Songs: When my life work is ended and I cross the swelling tide I shall know my Redeemer by the print of the nails in His hand.
Abide with me fast falls the eventide. Through cloud and sunshine oh abide with me.
I'm living by faith and feel no alarm. I'm safe in his sheltering arms.
Don Brandt: this is a solemn occasion but we rejoice that Ronald has been released from his pain. Don't panic, trust in God. Isaiah 41 God will uphold you with his RIGHT hand. That's what God is telling us. His strongest hand.
Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. For I hold you by your right hand— I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, 'Don't be afraid. I am here to help you. Though you are a lowly worm, O Jacob, don't be afraid, people of Israel, for I will help you. I am the Lord , your Redeemer. I am the Holy One of Israel.' You will be a new threshing instrument with many sharp teeth. You will tear your enemies apart, making chaff of mountains. You will toss them into the air, and the wind will blow them all away; a whirlwind will scatter them. Then you will rejoice in the Lord . You will glory in the Holy One of Israel. "When the poor and needy search for water and there is none, and their tongues are parched from thirst, then I, the Lord , will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will never abandon them. I will open up rivers for them on the high plateaus. I will give them fountains of water in the valleys. I will fill the desert with pools of water. Rivers fed by springs will flow across the parched ground. I will plant trees in the barren desert— cedar, acacia, myrtle, olive, cypress, fir, and pine. I am doing this so all who see this miracle will understand what it means— that it is the Lord who has done this, the Holy One of Israel who created it.
Isaiah 41:10, 13-20 NLT
The 7 trees have their own healing balm and strength for us to carry on.
God holds my hand. He'll not let go. Thank you Father for your loving shepherd care.
Obituary read by son Llewellyn. Born in 43. Married 53 years with Tina. 46 grandchildren.
Randall Plett:
Greetings in the name of Jesus. He and the Holy Spirit are here. This is a victory celebration because another pilgrim staggered through the gates of heaven and escaped the clutches of the evil one.
Uncle Ronald would insist that we need to focus on Jesus and his work. Not on him.
His steps were getting weaker. He kept coming to church. He loved his church family. I visited him and asked him about health. He said a few things and then said let's talk about more important things.
What are the more important things?
2 Corinthians 4.5 we don't preach ourselves but Jesus Christ.
You see, we don't go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:5-6 NLT
The universal cry is for value and worth.
This earthen vessel is minor. The glory that comes through Jesus.
Uncle Ronald recently read:
You see, we don't go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.
2 Corinthians 4:5-6, 17-18 NLT
Am I committed to fix my eyes on Jesus? He was honest about his failures.
It is more important to be holy than healthy. We have an eternal soul that never dies.
Why do people spend so much time and money trying to beautify their bodies? And neglect the eternal?
Rejoice that your names are written in heaven. Your earthly name goes away. Ronald chose to secure his eternal destiny. Do you think he ever regretted that decision? He chose to have his name written in the book of life.
Except a man is born again he can't see the Kingdom of Heaven. Choose Jesus today.
You can safely go to Jesus and confess your sin and be born again. This is for everyone.
Grandfather Ronald taught his grandson to drive the tractor and then went away to pray?
He chose his citizenship to be in heaven.
In '94 Uncle Ronald came to visit us in the Phillipines to see how we could get Scriptures to hard to reach places.
He knew what it meant to prepare the ground. He knew what the issues of farming were and the crops are not always what we hope for. Start a new crop. It's never too late to clean up a life.
Will you follow Jesus Christ? Weep in joy! He has arrived. He kept the faith. Weep in joy! His pain is gone. Weep in faith! We will meet again.
Song:
Because He Lives God sent his son. Because He Lives I can face tomorrow. One day I'll fight life's final war with pain.
