Nathan Neighbors
Follower of Christ, Husband, Father, & Youth Pastor
My Mom & The Living Word
Don’t let anyone ever tell you that the Word of God is not living and active. It is. I can testify to it’s power in my life. Thousands of times in my life I’ve seen it at work in my heart and seen the power of it’s words and truth in my daily life. But none so powerful as last week. Last week as we prepared to let mom go be with Jesus, our students and I were working through Matthew 6-11.
Monday, September 18th before I road to Charleston to meet with the palliative care team about mom’s condition I read Matthew 6. DO NOT WORRY…our hope is in you Lord (Matt 6:25-34). How can worry add one day to your life? What I love about this passage is that the Lord says do not worry twice within the same paragraph. He knew that before I could even get to the next section of scripture I would worry about mom again. He needed to say it to me twice.
Tuesday, September 19th the day we let mom go be with Jesus the Lord had laid before me the beautiful chapter of Matthew 7 that includes these words. “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” On that day… my mom… Rose Neighbors… walked through that narrow gate to the welcoming arms of her Savior.
I read both of these passages over her on Tuesday morning and I talked to her about how gracious the Lord was in showing me these words. Of course mom couldn’t respond, but I believe she could hear me speaking His Word over her. I told her how awesome it was that she got to meet Jesus that day.
Then…came her death, the wave of funeral plans and I got distracted from my Bible reading. Wednesday and Thursday I should have read Matthew 8 & 9. But on Friday, the day of her funeral I caught up and read all three of the final chapters for the week (Matt 8-10). But even though I didn’t read them on the right days – they were still just as true for me on Friday. The hardest verse in this section was in chapter 8 where Jesus says, “let the dead bury their own dead.” (Matt 8:22) It’s not as a slap in the face, but a reminder that this life is not the end. There is hope. And there is still work to do for the living – to proclaim the Gospel to the living.
Then just a few hours before her funeral I read Matthew 9:22. “Take heart daughter…your faith has healed you.” That has never been more true for my mom. Mom is forever healed and with the King now and forever more!
So, the next time you wonder IF. The next time you worry about tomorrow. The next time you think, “does He really hear my prayers.” Remember, the Word of the Lord is living and active (Hebrews 4:12). God gave it to us to speak clearly to us. Read it. Love it. Live it. Soak it in and let it be the refreshment for your soul each day. He’s waiting for you. Open the Bible and read it today.
Nathan Neighbors 
Wonderful words! Thank you for reminding us!
Thank you for sharing, Nathan, that is a STRONG testimony for the living, breathing Word of God, and an obedient daughter and son.