Daily Devotional for Thursday May 16, 2013
Give the Gift of Life
(1 John 4:21, 2:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:9; Matthew 25:25)
***ASK BILL: Pastor Bill, few are chosen? What exactly does that mean? It makes it sound like only a few select people will be saved.
ANSWER: Scripture teaches that it is God's desire for ALL to be saved, that none be lost. Sadly, it is man exercising his freewill who makes that decision by faith to accept Jesus or reject Him. Those who will be saved have made the conscious, freewill choice to accept the Lord by faith. The "few" refers to the fact a large percentage will sadly reject faith in Christ. It also refers to the fact that even amongst Believers, God calls each of us to serve Him in various ways. Many however, choose NOT to fulfill his plan for their life by never fully surrendering to His will and serving Him as they are called!
The Bible is full of admonitions to love your brother; to love others. What an incredible way to show your love to someone whom you've never even met in this lifetime than by donating your organs and giving the gift of life! What does God say about this? Obviously, there are no passages of scripture that speak directly for or against donating your organs after you die. So, as is often the case, we need to take the whole counsel of God into consideration in looking at this issue.
Our bodies serve two purposes during this life. They are the clay shells that we occupy during our brief journey, and for the believer, they become the temple of the Holy Spirit during this life. The Bible is quite clear that when this life is over, it is our soul that lives on for eternity and our bodies will return to the ?dust of the earth? as God mandated. Our bodies serve no further purpose once we are dead.
Many ask about the "body" we will have after death. Scripture is clear that whatever body we will have will be a glorified body. Many people have their bodies destroyed in death. Whether you choose to be buried or cremated, your body will be destroyed. In cremation it is burned, in burial it slowly decomposes until it is nothing more than dust. So, the body we will possess post-death will be a glorified body.
Since our bodies serve no further purpose once we are dead, it simply becomes an issue for each person to decide how they will have their bodies disposed of. This means that before you are buried or cremated, donating your organs simply comes down to a choice each person has to make. If your organs are healthy and able to be used by someone else, there is really no good reason NOT to donate them. The reality is, when you are dead, you won't need them any longer.
What a great way to show love for someone than by literally giving of yourself so that they can continue to live. God clearly calls us to love one another; to serve others. Donating your organs is an incredible act of love and service.
I love you and care about you so much. I will be praying for you today that you will seriously pray about this special act of love. God gives us many opportunities in our life to serve others. This is the last act of service that we can perform, one that can literally save the life of someone else. Remember this, all that we have is from God and is simply on loan to us during this brief journey. That includes our organs. I pray, today, that you will seriously consider donating your organs once you die and give the gift of life.
Thank you so much for your love, for your prayers, and for your generous and sacrificial gifts to the work God is doing literally 24/7/365 here at Liveprayer. All we have done in millions of lives worldwide these past 165 months is because of YOU. Thank you for giving the gift of ETERNAL life to others when you pray for and give to Liveprayer!
In His love and service, Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller