A Farewell to Payton Leyden
Payton Leyden is the 13 yr. old son of my dear Christian friend and co-worker, Todd Leyden. On February 2, 2001, Payton went home to be with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ..........The Leyden's have been forced to cope with two seemingly contradictory concepts - suffering and joy....... And yet, the Lord, in his infinite wisdom and sovereignty, has joined these concepts and asked Todd, Robin and the entire family to glorify His name in the process.....No words can describe the suffering resulting from the loss of a child ..........and yet, this child was chosen, before any of his days of life began, he was chosen........to be God's child.........and now, Payton is in the arms of his all holy and all loving Father.......where there is no sickness, no suffering, no pain, and no tears........ Payton is home - - - and for the Christian, that is the cause for inexplicable joy........ No eye has seen, no ear has heard - - no mind has ever, ever conceived the beauty and boundless joy of heaven......and the gifted and creative Payton - our son, grandson, friend, classmate, teammate, student, music-man, and Christian brother - - is HOME !!!!
Soon - - brothers and sisters in Christ will be reunited with Him for all of eternity.......... Now, we celebrate his life on earth and rejoice in his eternal life with Christ !
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing." II Timothy 4:7-8
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Life is hard..........
My very dear Christian friend and co-worker, Todd Leyden, just buried his 13 yr. old son, Payton, who suffered for 33 days in a hospital with a staph infection that affected his entire body........
The funeral was a "Celebration of Life" in accord with Payton's 10 year old brother's (Blake's) statement - - "we are happy for Payton, but sad for us."
Why "Happy?" - -
because Payton is home with His Father - - God .......Payton accepted Christ as His Lord and Savior at a very young age.......
....And - - 13 yrs. was the exact amount of time the sovereign Father God proclaimed that Payton would be on this earth.....
His word is clear - "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." (Psalm 139:16)..... His Word also proclaims that He knew us - - everyone of us - - even before the world was created !!!
What began Payton's eternal existence with God was Payton's death by a disease to his body........
One might ask, why would God create or cause this disease and the accompanying suffering of Payton and his family?
Well, the answer is - - - God didn't......
God created a perfect world in the beginning - a paradise - and He gave this paradise to Adam and Eve........and God called his creation "good" - - free from any evil or suffering.......
Consider this - - - If suffering and disease was from God - - why did Jesus spend almost every day of his 3 yr. ministry on earth healing the sick?? If Jesus is who he says He is (which is God), why would Jesus undo what God (or He himself) did??
The answer is He wouldn't and didn't ..............because Jesus always did the perfect will of His Father.........He never "undid" what His Father did...........God did not cause the suffering and disease.........man did........as a consequence of his free choice.......
In the beginning, God proved His perfect sovereignty over all things by speaking the world into existence......and He proved his perfect love of man by putting him into this new paradise......
God gave the first man and woman - - Adam and Eve - - the freedom to choose who they would love - - God or man himself......
You see, real love involves real choice.....because if love is the greatest value we have, then the only way we can truly express it is to have free will.....One can never be forced to love someone or something, --- --- it is a choice ..........
Adam and Eve chose - --
they chose to love themselves, rejecting God in this decision....and rejecting God - - - is sin.........
as always - there are consequences to rejecting God - - and we suffer the consequences today of Adam and Eve's sin made a long time ago.....
The result of their sin ???? Evil, sickness, suffering and death entered the world..........affecting both people and the earth.....
Therefore, God did not create evil, sickness suffering and death - - the first man, by his choice to follow Satan, ushered all of these things into the world. ....... and God, in His sovereignty allowed it to happen.........
From Lee Strobel, pastor of Willow Creek -
"Although God did not cause evil and suffering to come into the world, God did create the "potential" for evil to come into the world - --
but - - - it was the only way to create the potential for genuine goodness and genuine love to exist in this world !!!
AND - - think about it - - - - on a different level - - Parents make the same choice everyday - - - - who knows how their kids are going to turn out????Our own children could suffer disappointment, tragedies, hurts, even death…….but men and women still have kids !
Why?
Because parents know there is also the potential for great joy, love and meaning in their children's lives.......
As did God !
He knew most men and women would rebel, but He also knew there would be those who freely choose to follow Him; freely choose to take up his offer of eternal salvation.
And it would be worth it to God - - even though He would have to give up his own Son to the cross - - in great pain and suffering - - - to achieve this redemption……. "
This is a very important point - - - Jesus is not asking anyone to go through what He himself has not - - - Jesus has suffered more than any person will ever suffer on this earth........God turned His back on Jesus - which is the ultimate suffering - while Jesus was on the cross .....
We will never suffer like Jesus because God promises never "to leave or forsake us."...... and if God did leave us - - we would perish immediately- - "If it were his intention and he withdrew his spirit and breath, all mankind would perish together and man would return to the dust" Job 34:14-15......
So, we could never suffer more than Christ - and it is for that exact reason that we should turn to Him in our suffering......
We understand that God did not create, but allows suffering in the world,............. but the question remains - -"Why?"
Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
All things includes - - - evil, sickness, suffering - even death.......
A study of the bible shows us the many ways God uses suffering in our lives "for the good of those who love Him.":
to develop Christlike character
to be a testimony to unbelievers
to develop sympathy
keep pride down
as a discipline for sin
as a pruning tool to develop more fruit in our lives
as a tool for spiritual growth
as a test of loyalty
as a continued dependence on God
to purify ourselves
to broaden our ministries
its God's will
causes us to look to God
encourages others
makes us more appreciative
teaches us to pray
reveals whats in our hearts
helps us find one another
brings glory to God
shatters self reliance
maturity
there are many, many others (click here for a good article)
However - - suffering really hurts...........physically, mentally, socially and spiritually...........
Is there a better tool than suffering to teach us all of these things? If so, don't you think the creator of the world would have thought of it........... If you believe so, you are claiming to know more than God - - in effect, you have chosen yourself and your ideas as the "god" of your life.........and that is sin........
The facts are - - the bad and even the good that can come from the evil of suffering can never be totally explained by us on this side of eternity.......
In fact, trying to explain suffering or justice on this side of eternity is like trying to pour the entire Pacific Ocean into a tiny dixie cup!
We must trust God that He knows what is best for us.........
Here's a test for you - - Have you come to the point in your life where God can withdraw all His blessings from you without your trust in Him being affected ?
The key word is ........trust.........
When Job asks God "Why am I suffering?", (and Job suffered on all levels - click here), God responded with 77 questions to Job about the physical world - - here's a few - -
Have you given orders to the morning?
Have you walked in the recesses of the deep?
Have the gates of death been shown to you?
Where does darkness reside?
Have you seen the storehouses of the snow?
Do the eagles soar at your command?
Job answered 0 of these questions.......exactly as many as we could.......
God responded - - you clearly don't understand the natural world, that you do see -- -- how could you ever expect to understand the spiritual world, which includes suffering and evil, which you do not see???
God concluded - - I am your answer - - when you know me - - you can handle anything !!!!
God continued - - I know why you are suffering - - and that's enough - - - you don't need to know why - - you trust me !!!!!
AND - - If we trust Him, we can trust what His word says about the final word on suffering - -- - eternity - - heaven !!!!!
If God has the power to eradicate evil and suffering why doesn't He just do it now and get it over with?
Well, He has promised in His Word - - -- that He will !!!
And why doesn't He do it right now?????
Well, maybe because He's waiting for you !!!!
Strobel says, "He's holding back the curtain of the close of history so that some of you might be touched by His love, that some of you may put your trust in Him, that you may come to a relationship with Him and spend eternity in heaven with Him!"
The apostle Peter confirms this message - - "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. " 2 Peter 3:9
Jesus is waiting for each and everyone of you to give His life to Him !!!! It is His will that you come to Him !
Nothing in this life is more exciting than the promise of spending eternity with Jesus Christ !!!! Absolutely nothing !!! In the same vein, no difficulty - - no suffering - - - not even death of a loved one - - can ever be too much to deny Christ - - - and lose spending eternity with Him !
Jesus said, "What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? " Matt 16:26
The answer -- -- nothing......
And..........as a reminder, you cannot wait until the "right time" to give your life to Christ..........
Who knows when the sovereign God will call for your life?
As Todd said at the funeral - how long is a long life? 60 yrs - 80? 50? 30?......... 13?..........
As we now know - - - It's really not our question to answer........It's God's and His alone ! He may repsond to this as He did to Job - - "I know the answer to this - you don't need to know - - you trust me !"
So, give your life to Christ as Payton did!
Do it right now !!!!
If you'd like help, ask a Christian friend, or write me at timothy.j.doyle@us.arthurandersen.com
Also, (see this 1 page summary on the steps to giving your life to Christ!) - personalize and pray the verses in the "Response" section !
God Bless you !!!
and ......if we do not meet beforehand - -
See you in Heaven !
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Because it was a model response........
My dear friend and Christian mentor, Russ Blowers, told this story today, February 11, 2001, as a guest preacher at Hazelwood Christian Church in Indiana:
During WWII, in June 1940, the German army "blitzkrieged" through France, fighting their way toward Northern France - - - - and, in the process, cornering 406,000 British and Allied troops standing on the sands of Dunkirk beach.......The Germans were 12 miles inland and were bombing the beach - - black smoke filled the entire town because of the oil storage depot the Germans had destroyed........ Certain annhilation of the 406,000 Allied troops was imminent.......The troops were disciplined, even with shelling and bombing, there was no panic........They were very impressive......
A final distress call was sent out by the Allied troops on the beach - - - - the message simply said -
AND EVEN IF NOT.............
As a result of the message - - - - - 222 naval vessels and 800 civilian craft (fishing vessels and pleasure craft) of all shapes and sizes, sailed over the English Channel in response to their distress call - - - and thanks to the courage and discipline and improvisation of so these people, over 338,000 of the troops were picked up by these boats and taken back to England - - - and saved from certain destruction......... However, another 68,000 of the British Force were killed, wounded or missing in action.........
"Operation Dynamo", as it was called, was a victory snatched from the jaws of defeat, and is considered by historians a defining moment for the British people at the darkest hour of the Second World War.
What did the distress call, "AND EVEN IF NOT" mean?
Its a biblical reference from the Book of Daniel, Chapter 3:
Here is the story - -
King Nebuchadnezzar (of Babylon, the most powerful nation in the world) made an image of gold, ninety feet high and nine feet wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.
He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up.
Then the herald loudly proclaimed, "This is what you are commanded to do, O peoples, nations and men of every language:
As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.
Whoever does not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace."
Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
At this time some astrologers said, "there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon--Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego--who pay no attention to you, O king. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up."
Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
So these men were brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up?
Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?"
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king.
BUT EVEN IF NOT, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed.
He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace.
So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace.
The king's command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.
Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, "Weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?"
They replied, "Certainly, O king."
He said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods."
Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!"
So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them.
They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.
Then Nebuchadnezzar said, "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.
Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way."
Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
BUT EVEN IF NOTwas the key phrase !!!!!
Shadrach, Meshach and Abendigo said God is able to save us, but even if not, we will still trust in Him and Him only !!!!
My friends Todd and Robyn Leyden responded in the exact same way !
They proclaimed in their emails on getwellpayton.com that God is certainly able to fully heal Payton - - - BUT EVEN IF NOT - - we still choose to trust in the sovereign God COMPLETELY and in Him alone......
That is a witness on the same level of Job's response when he said - "Though God slays me - - yet, will I trust in Him."
Job suffered on all levels - physically, mentally, socially and spiritually (for a quick look at the extent of Job's suffering - click here)........ and so did Todd and Robyn - - - and in the midst of their terrible suffering - - they trusted God - - fully - - - despite an indescribable loss.......
A year ago, I fashioned a model response to Christian suffering, based on how I would have liked to respond and continue to respond to trials in my life........ I have failed the model more times than I care to admit, but I believe the Leyden's have responded in a God honoring fashion during their trial - - they are a model response to Christian suffering in my mind AND a tremendous witness to people all over the world - - - especially me .......
Take a look at the model, and if you have witnessed Todd and Robyn's response, either in person, at the funeral or on the website, you will agree that they have honored Jesus Christ, our Savior, and affected every life for Christ they have come in contact with through Payton's story and their response to that story......
I praise God for Todd and Robyn !
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Let's look at what the bible says........
You see - - everyone will live forever - - it's just a matter of where we will live - - - in heaven or hell.......
If we choose Christ, we will live forever in paradise - - heaven...
If we do not choose Christ, we will live in eternal agony in hell....forever........
Jesus speaks more on hell than any other topic -- -- it's very serious business !!!
People ask - what's the purpose of my life???
It happens to be one of the easiest questions to answer - - and the answer is - " to glorify God and enjoy Him forever..." One could never glorify God without accepting Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of their life....... It's impossible.......
When Christ was asked, what are the most important commandments, He summarized the entire bible in these 2 statements:
1. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.......
2. Love your neighbor as yourself......
Do this - - and you will live forever in paradise.......
Profession doesn't matter, money doesn't, social status, appearance - - none of that is important - - what's important are the 2 steps listed above - - - period .......
It's that simple.......
Payton chose his home - - - in heaven....... for eternity.........
.You see........Payton chose Christ as the Lord and Savior of his life.........
The bible says, "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." This presence is our souls, not our bodies...... Payton's body has been buried in the ground, but his soul is with Our heavenly Father.....
Payton's soul is in paradise with God the Father and Jesus Christ.......
What is heaven like?
The bible clearly tells us in these 4 chapters of the bible in the Book of Revelation:
Payton now lives in an eternally joyous place without:
sorrow
crying
pain
sickness
death
But - - where is heaven???
Well, Heaven is a place:
Where God is in infinity
Where time and place are not obstacles
It's up ! (Jesus ascended into heaven, Paul was caught up to the 3rd heaven, the Lord will catch us up when He returns, and, God looks down from heaven (Psalm 53:2)
It may be close by - - we may be like a baby in the uterus, just inches away from the huge outside world - - but the baby would never know this.......perhaps we are also that close to heaven and never realize it ! Who knows - it may be like imaginary wallpaper; if we ripped the wallpaper right beside us, we might see the spiritual world........the point is - - it could be that close.......
It's transcendant, beyond the limits of our experience
It's immanent - enveloping all the celestial bodies....
After Jesus comes back for His church, every Christian in heaven will come befor God's judgement seat - - - not to determine whether we go to heaven or hell - - but to determine our capacity to serve God in heaven ! (I Cor 4:5, I Cor 3:10-15 )
There's a difference between receiving salvation (going to heaven) and serving God in heaven (which is based on heavenly rewards)
Our capacity to serve God in heaven (heavenly rewards) will be based on what we do on earth - - that is to say, on what "crowns" we earn for our service on earth:
crown of righteousness (earned by longing for Christs return) - 2 Tim 4:8
crown of salvation (for the humble) - Psalm 149:4
crown of life (persevere under trial) - James 1:12
crown of rejoicing (introducing others to Christ) - I Thes 2:19
incorruptible crown (for those pure and blameless) - I Cor 9:25
crown of glory (Christian leaders who have guided others) - I Pet 5:2-4
We will take these crowns and, if they are "literal" crowns, we will probably "crown Him w/ many crowns" and lay them at the feet of Christ - it's His time to be worshipped, not ours!
When Jesus comes back for the second and final time to earth, our "new" bodies will be joined with our souls in heaven.......
Trying to determine what these "new" bodies will be like is like trying to explain to the acorn how it will grow into the mighty oak............ In the acorn is the pattern for the mighty tree; and so it is in us for our heavenly body.......
We do know a few things about our new heavenly bodies:
it will be a body like Christ's glorious body (Phil 3:21)
it will be imperishable (1 Cor 15:42-44,50)
again, and this cannot be stressed enough - - it will be like Christ's resurrected body (1 John 3:2)
We know a few things about our new heavenly mind:
we will have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 13:12)
and.......former things shall not come to mind (for example - - - bad memories will be blocked by the brilliance of the knowledge of God) Isaiah 65:17
We will have a new name !
We will receive a white stone with a new name on it. Our true identity will unfold in the name that God gives us - - - and no one else will have that name - - and the name will perfectly describe everything about us - - including our looks, and personality (Rev 2:17)
We will be with the Angels !!!
We will worship with the angels
Angels will serve us in heaven !
We will judge fallen angels ! (I Cor 6:2-3)
Angels rejoice over 1 sinner that repents (Luke 15:10)
What will we do in heaven?
Most important service is to worship God continually forever !
Reign with Him forever ! (Rev 3:21)
co-heirs with Christ ! (Romans 8:17)
What about us - - if we are Christians ????
Of all the things that will surprise us in the resurrection morning, this will surprise us most:
- that we did not love Christ more before we died.
I heard a story once that said an angel is writing down every word and action that we do or say - - in a book - - - but, the pen that the angel uses only records in ink those words and actions that have eternal or heavenly significance........
Perhaps the angel fills 4 pages in a book for all that you did this day- - and, perhaps, only a few words show up in ink on all those 4 of those pages- - with eternal significance - - ..........the rest of the pages appear blank - -
worthless and a waste of time.........
Let me ask you - - how many readable words are in your "heavenly" book from your words and actions of today???
I'm begging each and every person reading this to focus on the eternal perspective - - in the end, it's all that matters - - and - - its for all time........
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Fort Wilderness, a Christian Ministry Camp in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, was a favorite place of the Leyden's and Payton. For the past five summers, the Leyden's have gone to family camp at the Fort. To honor Payton's memory, we are raising $75,000 to build a medical health facility, which will be called "Payton's Place."
