Day 9/6 – Your Last Will and Testament

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Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man by Walter A Henrichsen (“Walt”)
Your Last Will and Testament
Day Two Hundred Forty-nine

“At my first defense no one took my part; all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength to proclaim the message fully, that all the Gentiles might hear it.” II Timothy 4:16-17

Imagine yourself in a dark, musty cell, awaiting death. You have time to sit at a poorly lit table and pen a few words to your friend. What would you say? What would be your chief concern? In this letter we have a glimpse of what was uppermost in Paul’s mind; the prison is inconsequential while the message is all¬ important. He charges Timothy to be faithful in the sight of God.

Such a charge is quite predictable; you would expect Paul to admonish his son in the faith to finish the race of life well. What is exceptional is the fact that Paul makes this charge against the backdrop of one disappointment after another. “You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, and among them Phygelus and Hermogenes.”326 “Hymenaeus and Philetus have swerved from the truth by holding that the resurrection is past already. They are upsetting the faith of some.”327 “As Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of corrupt mind and counterfeit faith.” 328 “Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.” 329 “Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm.”330 “At my first defense no one took my part; all deserted me.” 331 Can you imagine a missionary sending agency sending out a person with this kind of record?

Paul charged his friend with the need to remain faithful, for results do not constitute a legitimate basis for evaluation. Rather, you must ask, “Has the Lord called me to this task and has He kept His hand on my life?” That was the encouragement Paul gave Timothy: “The Lord stood by me and gave me strength to proclaim the message fully, that all the Gentiles might hear it.”

326 Timothy 1:15
327 Timothy 2:17-18
328 Timothy 3:8
329 Timothy 4:10
330 Timothy 4:14
331 Timothy 4:16

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Psalm 148-150 1 Corinthians 15:29-58 (New King James Version)

Psalm 148-150
Praise to the Lord from Creation
148
Praise[a] the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
Praise Him in the heights!
2
Praise Him, all His angels;
Praise Him, all His hosts!
3
Praise Him, sun and moon;
Praise Him, all you stars of light!
4
Praise Him, you heavens of heavens,
And you waters above the heavens!
5
Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For He commanded and they were created.
6
He also established them forever and ever;
He made a decree which shall not pass away.
7
Praise the Lord from the earth,
You great sea creatures and all the depths;
8
Fire and hail, snow and clouds;
Stormy wind, fulfilling His word;
9
Mountains and all hills;
Fruitful trees and all cedars;
10
Beasts and all cattle;
Creeping things and flying fowl;
11
Kings of the earth and all peoples;
Princes and all judges of the earth;
12
Both young men and maidens;
Old men and children.
13
Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For His name alone is exalted;
His glory is above the earth and heaven.
14
And He has exalted the [b]horn of His people,
The praise of all His saints—
Of the children of Israel,
A people near to Him.
[c]Praise the Lord!
Praise to God for His Salvation and Judgment
149
Praise[d] the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song,
And His praise in the assembly of saints.
2
Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;
Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
3
Let them praise His name with the dance;
Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp.
4
For the Lord takes pleasure in His people;
He will beautify the [e]humble with salvation.
5
Let the saints be joyful in glory;
Let them sing aloud on their beds.
6
Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,
And a two-edged sword in their hand,
7
To execute vengeance on the nations,
And punishments on the peoples;
8
To bind their kings with chains,
And their nobles with fetters of iron;
9
To execute on them the written judgment—
This honor have all His saints.
[f]Praise the Lord!
Let All Things Praise the Lord
150
Praise[g] the Lord!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty [h]firmament!
2
Praise Him for His mighty acts;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!
3
Praise Him with the sound of the [i]trumpet;
Praise Him with the lute and harp!
4
Praise Him with the timbrel and dance;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!
5
Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with clashing cymbals!
6
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
[j]Praise the Lord!
Footnotes:
• Psalm 148:1 Heb. Hallelujah
• Psalm 148:14 Strength or dominion
• Psalm 148:14 Heb. Hallelujah
• Psalm 149:1 Heb. Hallelujah
• Psalm 149:4 meek
• Psalm 149:9 Heb. Hallelujah
• Psalm 150:1 Heb. Hallelujah
• Psalm 150:1 expanse of heaven
• Psalm 150:3 cornet
• Psalm 150:6 Heb. Hallelujah

1 Corinthians 15:29-58
Effects of Denying the Resurrection
29 Otherwise, what will they do who are baptized for the dead, if the dead do not rise at all? Why then are they baptized for the dead? 30 And why do we stand in [a]jeopardy every hour? 31 I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. 32 If, in the manner of men, I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantage is it to me? If the dead do not rise, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”
33 Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.” 34 Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.
A Glorious Body
35 But someone will say, “How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come?” 36 Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. 37 And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain—perhaps wheat or some other grain. 38 But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body.
39 All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind [b]of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds.
40 There are also [c]celestial bodies and [d]terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory.
42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. 43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 45 And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the earth, made[e] of dust; the second Man is [f]the Lord from heaven. 48 As was the [g]man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. 49 And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we[h] shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.
Our Final Victory
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a [i]mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55
“O[j] Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
Footnotes:
• 1 Corinthians 15:30 danger
• 1 Corinthians 15:39 NU, M omit of flesh
• 1 Corinthians 15:40 heavenly
• 1 Corinthians 15:40 earthly
• 1 Corinthians 15:47 earthy
• 1 Corinthians 15:47 NU omits the Lord
• 1 Corinthians 15:48 earthy
• 1 Corinthians 15:49 M let us also bear
• 1 Corinthians 15:51 hidden truth
• 1 Corinthians 15:55 NU O Death, where is your victory? O Death, where is your sting?