Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. Isaiah 49:15, 16.
The church of Christ is very precious in His sight. It is the case which contains His jewels, the fold which encloses His flock.
Christ “loved the church, and gave himself for it.” Ephesians 5:25. It is the purchase of His blood. The divine Son of God is seen walking amid the seven golden candlesticks. Jesus Himself supplies the oil to these burning lamps. He it is that kindles the flame. “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.” John 1:4. No candlestick, no church, shines of itself. From Christ emanates all its light…. The Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the light thereof.
At times the Lord may seem to have forgotten the perils of His church, and the injury done her by her enemies. But God has not forgotten. Nothing in this world is so dear to the heart of God as His church. It is not His will that worldly policy shall corrupt her record. He does not leave His people to be overcome by Satan’s temptations.
God declares that even a mother may forget her child, “yet will I not forget thee.” … God thinks of His children with the tenderest solicitude and keeps a book of remembrance before Him, that He may never forget the children of His care.
“Every human tie may perish,Friend to friend unfaithful prove,Mothers cease their own to cherish,Heaven and earth at last remove;But no changesCan attend Jehovah’s love.”
The Faith I Live By p. 280
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Prayer Requests
—-My friend CC has had to have part of one of her lungs removed due to cancer. She got a nasty virus a few months ago and has not been able to shake it even though she’s been on quite a few rounds of antibiotics. I found out today that she is having a real hard time breathing even though she is on oxygen all the time. I would like to request prayers for her and her comfort and healing. May God’s loving will be done for her. Kathy
—-Please keep my youngest brother, Lloyd, in your prayers. He began chemotherapy again today. It is a very aggressive chemo treatment & the side effects are supposed to be awful. He has 4 kids at home, is an elder in the church and is on the preaching rotation. He went through several months of treatments a year ago. Kathy
—-Please pray for my nephew, he is a nice young fellow, but he is hooked on alcohol. His name is Beniah he is around 30 years old. Rosemary
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Dear Friends,
While we were enjoying a drive in the country some years ago, Ronnie Jay and I were seeing how many birds and animals we could see. Because I was driving and had to concentrate on the road, I was at a slight disadvantage in our little game. As we drove along, I saw in the distance what looked like a goshawk sitting on a vertical branch alongside a fence. Try as he might, Ronnie Jay could not see it. When we drove by it, I understood why. My “goshawk” was actually a clump of dried leaves. I took some teasing about that one.
Ronnie Jay commented that he thought I was trying too hard.
He began talking about the spiritual lesson those leaf clumps taught. How easy it is to be fooled by false teachers and false doctrine. Jesus warns us, “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” “Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” Matt 7:15-23; Luke 12:1
Paul also gives the warning, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Col 2:8 Isaiah gives an important condition to our not becoming confused by the multitude of voices each teaching an opposite view, “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isa 8:20 How important it is that we compare all that we hear, all that we see by the Holy Scriptures. No matter how much we trust someone, we must still check his teaching by a “thus saith the Lord.”
Let us “study to shew ourselves approved unto God, a workman who needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the Word of Truth” that we will not be fooled by a “clump of dried leaves” as I was. 2 Tim 2:15 Let us “beware lest [we] also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from [our] own stedfastness.” Let us “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” 2 Peter 3:17, 18
Rose

Dear to the Heart of God