And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:4.
In the home of the redeemed there will be no tears, no funeral trains, no badges of mourning. “The inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.” Isaiah 33:24. One rich tide of happiness will flow and deepen as eternity rolls on….
Let us consider most earnestly the blessed hereafter. Let our faith pierce through every cloud of darkness and behold him who died for the sins of the world. He has opened the gates of Paradise to all who receive and believe on Him…. Let the afflictions which pain us so grievously become instructive lessons, teaching us to press forward toward the mark of the prize of our high calling in Christ. Let us be encouraged by the thought that the Lord is soon to come. Let this hope gladden our hearts….
We are homeward bound. He who loved us so much as to die for us hath builded for us a city. The New Jerusalem is our place of rest. There will be no sadness in the city of God. No wail of sorrow, no dirge of crushed hopes and buried affections, will evermore be heard. Soon the garments of heaviness will be changed for the wedding garment. Soon we shall witness the coronation of our King. Those whose lives have been hidden with Christ, those who on this earth have fought the good fight of faith, will shine forth with the Redeemer’s glory in the kingdom of God.
It will not be long till we shall see Him in whom our hopes of eternal life are centered. And in His presence, all the trials and sufferings of this life will be as nothingness…. Look up, look up, and let your faith continually increase. Let this faith guide you along the narrow path that leads through the gates of the city of God into the great beyond, the wide, unbounded future of glory that is for the redeemed.
The Faith I Live By p. 362
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Prayer Requests
—-My friend, Carolyn, is failing fast. Please pray for her and her family. Rose
—-Asking for prayer for My grown daughters. They have a bad case of the flu +pink eye. Nancy
—-Valerie neighbor in horrific pain. Asking for prayers. Shannon
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Dear Friends,
Each family has funny stories that have been passed down from generation to generation. Ours is no exception: My mother had several very good friends at the church where her parents attended. There was one girl, Margaret, that my mother didn’t like in the least. There was a definite personality clash between the two.
Eventually the girls grew up and got married. One of the girls married a man whose last name was Baer. Margaret’s married name became Payne. In the process of time, Mrs. Baer had a baby boy. As all the girls were standing around her admiring the baby, Margaret joined them. She asked the baby’s name. On hearing the answer, she exclaimed, “Oh, you should have named him Teddy.” As quick as a flash my mother spoke up. “Margaret, if that’s the way to do it, you should have named your son Achan!” The girls exploded with laughter—-all except Margaret, that is.
How important that we name our children a name that will not make them a laughingstock. In the Bible, babies were named according to their characteristics or a desired characteristic. For example, Noah means rest, Peleg means division, Peres means breach, Jacob means cheat, etc. There is a name above all others. The name of Jesus, how precious it is! His name tells Who He is: the Saviour! His name was so important that an angel commanded Joseph, “thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” Matt 1:23 Truly He is the “Wonderful Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isa 9:6 “Of his kingdom there shall be no end.” Luke 1:33
Through the name of Jesus, His followers taught the people the way to eternal life, had power to heal the sick, cast out demons, even raise the dead. (Matt 10:8) Looking at the future reward of God’s people, John tells us, “And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.” Rev 22:4 Will we have a visible mark tattooed across our forehead that says “Jesus”? No! His name, His glory is His character. When Moses asked to see God’s glory, he was told, “I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee.” Ex 33:19 As Moses was in the cleft of the rock, “the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.” 34:5-7 Paul tells us that we are “the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart.” 2 Cor 3:3
When our Great Creator gave us the Ten Commandments, which is a transcript of His Character and a rule for our happiness, He proclaimed, “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” Ex 20:7 This commandment encompasses more than common swearing, for that sin can be forgiven. When we take on the name of Christ, we are to become like Him in character. Paul tells us, “Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” 2 Tim 2:19 When we fail to do so, over and over again, we become hardened in our sin, “having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof” to gain the victory. 2 Tim 3:5 Eventually, we get discouraged and turn away from our Only Hope, our Only Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. Fearful position—a position that we need not be in, for our Great Redeemer has provided us with all that we need to be saved, even giving His Most Precious Gift, His Only Begotten Son. (John 3:16)
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, . . work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Phil 2:5-13 “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and for ever. Amen.” Jude 24, 25
Rose