The final message of member Doug Shales

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Editor’s Note: Member Doug Shales battled leukemia for several years before passing away on October 11, 2013. Doug had a strong desire to encourage others in their walk with the Lord, and was always involved in discipling others, inviting them to Bible studies, small groups, and ministry events. Doug spent 35 years in construction, pastoral ministry, and the computer industry, and he also worked with Focused Living Ministries. As Doug battled cancer, he used the time he had left to prepare his own funeral program with a final address to his friends and family. We have included portions here for your encouragement. Please pray for Doug’s wife, Ruth, and daughter, Sarah.

I consider it a great joy to say my farewell personally to you all in this way. You certainly know that if I could have, I would have given each of you a big hug as you came in the door … and once again thanked you for your kindness in blessing my family with your comfort and love! … So please consider it done … from my spirit to yours!

As some of you know. I have always had a particular fondness for baseball. One of the game’s most intriguing characters, a New York Yankee hall of fame catcher by the name of Yogi Berra, was famous for the way he would fracture all logic in his observations about life … while at the same time being clueless he was saying anything unusual at all! He gave us such baseball insights as, “If fans don’t come out to the ballpark, you can’t stop ‘em;” or … “I ain’t in no slump—I’m just not hittin!” or one of my favorites … “90 percent of this game is half mental.”

When his wife once asked him, “If you go before I do, where would you like to be buried?” His answer to her? “Surprise me!” But the one most appropriate for today … was when he observed, “You should always go to other people’s funerals. Otherwise they won’t come to yours!” I am grateful that you are here, and I do apologize that I will not be able to return the favor! But I have this prior engagement with my Father … and I’ve always wanted to visit His house. For those of you who are also the children of God, I do promise to make every effort to be a warm part of your welcome … when you come home as well.

When a friend of mine was dying not so long ago, I wrote a letter to her in the hope of helping her prepare for her final adventure. I’d like to share some of that letter with you now … just in case there may be anyone here who isn’t sure yet about your travel plans … when that day comes.

The final adventure

One of the cruelest realities of life is that it comes to an end. And for far too many of us, it comes to an end much sooner than it should. Life is the most precious gift we have ever received, and there seems to be something inside all of us that innately believes it should never end … that we were designed to enjoy living forever. We were born with the desire for eternity in our hearts!

But as a mockery to this longing in our spirit, the mortality rate for the human race continues to be 100 percent! For many, that moment comes with a mixture of concern, or denial, or outright fear … and then resignation … and finally no longer the physical ability to hang on to life. In the end, our spirit capitulates, and our soul leaves its brief earthly dwelling place.

It is interesting that, in the past, when the American space shuttle left its earthly home, all systems were checked and rechecked numerous times … far in advance … to make sure its entry into the heavens would be as much a guaranteed success as possible. But when we as humans are ready to leave our earthly home, we so often leave the most critical checks tragically ignored—almost blindly hoping that we can reach an acceptable eternal destination … after having made so few spiritual preparations for it.

When all options to extend one’s physical life are exhausted, and you know you are coming to the end of your earthly time, please know that the decisions and commitments you make in your spirit—especially now while you are still physically and spiritually able to do so—will be critical to determining what your existence will be like after your body has been vacated. Our soul has been created for eternity! But what will that eternity look like?

Jesus said, “I am the Resurrection and the Life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live! And … whoever lives and believes in Me … shall never die!” He also said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. In My Father’s house are many resting places, and I go to prepare a place for you. I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

Such statements are incredibly comforting—especially for anyone whose days on earth are few—but they also come with sobering balances. For He also said … “Not everyone who says to Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven … but only he who does the will of My Father in Heaven. Narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man will also be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father.”

When Christ said, “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” He was putting tremendous emphasis on the word “believe” … a word that is unfortunately greatly misunderstood in the English-speaking world. It’s obvious that whatever Jesus was saying, it meant more than just intellectually agreeing with His existence … and even more than just intellectually agreeing with the historical facts of His death and resurrection. The devil and his demons were convinced of those things, but believing that Christ was God in human form will still do nothing to alter the quality of their eternal existence!

The word used as Jesus spoke is better amplified this way: “He who trusts in Me, and has faith in Me, and is fully convinced of Me, and is relying on … Me! … will have everlasting life.” It is a powerful word that in its context describes one who has a relationship—to the extent of loving submission and obedience—with Jesus as Lord.

As you listen to this, if that is where your heart is at, then when your appointed time comes, may you pass into His presence with both a peaceful mind and heart … and a joyful expectation of your continuing journey. But if you are not sure, you are among a most incredible group of God’s family right here. Please don’t leave without asking any one of them how to find that path that leads to eternal life. Remember, you were designed in the image of God, but you need to be reborn to be in the family of God!

For those of you who are already in this forever family, I will most definitely enjoy your companionship again! But for now, you have your own race to finish … and I want to encourage you to finish it well. It is so hard to distill the most profound truths you’ve learned through a lifetime into just a few thoughts. I’ve thought long and hard as to what my final words to you, my brothers and sisters, should be. I won’t say much, but as you remember me … please remember as well what I am about to say …

1. Always guard the preciousness of your first love. Live in intimacy with God through each day. Speak with Him often about everything. Live with Him as if you were back in the Garden before the fall! Never let the best of goals come before this … for this was His highest purpose in creating you!

2. Understand that to live that way, you need to open your heart wide to receive His love. Your heart is no longer desperately wicked. It was before you were reborn, but He has given you now a new heart and a new spirit. Your heart is good, and when you understand that—it is so much easier to receive His love … and to give it away … to receive His love—and to give it away! Because of Christ—you are a beloved son! … you are a beloved daughter!

3. Know also that you have a spiritual enemy. You are opposed, and will be until you breathe your last. But realize that you have power over him, because you have Christ’s authority over him. Do not fear or ignore evil, but in Christ’s Name, and for His honor, stand against evil wherever you encounter it. Fight for those you love, and for those under your care. And know that your intercession for one another is the greatest weapon you can wield in this battle against the evil one.

4. Live clean, transparent, and holy lives. With the Spirit of God in you, it is really quite possible! Scripture says to “Pursue holiness, without which no one will see the Lord!” But realize that to walk in holiness simply means to walk in God’s wholeness … to allow His healing love to make you whole in every respect. Holiness is simply restoring your humanity to its original design. And as you become whole, you are becoming holyl

5. As you choose to walk in intimacy with your heavenly Father, He will nurture that relationship in a variety of ways. But primarily—and repeatedly—He will speak with you through His Word. Be faithful to listen, ask Him to go heart-to-heart with you as you read it, and draw from His life the strength to live it out. As you are diligent and faithful in your desire to hear and obey God … He will in turn be diligent and faithful to provide the light for your path, and the balance to keep you from falling off of it!

6. For those of you who are married and have children … especially to you fathers, understand that the greatest heritage you could possibly give to your children is to cherish their mother. Since marriage is designed to be symbolic of the Trinity itself, there is no greater security and stability you could possibly give your generations than to love and cherish each other as husband and wife.

7. And finally … continually look for ways to build up and strengthen one another. You are a band of brothers. Keep one another’s back. Stand together, and stand with Christ, in this difficult age. You have wonderfully held my arms up … so that my spirit would not falter, even as my body did. I now no longer need that support … but continue faithfully to do the same for each other!

I want to leave you now with two songs—you’ll find the words in the handouts. [Editor’s Note: We’ve included one of the songs below, and the other song Doug chose was “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.”] And as you follow along with the words in your heart, I think you will find them a fitting ending to this—my last home fellowship with you! May you find great comfort today, and all of your remaining days, until we meet again. I love you!

We Shall Behold Him

by Dottie Rambo

The sky shall unfold

Preparing His entrance

The stars shall applaud Him

With thunders of praise

The sweet light in His eyes

Shall enhance those awaiting

And we shall behold Him

Then face to face

O, we shall behold Him

We shall behold Him

Face to face in all of His glory

O, we shall behold Him

Yes, we shall behold Him

Face to face, our Savior and Lord

The angel shall sound

The shout of His coming

And the sleeping shall rise

From their slumbering place

And those who remain

Shall be changed in a moment

And we shall behold Him

Then face to face

We shall behold Him

O yes we shall behold Him

Face to face in all of His glory

We shall behold Him

Yes, we shall behold Him

Face to face

Our Savior and Lord

And we shall behold Him

Our Savior and Lord

Savior and Lord