(By: Norm Rasmussen)

The Precious Testimonies ministry recently received an email from a dear sister in Christ who was grieving deeply with life. After much prayer as to what we should do regarding her email, (she wasn't asking specifically for advice, but she obviously was crying out for some comfort and/or understanding in her pain), I felt the Holy Spirit wanted her to hear some things. Normally we don't publish this sort of thing for others to read such as yourself, because it's too personal, but there are so many people who struggle with the same issues this dear sister is struggling with that perhaps in publishing the response to her, God will use it to minister encouragement to others.

This is the email we received from Priscilla:   

"I have lost parents, sister, brother, husband and beloved pets. April 02, 2012, my little Ginger had a seizure and died. My faith in Christ is low. Ginger and Callie were my family. Now I am grief stricken at the death of Ginger. Callie and I are now alone in our grief. I am trying to come to terms with why God has let this happen in my life. All my loved ones died tragically." 

The response email that was sent to her:

Hi Priscilla:

From our earthly perspective, God hasn't handed you a 'bed of roses', that's for SURE! Wow. Thanks for sharing. 

On the human side of the equation, you have every reason to hate God, if that is what you should choose. Yet you'll surely reap what you sow. 

But God our Father never wanted His people (followers of Christ Jesus) to look on the human side of the equation. He wants them looking on the SPIRITUAL, eternal side of the equation.

The pain we experience in this life is allowed by God so we'll be more appreciative of heaven, once we get there. Heaven is not going to be the same for everyone. The ones who will appreciate heaven and eternity the most are those who were afflicted the most while living on earth, YET made a decision to sow APPRECIATION into God despite their pain. Everyone will enjoy heaven once there, but not everyone will have the same capacity to enjoy all that heaven and God has to offer there, offered throughout eternity no less.

We're going to reap what we sow. The unwise come up with reasons to be bitter at God for their pain. The wise choose to dig in with God to rise above their pain and literally THANK Him for it, knowing that God has plans for them in eternity many others will not experience, knowing that God holds the ace card (power) in how much He decides to bless us and reward us throughout eternity.

It's also a known reality that those who purpose to stay THANKFUL to God no matter how painful their trials, often are the ones God uses the most in THIS life to affect the lives of others for the glory of God. The more we can affect the lives of others for the glory of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, the greater rewards we are laying up in heaven, as Jesus told us to do in Matthew 6:19-21.

The wise starts sowing into God and sowing into eternity as soon as they realize the eternal significance of sowing and reaping. The unwise care only about the moment and can't be bothered with eternity. They are essentially spoiled rotten little brats (born selfish sinners just as God tries to tell us in the Bible) who demand quick fixes from God. God is not a quick-fix God, unless He chooses to be in certain situations. He didn't build the Grand Canyon in a day, nor did He create earth in an hour.  

The Mormons teach that each of us were angels - spirit beings - (on probation) before this life. There is nowhere in the Bible it says that, so if it be true, I assume it would have been Satan giving certain Mormon teachers that revelation, and not the Holy Spirit giving it to them. (Obviously Satan knows a lot of things we don't know, if he cares to impart them to others, and God allows him.) But I bring it up to make a point. Whether we were angels - spirit beings - previous to our life here on earth, or even the remote possibility that God formed our spirit and then dialogued with us moments prior to our being born a human baby, would it CHANGE our perspective of life IF a former conversation went something like this?

GOD speaking to your newly created spirit:  'I want to shower you with special blessings for eternity, but for you to appreciate the many blessings I want to shower you with, you need to learn to be appreciative. The more appreciative you are, the greater joy you'll experience - eternity without end. So to teach you to be appreciative, I am going to give you the opportunity to live life in a human body for a short while. You will experience a great deal of suffering while you live on earth, more suffering than many others - and it won't make much human sense to you, but if you purpose to rise above the pain and refuse to turn your back on Me, refuse to stay bitter - it will produce in you the ability to appreciate Me and the joy I give you like no other way can. Will you accept My desire in allowing you to live life as a human before returning to heaven's many joys?'

YOUR answer:  'Of course I will, Father! You know what You are doing. You are ONLY a good God and Creator, and why would I be so unwise as to distrust that You have Your very best intended for me throughout eternity?'

And the next thing you know you're a squabbling little infant in a very cruel world, asking yourself:  'What in the world did I get myself INTO?!' [It's okay to laugh. Proverbs 17:22 would imply it's medicine for the soul.]

Priscilla, if you don't seriously seek God to gain some insight into sowing and reaping and what your existence is REALLY all about, be honest and ask yourself this very sobering question: 

'Is it possible that I'm being strongly tempted to flunk life's test on behalf of my heavenly Father's ETERNAL purposes for me?'

I perceive you are a wise person, yet obviously at an important crossroad in your life. Release your faith and take the path of wisdom. It will pay rich ETERNAL dividends. 

Blessed To Be A Blessing,
Norm Rasmussen, Fisherman for Precious Testimonies

To God be thanks and to Him be all the glory! Here is the short response we received back from Priscilla:

Thank you for your response to my email. It is something I will treasure.

Dear Reader - are you at peace with God? If not, you can be. Do you know what awaits you when you die? You can have the assurance from God that heaven will be your home, if you would like to be certain. You can even have that assurance RIGHT NOW! Either Jesus Christ died for your sins, or He didn't (He did!). Are you prepared to stand before God on the Judgment Day and tell Him that you didn't need the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross to have your sins forgiven and get in right-standing with God? We plead with you...please don't make such a tragic mistake. 

To get to know God, to be at peace with God, to have your sins forgiven, to make certain heaven will be your home for eternity, to make certain that you are in right-standing with God right now ... please click here to help you understand the importance of being reconciled to God. What you do about being reconciled to God will determine where you will spend eternity, precious one. Your decision to be reconciled to God is the most important decision you'll ever make in this life, because in Christ, it is impossible to put a value on the worth of your soul in light of eternity.

PLEASE HELP US HELP YOU SHARE THE BEST NEWS GOD HAS FOR EVERY PERSON BECAUSE...

JESUS DID IT! 

Remember:  All that we do in this life comes back to our God-given purpose which is to serve and glorify God. The money and assets we accumulate, the fame and power we've attained or seek to attain - all of the things of this nature will one day pass away, but those lives of others we impact for Jesus Christ will last for eternity, and we will be rewarded for the part we helped play by impacting those lives ... for eternity. (Matthew 6:19-20 is our assurance)