He was exercising in the basement. He took off his shoes and socks, ready to come upstairs for a shower. That is how I found him. The Coroner said it was a sudden cardiac event. Jesus called him home. In the aftermath of his homegoing there were many practical things to do. Here are some of the words Jesus used to comfort and sustain me.

John 14:¹ Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. ²In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. ¹⁸ I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. ¹⁹Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.

John 17:²⁴ Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

Psalms 27:¹ (A Psalm of David.) The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? ¹³ I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. ¹⁴Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Psalms 103: ¹⁰He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. ¹¹For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. ¹²As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. ¹³Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. ¹⁴For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. ¹⁵As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. ¹⁶For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more. ¹⁷But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children; ¹⁸To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.

Psalms 145:¹ (David’s Psalm of praise.) I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. ²Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. ³Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness  is unsearchable. ⁴One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. ⁵I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works. ⁶And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness. ⁷They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness. ⁸The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. ⁹The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works. ¹⁰All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee. ¹¹They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; ¹²To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom. ¹³Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endure throughout all generations. ¹⁴The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. ¹⁵The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. ¹⁶Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. ¹⁷The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. ¹⁸The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. ¹⁹He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. ²⁰The LORD preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy. ²¹My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.

Hebrews 13:⁵ Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. ⁶So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

1 Thessalonians 4:¹³ But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. ¹⁴For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. ¹⁵For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. ¹⁶For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: ¹⁷Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. ¹⁸Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Where are you today? What are you feeling? Jesus loves you!  Jesus cares about you and wants to comfort you. Will you turn to Him?

Our challenge – Hebrews 12: ¹Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, ² Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. . ³For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds

Our focus -Dearly Beloved,

Run with your eyes on Jesus alone!

Run in faith that Jesus loves you, has uniquely designed and created only one you, has a good plan for your life, runs with you and will accomplish His purposes for you and through you!

Run in His strength alone!

Run with your eyes on the prize!

Run with the desire to finish strong!

Run with the desire to finish with your lamp burning!

Run with the expectation of being in His physical presence when you cross your finish line!

Run to His glory alone!

Run and keep on running!

Coach Patti