I love you.

I hope you are doing well. As I told some of you, my dad was in the hospital last week. Thank you for your phone calls and e-mails. I thought he was going to recover and be home soon. He did not recover; on Saturday night he went Home with the Lord. He is going to be missed, but he is in a better place.

He had a heart attack (muscle deterioration in the heart), apparently due to medication he had used for quite some time. That is what caused him to go to the hospital on Sunday. He had another heart event on Saturday, which lead to his death. Definitely, read about potential side effects of medication and keep track of those things even if years go by. Regardless of the cause of his death, it was his time to go. Not a sparrow falls without God knowing it.

My dad recalled good times and laughed a lot during his week long stay in the hospital; he was a joy to be around until the end. The best part of his time in the hospital for me was when I asked him what he would respond if we were to die at that moment and were asked why we should go to heaven. He said, "Because of the merits of Jesus." My dad brought up many things that helped me realize he had stopped practicing and/or believing several unbiblical things, like praying to the "saints". This week, God assured me that my dad would be in heaven.

I didn't have that assurance for my grandparents' eternal life. I know some of you have lost your grandparents, who as far as you know were probably not Christians; know that God is a just and a fair God. It would be difficult to become a Christian if one's parents died and were not professing Christians. None of you have lost your parents. Please, accept Jesus and share His truths with your parents, with everyone, before it is too late.

My dad had these verses highlighted right next to a chair he would always sit in:

(Man's need)

Roman 3:23

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.



(Sin's Penalty)

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.



(God's Provision)

Romans 5:8

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.



(Man's Response)

Romans 10:9

That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

These are the basic truths that, if accepted, allow you to begin a relationship with Jesus that leads to abundant life here on earth and eternal life in heaven.

The Bible is the only book that predicts the future accurately. If you don't think the Bible contains facts, please read the first entry I posted on July 13, 2007 on my blog: www.livingluzly.blogpsot.com. The second one I posted on that day is below. There are several good books on Christianity, many by C.S. Lewis. As I have mentioned in the past, I recommend The Case for Christ. It was written by Lee Strobel, a legal editor for the Chicago Tribune, who received a master's degree at Yale in Law Studies.

What do you believe? What is that based on? Please, start asking yourself these questions. Tomorrow may be our last day on Earth. I asked myself, "Where would I go if I died tonight?" I knew I couldn't earn my way into heaven. None of us can; as Romans 6:23 says: eternal life is a gift. Will you accept God's sacrifice on the cross for you?

I love you.

So thankful for His love,

Luz



The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

Galatians 5:6



p.s. This information strengthened my faith:

People die for what they believe: kamikaze pilots, suicide bombers, etc. Jesus' apostles died terrible deaths for what they believed. However, they were in a unique position: they either saw Jesus die and rise from the dead, or they did not. If they did not see him rise from the dead, why would the die for something they KNEW was a lie?


The apostles were beheaded, crucified, hung, and quartered. If I was about to be torn in to four pieces for proclaiming a lie, I would say, "Just kidding". They didn't, because it was and is the truth: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life" John 3:16.