I Failed As A Watchman

by Chuck Ness

An acquaintance whom I worked with on a few jobs around the valley died from COVID complications this past week. He had respiratory problems already, and he was in his late 60s. My heart is broken, because I was a bad watchman. He knew I am a Christian, but I never pushed the issue of his faith to know where he was.

True, only God knows our hearts, and until we get to heaven none of us truly know where another persons heart is. Yet, I never heard him speak of Jesus, and he never joined in a conversation whenever I would bring up my faith or beliefs.

On his fb page he has never mentioned the name of a Jesus, nor even eluded to his faith in any way. I do know he spent much free time fishing and traveling places to fish, and he enjoyed drinking socially but was not one to over indulge.

Losing A Loved One

by Chuck Ness

Yesterday I was informed by a friend that they lost a close loved one. However he knows that his loved one is with our Lord, because those, like my friend and I, are all promised that if we put our faith in Christ, then to be absent from the world means we are Present with our Lord.

For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:1-8