wisdom from my father-in-law.

Shaun & Jess,
 
I'm so sorry to hear about the terrible loss of Karl.  His life was a testimony to the power of Christ to transform and bring hope, and then to the power of the devil to destroy a life if given the chance.
 
In John 10:10, Jesus said, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have [it] more abundantly."  Karl proved the truth of Jesus words.  When he gave himself to Christ, his life was transformed into a life with hope and a future.  His bondage was turned to freedom; his dispair was turned to joy.  Jesus delivered on his promise to Karl.
 
Then Karl had a slip, a failure, a moment of weakness, as any of us can, that put the devil back in control, and Satan stole from him his joy, his hope and his freedom, and ultimately sought to kill and destroy him.  That is what he does. 
 
Karl's life is a testimony to the power of Christ, and also to the evil and destructive intentions of the devil.  We need to be very sober about our freedom in Christ.  We need to be very careful not to turn back to the pleasures of this world.  We need to resist the devil and cling to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.  Without Him, we have no hope and we have no power.  We must never give the devil a foothold in our lives, because Jesus was very clear about Satan's intentions for all of us.
 
I will not presume to judge Karl; Jesus knows.  But let us take a lesson from his life and death to know where true hope lies, and how desperate we are for God's continued mercy and grace toward us.
 
I'll be praying for you, and for all of Karl's friends and family.
 
xxxooo, -Dad