I know that I know that I know that I know by grace I've been set free.
1 Thessalonians 4:13,14 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. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
Dad asked the Lord Jesus Christ to come into his heart and save him in December 1985, at the age of fifty-eight. Dad went home to be with the Lord on Wednesday morning, December 16, 2009. The following is taken from Dad’s own words that he wrote of his testimony of salvation and was read at the celebration of his life.
"I was raised in a family that didn’t attend church, but they did believe in God, so I was taught a strict Christian morality that most people we associated with accepted as all you needed to get into heaven. I guess somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew there was more to it than that, and occasionally I did discuss my salvation, or lack of it, with Christian friends, but with a total lack of understanding. The pressure of raising a family of eight children and just everyday cares of this world kept me too busy to do much searching for God, even when the desire was there. I also had a good job that I liked and I had lots of friends; I was doing fine without any help.
Although there was a time when I tried to study the Bible, I became disillusioned with religion. So when the Lord started working on other members of my family I kept out of it as long as I could. This wasn’t easy to do, as fantastic things were happening to the Blair family. Three of our children accepted Christ and I knew by the way they talked and acted that they had what I wanted.
By December 1985, the need to have Jesus in my life was all consuming. I had an ache in my heart and many sleepless nights. I asked Jesus to come into my life, but something seemed to stand in the way. Later that day, a visiting friend quoted “1 Thessalonians 4:16 For 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;”
It may sound stupid, but for the first time in my life I understood what it meant. Then it dawned on me that I had been born again, and as 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new,” …..I knew that I was changed and would never be the same."
After Dad was saved, one of his favourite expressions was, “ I know that I know that I know.” After all those years, he finally knew that he knew that he knew that he had been born again by the grace of God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. And not only that, but he would be kept by that same grace until the day he entered heaven. Dad also talked a lot about the freedom we have in Christ, often quoting “Romans 8:1a There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus,” He knew that in our own strength we can never live this Christian life, and there are times we all fail, but that Jesus came not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. Dad’s hope was not in himself, but in the forgiveness and saving grace of Jesus Christ.
After Dad’s retirement, he and Mom spent many hours tending a beautiful garden, which Mom had jokingly named, “The Garden of Ede ‘n Gerald.” Dad was always happy to give garden tours to anyone who dropped by, always quick to grab his shovel and share a piece of a plant with them. Dad wasn’t one to preach at people, but he had a way of quietly sharing his simple faith with anyone who came along, much the way he shared his garden. Peace, contentment and joy were evident in his life; he couldn’t imagine why anyone would not want what he had.
I wrote a tribute to my parents here: A Life Well Lived.
And Mom's testimony here: Remembering Mom
I wrote this song for Dad.
I made this slideshow using two of Dad's favourite songs, "Farther Along", and "You Know That You Know It."
A note about the second song.
You Know That You Know It is by Gordon Jensen. We knew we had to include that song in the celebration of Dad's life, but we didn't have it on a cd....only an old record of Dad's....and there was no place to download it from the internet. My nephew noticed that Gordon Jensen's website gave a phone number, so he decided to call. He left a message, explaining that this was his Grandpa's favourite song, and why we needed it. Gordon Jensen called him back and said he would send it out right away, and that it should arrive in a couple of days. He later called back and told my nephew that because the shipping was going to cost so much to get it here in time, he wouldn't charge us for the cd. What a testimony! How many people would care enough about a stranger to go out of his way to not only help us, but to donate his song? In case you don't know who Gordon Jensen is, he wrote songs such as "Redemption Draweth Nigh," and "Written In Red."
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Such a beautiful way to remember your dad, bless you my friend xx
ReplyDeleteThanks Chrisssie.
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