faith. The tests are not to prove anything to God but to prove our faith to ourselves.

Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:11, "For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body." Did you hear that? We are delivered to death for the sake of Christ that He may become preeminent in us. Paul knew what he was talking about. He often faced death. He was beaten, imprisoned and held for trial that could have result in execution. He was stoned and left for dead. He said in 2 Corinthians 11:25 that he was shipwrecked and was in the deep three times. In my mind I can almost hear the great Apostle. The first time he may have said something like, "I am the servant of God; why would He do this to me?" The second time with more faith he may have said, "I know the Lord lives in me so he must have a good reason for this trial. Sink or swim, I'm hanging on to Jesus!" By the third time, I'm certain his words were more like, "Look at me, all you angels and vile demons! Look at me, brothers and sinners. I'm going down again into deep, dark waters - into the very jaws of death. I'm a spectacle on display for everyone to see! I want you to know - God knows death can't hold me! He has told me that I'm not finished, and I'm not quitting. I'm not going to question my Lord as to why I'm being tested like this. I know this death situation is going to end up in a great glory to Him. So, all of you who are watching me - see how my faith comes out of this test as pure as gold!"

He also wrote in Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." Know this: That God will never let His children face a death situation, whether delivered from it, or called to go through it, without good reason. Yes, one day we will all cross over. When a loved one goes on it hurts us deeply. But be comforted in knowing that even that will only serve to make us victorious in the Lord, whether He delivers us from it, or we cross on over. It will be for our ultimate good.

Jerry D. Ousley is the author of ?Soul Challenge?, ?Soul Journey?, ?Ordeal?, ?The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel ?The Shoe Tree.? Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge.

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