What more can be said?

In all honesty, I don't know if I (Jamey) have the emotional energy to even contemplate the roller coaster that the last two years have been, or to try and provide some kind of "new" insight.

When my brother Bobby suddenly and unexpectedly left this mortal existence, many lives were turned upside down.

Not much has changed, has it?  Life is still pretty topsy-turvy, maybe even more so.   

In all honestly, I think I said all I could possibly say about this in my post last year so I am not going to go into any deep exploration here today.  That post can be read here:  March 2012

However, there is something profound in being proverbially "slapped in the face" so hard you can't really catch your breath.  A person is forced to stop and contemplate.  In that time, we are pushed to think, at least for a few moments, what this existence is really about.

Much of this kind of talk, and commitments to make real life changes, were heard in the days and weeks after Bobby's death.

There were exhortations during the funeral services to NOT respond to this ultimate wake up call, by simply pushing the "snooze button" and going back to sleep, especially when it comes to matters of life and death, heaven and hell, etc.   

I recently came across a verse that really kind of struck me regarding this topic, and it is a dire warning to those who work to "clean up" their spiritual house, only to leave it empty and ultimately more exposed to further devastation.

Matthew 12:43-45 “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”

Now, I don't think this verse is intended to be taken as the foundation for building a Christian theology, and I realize it may not be particularly encouraging, but it remains a powerful caution to those religious and spiritually minded people who are unwilling to be fully submitted to God. 

We must be filled up with Christ for any change to be effective, particularly when it comes to being saved from the consequences of our sin guilt before God.  Trying to clean up our lives in our own strength is an errand doomed to failure.  

So, I would simply challenge all my family and loved ones to deeply and sincerely consider in your own hearts a few questions.  Have you drifted back into your old ways, of thinking, acting, responding?  Do the cares of this world push out considerations of the next life?  Are you living a life focused on self preservation, self satisfaction, self gratification, or whatever other selfish motive one can think of? 

I urge you to not let the warnings and the budding recognition of the temporariness of this life to go unheeded.  Don't let Bobby's early parting be in vain.  Make sure, today, that your eternal destiny is secure in Christ and in Him alone.  For only He is able to save to the uttermost, those who are dying. (Hebrews 7:25)

No other pursuit matters, ultimately and eternally.