I have a very short Mideast update today but before I share it, I would like to share a few short thoughts that I may or may have not shared at some time in the past.
I have several devotionals that I read most every day. One of them is Jonathan Cahn’s “Book of Mysteries.” A devotional I’ve read several times over the past years emphasizes the value and extreme importance of this short life we have to live on this earth. The question is asked, “How valuable is this life? How valuable is your life on this earth? Is it rare, or is it common?” Many would answer saying, “It is common because everyone has a life to live on this earth. There are countless moments, every day of every year.” But, could there be a different way of looking at it?
Let’s say, your time on earth is one hundred years. But time goes on for a thousand years. Your time on earth becomes rare, one-tenth of time. And what happens after a million years have gone by? How long was your time on earth? One ten-thousandth. Now, that is rare! What happens when we enter into eternity? What happens to our time on earth in light of eternity? It becomes once in eternity! So, our life on earth becomes “one-eternitieth!” How rare is that? It is infinitely rare and is of infinite value. Our days on earth only come around once in eternity…only once! Every moment comes around only once and it is gone because it is a “once-eternitieth” moment. That means every moment is of infinite value and extremely rare. So, how should we live??
14 Therefore He says: “Awake you who sleep, Arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” 15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Ephesians 5:14-17
As I was meditating on the value of time on this earth, I could not help but think of Pastor Rashid and the legacy he left behind. He laid everything on the line and eventually, it cost him his life, but he had already committed his life into the hands of his loving Abba Father many years ago. God sustained him through so very many things — things most people are not aware of. Brother Talal, shared with me that at the end, his doctors said that when his heart muscle gave out, restricting the circulation of his blood throughout his body, it caused his liver, kidneys and other vital organs including his brain, to be deprived of the oxygen needed to function normally. It was not something he could survive because his organs failed. They gave him oxygen through a tube to his lungs to keep his body functioning for a time, but in all reality, Pastor Rashid was not really there. Just a broken physical body. Pastor Rashid had struggled with other issues as well. He had a serious case of diabetes. He had also had surgery to remove cancerous tumors, his blood was infected because of a long time struggle with gangrene in his feet. He had had a battle with sepsis for some time.
Besides all the health issues, which I’m sure I was only able to share a small portion of, there were all the major injuries he had sustained through his years of ministry. I will share some of these at another time. Suffice it to say, the last couple times I spoke with him, he expressed he was very tired and so very ready to go HOME. He knew his time was almost gone and I had also seen the day approaching for a while. We have mourned as is normal, but we must trust God’s timing in Pastor Rashid’s passing into eternity. He lived his “one-eternitieth” well!
As I’ve mentioned before, it appears brother Omar will be carrying the mission of the House of Blessing on. He also has a very capable team of leaders that will continue the work until the Lord calls us all home. Souls continue to be saved, baptized, and educated in how to follow the ways of our Messiah Jesus. A special blessing is always the many children that are learning about God’s love. That is a stark contrast to what most of them have been taught from a young age.
Brother Talal will continue to be the one who distributes funds as they are made available. Winter is coming which always brings special needs.
We all need to pray earnestly for the House of Blessing. The great Middle East War that has been brewing for years appears to have begun in earnest. This will affect the House of Blessing in all the nations of the Mideast. Brother Talal lives in Jerusalem and we know what the Scriptures say prophetically about Jerusalem and the End of the Age. So, we need to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, because Jerusalem is the bullseye of the earth. We know of course, when we pray that prayer, real genuine world peace cannot come in its fullness until the Prince of Peace, the Creator of the Universe, our Messiah Jesus returns and takes total control of this fallen and dying world as its GOD / KING. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Forever in His Service,
Jake