ABUNDANT LIFE

 

Abundant Life

 

Intro:  Today we are looking at the two more of Jacob’s sons.  They are Gad and Asher.  Let us first look at Gad. 

 

Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders, but he will attack them at their heels.  Gad is the seventh son of Jacob through Zilpah.  His name means fortunate or blessing.  He lives to be 125 years old and had 7 sons.  Being the seventh son and the son of a handmaiden was said to have forced him to assert himself. He had to become confident and make himself a part of the family. Like his brother Asher, however, he was also characterized by a very friendly temperament towards his siblings.  With his confidence and strength, Gad seemed to be a natural warrior. In fact, some sources claimed that Jacob hid Gad from the Pharaoh out of fear that the young boy would be conscripted as a royal bodyguard.

Gad's tribe became herders of cattle but also retained a reputation as some of the fiercest warriors amongst the Israelites. It's worth noting that they were renowned for the strength of body, as well as the strength of mind.  In Jacob's blessing and through history we know the Tribe of Gad knew that they would be invaded and tested, but that they would fight and ultimately prevail. Rather than hiding from this fate, they voluntarily occupied the lands most likely to be invaded. Like their founder, they asserted themselves, accepted their role in the Israelite community, and lived with confidence in their ultimate victory.

Here are some great lessons we can learn from Gad. 

1.       Be a blessing to all who come into contact with you.  Walk in love acceptance and forgiveness.  Be that fortunate person in people’s lives.  A person people are glad to see not go.

2.      Be confident and make yourself  a valuable part of a family of God.  Always be learning, take on

new challenges, be creative, faithful, obedient to the Lord, walk in wisdom, honest and integrity.

3.      Gad was known as friendly temperament and work within his family.  Gad could be trusted and relies upon.  This is so important in times like this.  Talk about Larry Knutson

4.      Be a warrior.  As Christians we are warriors for Christ.  Be a person that the enemy is afraid of.  He a person of the word and prayer.  Remember we are more than conquerors in Christ.  Resist the devil and he will flee.  Be strong in the Lord.  You can take your world for Christ. 

5.      Be a person of person of strength.   Remember you will always prevail when you rely on the strength of the Lord. 

6.      The last lesson is that you will be attacked and tested but in time you will prevail.  Testing, trials, temptation comes to all but how you act and react will determine it you prevail.  Never quit or give up.  Winner never quit.  A test becomes a testimony.  A conqueror is someone who has conquered something.  An overcome has overcome something and a victor chooses not to be a victim. 

Asher’s food will be rich, he will provide delicacies fit for a king.  Asher is Gad’s younger brother  his mother was also Zilpah and his name also means happy.  Leah said that about him in Gen 30:13.    Asher had four sons and one daughter.  Moses said of Asher: "May Asher be blessed above other sons; may he be esteemed by his brothers; may he bathe his feet in olive oil." (Deuteronomy 33:24).  Asher was the very one whose endeavor it had always been to reconcile the brothers.  Asher's motivation is described, by classical rabbinical sources, as being entirely innocent of evil intent, and always in search of harmony between his brothers.  Asher's descendants in more than one regard deserved their name ("Asher" meaning "happiness"). The tribe of Asher was the one most blessed with male children;[ and its women were so beautiful that priests and princes sought them in marriage.  The abundance of oil in the land possessed by Asher so enriched the tribe that none of them needed to hire a habitation.  The soil was so fertile that in times of scarcity, and especially in the Sabbatical year, Asher provided all Israel with olive-oil.  This is why Jacob looking propheticly said they would be rich.  In some translations they are called the royal dainties tribe.   The Asherites were also renowned for wisdom.  They had an abundant life. 

Lessons we can learn from  Asher

1.       Joy and happiness is the root of Abundant life.  It makes you blessed and esteemed.  Jesus promised to give us and abundant life.  You know your source is God.  You are generous with yourself and others.  You are a giver and love to bless others. 

2.      Being abundant is you are a peacemaker, Jesus says this give you a title of a son of God.  You have the nature and character of a son of God.  Your desire to reconcile other gives you as Paul says the ministry of reconciliation.  You are not an enabler but a go between, a diplomat or ambassador. 

3.      This makes you rich.  Not just materially but in character and nature.  You are the person be want to be like and be around.  You are fertile and blessed even in times of scarcity.     

4.      You have wisdom and you know this comes from having a respect, fear and awe for God.  You also know then when you lack wisdom you can ask of God who will give it liberally. 

quotes for july 28, 2026

 

ABOVE AND BEYOND

 

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

 

 

1.      In Vs 1, Paul sees himself not as a prisoner of Rome but for the Lord.  Paul had made a decision to appeal to Caesar after he had his audience with Festus because he knew if he went to Jerusalem that he would be killed.  In Acts 27:23, Paul was told by an angel that he was going to testify before Caesar.  Paul was waiting for an audience with Nero. 

 

a.      Circumstances did not put him where he was it was the will of God.  You are where you are for a reason.  All things work together for good when you trust the Lord.  Nothing happens without a reason.  Circumstances are neutral.  How you react determines what happens next.

1.      Time-out. Try to stop yourself from immediately reacting. 

2.      Ask yourself why this situation occurred to try to identify the root cause.

3.      What was your contribution to what happened?

4.      Don’t dwell on negativity. Move-forward with your day with a clear mind & positive thoughts.

5.      Pray and invite God into the situation.  Get wisdom from the word.

 

b.      Paul then urges his readers and us to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.  James calls this faith with works.  Your role model and example is Jesus.  Have fruit that shows you are a Christian.  Paul then tells you exactly how to do it.  In fact in the next two verses he gives us seven examples. 

 

2.      In Vs 2, Paul then gives us four practical things that will help us to live a lie worthy of the calling that we have been given.  Did you ever think you actually had been called?  Salvation was not your idea.  God in His mercy called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

 

a.      Paul begins with be completely humble.  Biblical humility means believing what God says about you over anyone else's opinion, including your own. It requires embracing who you are in Christ over who you are in the flesh. To be biblically humble is to be so free of concern for your own ego that you unreservedly elevate those around you.   It is freedom from pride and arrogance.  It is an attitude of gratitude and thanksgiving.

b.      Being gentle this is an exhibition of love. Being gentle means taking a step back from a stressful situation or scenario, and readdressing it later with the correct feelings and intentions.  Gentle comes from love, consistency of character, peace and empathy.  It means no matter what you do I will not do the same to you.  It means making a choice to forgive when wronged.  Gentleness is real strength. 

c.      Being patient.   It is a quality of self-restraint or of not giving way to anger, even in the face of provocation; it is mercy and compassion in action.  It means giving someone the benefit of the doubt.  It is also the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.  It is faith, hope and love in action.  It is being patient with yourself and others. 

d.      Bearing one another in love and being there for others.  Giving with any thought of recompense.  It is lifting others up.  It is coming along side and giving help and support.   James says we are to give when it is our ability to do so. 

 

3.      In Vs 3, Paul gives the last three examples of how we should live a life worthy of the calling that we have received.  These three are absolutely essential to get along with everyone at any time.  These are also decision of choice.

a.      Make every effort to keep unity.  Unity means the quality or state of being one. 2 : the state of those who are in full agreement. 3. Harmony.  It means going the extra mile.  Agreeing on the things you can.  A conscious effort to overlook the fault, failures, foibles of others.  The secret is the next point.

b.      It is unity in the Spirit.  It is our faith and love for Christ that is the center of our unity.  As the church we have more to unite us than divide us.  Here are the essentials of the faith.  Deity of Christ, salvation by faith, salvation through Jesus Christ alone, resurrection of Jesus Christ, monotheism, virgin birth and Trinity.  We also believe that Jesus is Savior, healer, baptizer in the Holy Spirit and soon coming king.  The main ordinances of the church are communion and baptism in water.  It is the Spirit who will help us but we have to make a decision to do this.  The secret is listening to the Spirit as He reveals the word.

c.      Lastly, through the bond of peace.  Peace is absence of conflict and warfare.  There is a bond of peace between us.  Our love for Jesus Christ is our bond.  That is what makes us brothers and sisters.  Our mutual salvation makes us family.  The Prince of Peace has given us peace and we in turn must do the same in our world.  It is having a peace loving spirit that puts the stress of what we have and not on what we do not have together.  It is an agreement a fellowship, friendship among family and friends.  I like this last thought.  In our spirit and in our day to day walk donning the garments of gentleness, humility, and patience as we seek God’s healing in our relationships. 

 

 

 

 

GOOD WORD

 

Joseph threw himself on his father and wept over him and kissed him. 2 Then Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So the physicians embalmed him, 3 taking a full forty days, for that was the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.

                                                                       

So here we get a view of how this operated in the ancient world.  Joseph after his father had breathed his last throws himself on his father and wept and kisses him.  We always have emotional responses when someone we care and love passes unto eternity for the Christian it is a celebration.  Someone who has served the Lord has been promoted.  It is a time of sorrow and grief.  Yet it is also a time of rejoicing, victory and freedom.  There is such a difference between a Christian homecoming and an ungodly person.  So Joseph then directed the physicians in his service.  He would have had no less than a dozen physicians attending him and his family.  There was always attending medical help in the Egyptian nobility.  In fact medical people were held in such regard that even one name Imhotep became king.  Their responsibility was to care for the living.  In fact Egypt was the first society that actually had universal medicare.   Then when their patients died they became responsible to embalm and prepare a body for burial.  It was easier to do in Egypt because it was hot and dry.  This is the step-by-step process of how mummification took place:  Remove all internal organs.  Let the internal organs dry.  Place them inside canopic jars.  Place the heart back inside the body.  Rinse inside of body with wine and spices

Cover the corpse with (salt) for 70 days.  After 40 days stuff the body with linen or sand to give it a more human shape and after the 70 days wrap the body from head to toe in bandages.  Place in a sarcophagus a type of box like a coffin.  The time of mourning lasted 70 days.  During this time the physicians would wear the mask of Anubus but since Jacob was a worshipper of God this would not have been done.   In many ancient societies, remembrance of the dead ensured their continued existence in the afterlife and a great showing of grief at a funeral was thought to have echoes in the Hall of Truth where the soul of the departed was heading.  The grander the funeral, the greater position in eternity.  They also believed that the material and immaterial were connected by death.  You have heard it said that death is only the beginning.  The Bible puts it this way, “you have one life to live and then judgment.”  What we do does matter especially concerning Jesus Christ.  Only Jesus can secure us a place in heaven.

 

 

4 When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s court, “If I have found favor in your eyes, speak to Pharaoh for me. Tell him, 5 ‘My father made me swear an oath and said, “I am about to die; bury me in the tomb I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.” Now let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.’”6 Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do.”

 

Now this is an interesting piece of scripture.  When the days of mourning had passed Joseph had an audience with the court of Pharaoh.  The king would have a group of advisers who worked on his behalf, usually 7-12 men chosen from the noble families of Egypt.  Even though Joseph was Prime Minister what he was requesting was beyond normal protocol.  He told them his father had asked to be buried in Canaan.  So he was asking permission of Pharaoh.  The group of leaders would be his representatives in this matter to Pharaoh.  Remember Joseph had broken many sacred traditions and he was from a non Egyptian.  Jacob’s families were non Egyptian they were in the land because of a special a royal decree.  To leave they needed a royal approval.  Joseph had followed Egyptian customs concerning mummification but not any of the normal burial procedures.  This must have been very concerning to the idol worshippers of the land.  Joseph also had to give the king assurance he was going to return.  This was obviously a concern to the royal advisors.  Here we get a view of how the ancient court of Egypt operated.   We see that everything still ran through the King because of Joseph’s position in the government.  There were also safety issues based on Joseph’s position.  They would need an army escort for Joseph’s protection.  It was a big deal.  Joseph would also have to give a time limit for how long he was gone.  The king gave permission to Joseph because in ancient Egypt and oath given by a Father to a son was binding.  To not do a last request was to dishonor the person who had died.

 

7 So Joseph went up to bury his father. All Pharaoh’s officials accompanied him—the dignitaries of his court and all the dignitaries of Egypt— 8 besides all the members of Joseph’s household and his brothers and those belonging to his household. Only their children and their flocks and herds were left in Goshen. 9 Chariots and horsemen also went up with him. It was a very large company.

 

This is incredible.  Joseph goes to bury his father.  All of the king’s official and dignitaries of Egypt go with him.  They held Joseph in such high regard all the elite of Egypt went with him.  You see the reason for the king’s permission.  What a honor for Jacob and Joseph.  The man who left Canaan with nothing when he went to Mesopotamia to find a wife now has the royal funeral with all the top people of Egypt there.  Only God could pull this off.   They leave Amaris the Hyskos capital then stop at Goshen to pick up the brothers and their wives.  The children and flocks and herds were left behind.  Chariots and horseman went with them.  This was their means of travel but also they were their protection.  Remember the entire Egyptian court and leadership was with them.  If they were attacked the entire

Empire could come down.  Moses who wrote Genesis shows his knowledge of Egyptian society here.  He says they were a large company.  Truth be told they would have been thousands of them, most likely tens of thousands.  The people of Canaan probably thought they were being invaded.  This is also another reason for Pharaoh’s permission.  Certain alliances needed to be observed as well.  They had to assure the residents that this was a funeral and not an invasion.

 

10 When they reached the threshing floor of Atad, near the Jordan, they lamented loudly and bitterly; and there Joseph observed a seven-day period of mourning for his father. 11 When the Canaanites who lived there saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “The Egyptians are holding a solemn ceremony of mourning.” That is why that place near the Jordan is called Abel Mizraim.

 

It would have taken most likely about three weeks to get such a large group of people there.  Also they also stop at the Jordan.  They were observing alliances and negotiated trade routes.  They did not want to risk war or battles.  They get to Atad near the Jordan.  This actually Hebron , Atad would have been the Egyptian name for it.  There Joseph and the officials lamented loudly and bitterly.  Remember the Egyptian custom of the bigger the ceremony the more honor and position in eternity.  Joseph did this for the Egyptians.  Joseph holds a seven day period of mourning.  This would have been the Hebrew tradition.  So you see Joseph’s diplomacy at work.  On one hand he is honoring the Egyptian traditions but also introducing them to his.  The work of the godly is to help the ungodly to understand the righteous way of life.  The best way is to live it.  Remember we are the only bible many people read.  The Canaanites saw what was happening and name the place Abel Mizraim which means the place of Egyptian mourning. 

 

12 So Jacob’s sons did as he had commanded them: 13 They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre, which Abraham had bought along with the field as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite. 14 After burying his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, together with his brothers and all the others who had gone with him to bury his father.

 

     Now Joseph and his brothers then head into Canaan and they buried him in the place that was the family burial site.  This was their private family ceremony.  They would have done all the traditions associated with Hebrew traditions.  They also did this because they had been former residents but had been gone for 17 years.  The Egyptians stayed at Hebron or Atad to show it was not an invasion.  Joseph would have went with a small escort but this was protection.  They honored their father and what he wished.  The pilgrim, sojourner, the last of the Patriarchs, the great man of faith was finally home.  Joseph then returns to Egypt with his family and all who travelled with him.  Today we got a glimpse from the Bible.  We saw the process of mummification and burial procedures.  We saw how Egyptian government worked.  We learned about how ancient people travelled and the importance of being wise and observing alliances and avoiding war.  We saw Joseph’s wisdom and diplomacy and his knowledge of how to operate in a pagan society.  We then got a glimpse of how Joseph was a man of his word.  So many lessons.  Now what can we take away from this message.

 

1.       God will honor us in a pagan world if we just love, serve and honor him.  Just work on your relationship with God and leave your reputation to Him.  Jacob had the biggest burial of any of the patriarch’s

2.      Know the world in which you live.  Remember you are in this world but not of it.  It is our responsibility to explain the Christian world to a ungodly world.  We do it by explanation and living it out.  Be like the men of Isaachar.  Know the times in which you live.  We are the ambassadors of God in our world. 

3.      Like Joseph be aware of the traditions and beliefs of others and know how to navigate them.  Often they are stepping stones to salvation.  That does mean you do them but understand them.  Jesus said we are to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. 

4.      Be a person of honor, integrity, truth, love mercy grace, transparency and accountability.  People respect that.  They may not understand you but they respect you.  Joseph had this large entourage because of who he was and what he had done for them.

5.      Lastly remember we are pilgrims passing through.  This is not as good as it gets.  Remember you are looking for better, a city foursquare whose maker and builder is God.  Are you ready? 

A GREAT COUNTRY

 

A great country

 

Robert Dean Steel

Pastor of Cornerstone Community Church

 

     Recently was Canada Day.  I was born and raised in this country.  It has been my home for a long time.  There are many great things about this country which I want to talk about for a moment.  I got saved in Havre Montana but have spent my entire Christian life in this country.  I have had the privilege of pastoring here in 2 provinces and one territory.  In all of the places I have pastored I have found the people warm, wonderful, and caring.  This is one of the great natures of this country.  Canada is a welcoming and warm place to come too.  My daughter in law and granddaughter are recent immigrants and love this country.  Our freedoms, medical and education systems are second to none.  

     In Canada, we have beautiful scenery.  We have been blessed with vast resources and a massive country in which to live.  Think about it our population ratio to landmass is one of the lowest in the world.  We are the second-largest country in the world in sheer size.  Canada has 25% of the world’s freshwater.  We have the largest boreal forest area in the world.  Canada has one of the largest reserves of natural gas and oil.  Some of the largest lakes in the world are within the borders of Canada.  As far as age Canada is actually one of the youngest countries in the world.  We are 153 years old which is very young among the nations of the world.  Canada has been ranked among the most popular countries to live and has won the award several times as being the best country in the world to live. 

     I considered it a real privilege to not only be born here but be a resident of this country since my birth.  My children were born here and my grandchildren are being raised here.  God has been good.  Canada is far from perfect.  We face many of the same problems nations face around the world.  Yet we have a resourceful and creative people whom I believe with God’s help can overcome any adversity. 

     I have had the privilege of pastoring in St. Albert for the past ten years.  This is truly the most beautiful city in this province.  It has been rank as the best city in the province and I would not disagree.  The Sturgeon River which runs through our downtown is certainly one of the most photographed places in the Edmonton area.  We have a vibrant and welcoming community.  I thank the Lord every day for the privilege of pastoring here. 

     As I reflect on my country and what is means to be a citizen of this fine country I am grateful for my relationship with God.    I considered it a privilege to pray for my country.  We are exhorted in the bible to pray for our country so we can live a quiet and peaceful life.   I call on all Canadians to have a moment of prayer and ask God to lead and guide our leaders, whether they are federal, provincial or municipal.  Let ask the Lord to help them walk in integrity, transparency, accountability, and wisdom.  Let us pray that our nation comes back to God and that there would be a nationwide revival.  

     Our national anthem contains a couple of phrases that I want to close with.  We are known as the true north, strong, and free.  I am asking God to keep our land, glorious and free.  My part is to stand on guard for Canada.  Will you join me and be a watchman on the wall.  Let us cry our night and day for this nation.  Let us ask God to protect it, lead it, and guide those in authority.  Let us believe God for a nationwide revival.  Our peace tower in Ottawa says, “That He shall have dominion from sea to sea.”  Let us pray that God will have dominion from the sea, to sea, to sea in Canada.

QUOTES FOR JULY 27, 2026

 

GLORIOUS END

 

27 “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder.”  28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him.

 

     Jacob is now finishing his prophetic thoughts on his son by Rachel.  We get a little insight on the personality and future of the tribe of Benjamin.  Benjamin's name arose when Jacob deliberately changed the name "Benoni", the original name of Benjamin, which means the Son of my right hand, since Benoni was an allusion to Rachel's dying just after she had given birth, as it means "son of my pain.  Benjamin became the source of struggle when Joseph wanted him to join him in Egypt.  We covered that in an earlier message.  We glean that Benjamin is ambitious, rugged, and an A type personality.  He likes to win and he was deadly in battle.  In Gen 34, we have the sons of Jacob looting Shechem  and that would include Benjamin.  Benjamin had ten sons and the tribe came from them and they were fierce in battle.  Saul the first king of Israel was from Benjamin.  The tribe of Benjamin beat the others tribes in the book of Judges and were nearly wipe out because of their stubbornness.  Later they were the only tribe that stayed with the line of David when Israel rebelled. 

     So Jacob finishes his prophetic blessing over each of the boys.  He gave each one a blessing appropriate to them.  These are powerful prophetic blessings.  In ancient times a blessing was given for legacy, encouragement, a place of favor, inheritance and station in the family.

 

29 Then he gave them these instructions: “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite. 31 There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah. 32 The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites.

 

     Jacob now gives his final instructions.  He knows he is about to die.  Here we get a glimpse of the ancient world and how it operated..  Like today final instructions are binding in law.  Families then like today are to honor the last requests of a loved one.  To not do so brings dishonor.  The only time it was ignored is when the final request broke the law of the land or was unkind, dishonest or deadly or the person dying was not of sound mind.    He tells them to bury him in the cave of Machpelah in Canaan.  He tells them this is where Abraham, Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah and where Leah is buried.  Leah is buried here because she became the love of Jacob’s life after Rachel died.  What a story of restoration and healing.  I love this because even though Rachel was his first love.  Leah was his final love.  It shows that true love wins in the end.  Faithfulness, loyalty, integrity, inner beauty, grace, and consistency wins out.  Leah won Jacob’s heart and the honor of being buried beside him.  

     Jacob looked at himself as a pilgrim passing through life.  He never had a home and even though he was in Egypt it was not his home.  The only place he considered his own was this piece of ground in Canaan.  Jacob like Abraham was looking for something better a city whose maker and builder were God. 

 

33 When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.

 

You could not get better staging.  Jacob finishes giving his instruction.  We see he has been sitting on the side of the bed.  Each boy had kneeled before their father received their blessing.  He then lay’s back on the bed.  The blessings and the final burial instructions have been given.  He has finished his course and he has kept the faith.  The suplanter, the cheat, the schemer and the manipulator.  The man who became Israel and prince with God.  The man who saw angels and talked with God.  The man who Fathered ,12 sons and one daughter.  The man who stayed true to God in a pagan world.  The man of legacy, truth, righteousness, and worshipped God on his walking stick.  A man who had  a people, land and nation named after.  The last of the patriarch’s.  He had a glorious end.  So my question is what do you want your legacy to be.  Paul’s was this.  2 Tim 4:6 For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.  D.L. Moody said this, Some day you will read in the papers that D. L. Moody, of East Northfield, is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now. I shall have gone up higher, that is all; out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal—a body that death cannot touch; that sin cannot taint; a body fashioned like unto His glorious body.  Billy Graham said this, Someday you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God.

 

Here is reality as I close today.  We are all only a moment away from death.  It could happen through natural means or supernatural means.  We must live ready.  My question is what shall you be known as, and what is your legacy?  What will people say about you?  I have heard lies and truth at funerals.  I know often the person the casket is nothing like what is said in the Eulogy.  I have seen the difference between a godly funeral and ungodly funeral.  I have to dispel a Christian myth.  Many churches expound that if you get baptized as a child that secures you a place in heaven.  It does not.  Only a personal relationship with Jesus does that.  Just, because a family member is a Christian that does not make you one.  Also going to church does not.  Going to church does not make you a Christian anymore than going to a garage makes you a car.  Live your life so well and for God that I will not have to lie at your funeral because I won’t.  We are only a moment away from the return of Christ.  Every moment we live we are one moment closer.  Are you ready?  Will you have a glorious end?  I ask my wife one time what she thinks I will be known for, she said without hesitation my prayer life.  I am satisfied with that.  I have a prayer that all my children and grandchildren will serve the Lord.  Jacob lived well and died well.  Let us pray we will as well.