In this episode Tony shares the story of his recent heart attack.
On a Monday morning Tony began to feel a tightness and uncomfortable feeling in his chest, which then escalated to his throat and jaw. He eventually drove himself to the hospital, and as the day unfolded, it was confirmed that he had a heart attack. This led to a heart catheterization and the placement of a stent in Tony's heart.
Because of this situation Tony was not able to publish an episode of The Power of Purity Podcast for the past two weeks, and in today's episode he shares his story along with 3 key observations that have emerged in his thoughts as a result of this incident.
(1) Every day we have is a gift from God, and we should not take our days for granted.
(2) What should be the prioritites of our life?
(3) There is "LOVE"!
13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” James 4:13-15
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you. Psalm 139:13-18
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:20-21
The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God,which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:5-7
In this episode Tony shares 4 important observations from the resurrection of Christ that inspire great hope in our hearts.
No matter what's going on in our lives or situations, we do not have to be afraid, because of the resurrection.
We can both see and experience God's fingerprints and work in our own hearts and lives, and then, based upon what the Lord has allowed us to "see", we can then "go and tell" others.
Sometimes we're afraid because of the difficult situations or circumsances of our lives, but God always makes his joy available to us, and this is really good news, because it's so much better to have joy in the midst of our fears instead of just having our fears by themselves.
And we can rest assured that the Lord will reveal himself to us, because the very first person he chose to reveal himself to, after the resurrection, was Mary Magdalene, who had been possessed by seven demons.
What happened on that day, the most significant day of human history, reveals a template of how God still works in the hearts and lives of his followers.
Be blessed, in Jesus' Name, as you listen to these "4 Easter Observations"!