Grace

My mother-in-law died last night. She was in her eighties and ready. She was not always the easiest person to be around, but she had her moments because she did know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Today she is with Him.

God almost always offers something from my daily devotional reading that suits my situation. Today is no exception. This passage describes God’s grace toward His people. 

As a pleasing aroma I will accept you, when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered. And I will manifest my holiness among you in the sight of the nations. And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the country that I swore to give to your fathers. And there you shall remember your ways and all your deeds with which you have defiled yourselves, and you shall loathe yourselves for all the evils that you have committed. And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I deal with you for my name’s sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 20:41–44)

Israel had disobeyed God many times, but God did not deal with them according to their disobedience and what they deserved. Instead, He gave them a land, a relationship with Himself, and even told them that they smelled nice in His nostrils. Because of His grace, they would remember their sins and hate them, but because of His grace also, He forgave their sin and was good to them.

This is Mom’s place in the heart of God. Like all of us, her life was not perfect, yet by grace through faith, she was saved from sin’s punishment. God forgave her because of Jesus Christ.

For her, this means an eternal place with Him in heaven. It means that all her sin is under the blood of Christ — to be remembered no more. It means that today she is celebrating eternity with her Lord, full of joy and peace.

For us, this means great assurance. We know where she is and we know we will see her again. She is at rest. The struggles of her last days are over. Her weakness has become eternal life. Her pain will be remembered no more. We are thankful that she got her wish to “go to sleep and not wake up” to her frailty and inability to breathe and freely move about. We are thankful that she was not afraid to give up on this life to go to the next one.

God’s grace also means that we can remember the good things, like God does. He never overlooks or makes light of sin, but in grace, those things are put on the forgiven side of the ledger. He deals with us and with Mom for His own name’s sake. We can glory in all that He did in her life, for His name’s sake. He is good and His goodness is reflected in good memories.

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Father, I am thankful for grace and for Your assurance of grace in Mom’s life. We experience pain because she is gone, but know that pain will one day become the joy of reunion.

Grant me the grace to be like You, remembering the pleasing aroma parts of her life. Help me to encourage my husband (who is such a rock that he will likely be encouraging everyone else) and the rest of the family. Most of them do not know You nor Your grace that takes away sin, guilt and the fear of death. Help us convey this confidence to the rest of the family in a gracious manner — so that they will see how much You loved her and how much You love them.