Welcome to the Feminid Podcast. This is Nancy Wilson. Thanks for joining me today.

A lot has happened since I last podcasted. Charlie Kirk was murdered and Vody Baccombe died,

two great men of faith. And when things like this happen, it's so good for us to take account

of where we are with the Lord. If you die suddenly, will you be safe in Jesus? Charlie was young,

Bodhi was middle-aged. Both were fruitful servants of God, and yet God took them away from us to

heaven, just like that. We Christians have the

way to make sense of this, where the unbeliever has nothing. We know that our Creator is wise and good.

Our Savior died ahead of us, conquering death, so that we might live in Him. Even so, we can struggle with the sadness.

We grieve when public figures we admire die, but we also grieve even more deeply when it is

someone dear to us, family, or dear friends. Here is Samuel Rutherford's perspective.

The great master gardener, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ

in a wonderful providence, with his own hand, planted me here, whereby his grace in this part of the

vineyard I grow, and here I will abide till the great master of the vineyard think fit to transplant me. You and I have each

been planted in different places of the Lord's choosing. We have a clear and definite purpose where we've

been planted and here we are growing and abiding. We have work to do here, but there will come a time

when our master will transplant us too,

and we want to die at our post. Samuel Rutherford is gone. We will be gone someday, but we will be

growing somewhere else, not here, but with him in heaven. I and you are both plants in this garden and not of our own doing.

We were put here. What a reassurance that is. Our duty here is to be productive and fruitful,

and God is the one who gives the increase. We must remember when his saint dies that he is gathered to his people.

He is welcomed home. He is ushered into unspeakable glory. His work is finished on earth. He receives the well done, good and

faithful servant. Though we mourn here, we do not mourn for the saint who has received his reward.

...