But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 1 Corinthians 2:9.
The glory of the eternal world has been opened before me. I want to tell you that heaven is worth winning. It should be the aim of your life to fit yourself for association with the redeemed, with holy angels, and with Jesus, the world’s Redeemer. If we could have but one view of the celestial city, we would never wish to dwell on earth again. There are beautiful landscapes on earth, and I enjoy all these prospects of loveliness in nature. I associate them with the Creator. But I know that if I love God, and keep His commandments, there is a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory reserved in heaven for me.
There, when the veil that darkens our vision shall be removed, and our eyes shall behold that world of beauty of which we now catch glimpses through the microscope; when we look on the glories of the heavens, now scanned afar through the telescope; when, the blight of sin removed, the whole earth shall appear in “the beauty of the Lord our God,” what a field will be open to our study! There the student of science may read the records of creation and discern no reminders of the law of evil. He may listen to the music of nature’s voices and detect no note of wailing or undertone of sorrow. In all created things he may trace one handwriting—in the vast universe behold “God’s name writ large,” and not in earth or sea or sky one sign of ill remaining.
Let your imagination picture the home of the saved, and remember that it will be more glorious than your brightest imagination can portray. In the varied gifts of God in nature we see but the faintest gleaming of His glory.
Human language is inadequate to describe the reward of the righteous. It will be known only to those who behold it. No finite mind can comprehend the glory of the Paradise of God.
The Faith I Live By p. 364
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Mary who has food poisoning or something even more serious going on. Pray that she will go to the doctor. Rose
—-Requesting prayers please. My husband passed away January 2019 and we have a huge organic produce farm. We moved here in 1984 from California following counsel to build an outpost and provide a place for others. My husband and I spent 35 years building this farm. I have to pay so much labor to keep it up…I pray earnestly to God to guide me. I hate to sell this homestead but I am overwhelmed with it all. M
—-My brother in law is very sick. He needs our prayer. Marty
—-Prayers requested for my brother Lloyd. He’s in ICU with pneumonia and has been undergoing cancer treatment. Kathy
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Dear Friends,
One autumn, when I was about eight, my mother came into the house carrying a big, fat, green worm that had colorful spots on it. She told me to put that worm in a jar and keep it, for it would not always look like this. A few days later, when I looked into the jar, my worm was gone. In its place was a cocoon.
One day, the next spring, as I came home from school, my mother had an excited look on her face. She was holding my jar. A great change was taking place. The cocoon had split open and a strange looking creature was crawling out. My mother tipped the jar onto its side and carefully pulled out the stick where the cocoon was attached. We watched the creature as it crawled onto the stick. My mother explained that this creature was soon going to pump the fluid from its swollen body in to its crumpled wings. When it was finished, it would be a beautiful polyphemus moth. She was right. Before our eyes, this strange looking creature with crumpled wings and swollen belly was transformed into a beautiful reddish-brown moth with large blue eye- spots. I was amazed and thrilled!
Just as that ugly worm became a gorgeous moth, so our Dear Saviour longs to change us from the shriveled, selfish creatures that we are into His divine image. He promises, “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” Eze 36:26 He desires to put His laws into our mind, and write them in our heart. (Heb 8:10) He wants to take first place in our heart just as we have first place in His.
Our Loving Creator greatly desires to take away our filthy rags of unrighteousness and clothe us with the white robe of His glorious righteousness. Zechariah was given a vision of this very thing, “And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.” Zech 3:1-4
Just so, the True Witness is pleading with us, “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” Rev 3:20″I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Rom 12:1,2 As we turn from the tinsel of this world and contemplate God’s Holy Word, we are transformed. Our mind is renewed. Self is no longer on the throne: Jesus is reigning there.
May we “study to show [ourselves] approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Tim 2:15 May we “work out [our] own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in [us] both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Phil 2:12,13 May we be “changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Cor 3:18
Rose