Key Bible Verse: We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long for the day when we will put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing (2 Corinthians 5:2). Bonus Reading: Psalm 90:1-17

My friend Willie Reid started a church with a big dream and just two people—Willie and his wife. The church started to grow and even drew attention for the speed with which it grew. Hundreds were coming.

Suddenly, Willie didn't feel well. He tired easily, and his large, athletic frame began to shrink; his color didn't look good. Concerned doctors ordered a battery of tests. Wasted time, Willie thought, when he could be preaching.

An operation was needed and performed. It hurt, and the recovery was tough. The church was thriving, but the pastor was failing. He had just enough energy for one message a Sunday, and the messages became shorter and shorter. He had trouble staying awake for studying, and his ministry routine was shot. It didn't make sense. Why?

Then Willie got really sick. Without a new liver, he was going to die, and the ordeal came down to the last few hours. The pastor was in a coma, and the church prepared for a funeral. The question had changed from why to when.

Suddenly, a donor liver was flown to the hospital. Willie was rushed into surgery. [continued 3/15]

—Andy Cook in A Power Beyond Belief

My Response: What prompted you to draw up a will—or avoid doing so?

Thought to Apply: All men think all men mortal but themselves.—EDWARD YOUNG (English author)

Adapted from A Power Beyond Belief (Kregel, 2003) by permission.

Prayer for the Week

Lord, help me match my stance toward physical death with my confidence in the eternal life You gave me.

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