For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:17, 18.
I address you and your children. I sympathize with you in your bereavement at this time. If I were with you, I could speak words of comfort to you, but as I am not, I can only trace a few lines, and let you know that I do not forget you in your affliction. . . .
We are in the evening of this earth’s history, and we may lay away our dead, knowing that they are hid for a little moment until the indignation be overpast. We need not mourn for them as those who have ho hope; for their life is hid with Christ in God. We have every reason to rejoice. . . .
The difficulties which those who put on Christ and keep His commandments must undergo, are not of Christ’s designing. “If any man will come after me,” He says, “let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). The duty of intelligent souls is to hold to the truth, to practice virtue. We are born with a disinclination to both. It is sad to find in one’s own constitution an opposition to virtues that are commendable in the sight of God, as submission, charity, sweetness of spirit, and patience that will not be provoked. Say to yourselves, dear children, I am weakness, but God is my strength. He has given me my post of duty. The General whom I serve bids me be an overcomer. . . .
Let the affliction that has come to your family circle be a blessing to you all. Our dear sister, your mother, loved Jesus. Her warfare is ended. You are to remember that she rests in hope. “When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him” (Colossians 3:4). Let the peace and comfort of the Holy Spirit come into your hearts. Open the door of your hearts, that Jesus may enter as an honored guest, and you will have a Comforter. “This is my commandment, That ye love one another” (John 15:12). Let the hearts of the living draw close to one another. Let each try to be a blessing to the other, and not a hindrance. . . .
Let us prepare for the coming of the Son of man. Let us be true to God, and we shall receive the crown of life.–Letter 10, Jan. 26, 1898, to Brother Hare.
This Day with God p. 34
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Prayer Requests
—–Please pray for Wanangwa as she travels to GYC. Also pray for Ronnie Jay who has a job interview today that should be better than the one he has now. Rose
—–update—Some improvement with Mom but still a lot of unanswered questions. Thanks for the prayers everyone. Keep it up! Lisa
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Dear Friends,
When my grandfather retired at age 70, he decided that he had had enough of the cold climate of Michigan. He decided that he and my grandmother would move to Florida. This was not an easy task, as neither of them could drive a car. They had to hire professional movers and take the train the 1200 miles to the small town he had chosen.
It must have cost them a huge amount of money. What a lot of stuff they had! My grandmother saved everything—not just the important keepsakes, but buttons and thread, aluminum foil, scraps of material, string, etc. She would not part with any of it. In amazement I walked between tall barrels of completely worthless stuff that should have been thrown away years ago. My grandmother had always ridiculed her brother-in-law for having a basement full of file cabinets of all of the letters he had ever received in his life. To our surprise, we found that for decades she had been doing the same thing. She saved different things than Uncle Lloyd had, but they were just as worthless.
How often we do the same. How many times we condemn others for the very thought, word, or action that we excuse in ourselves. Paul warns us, “Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself, for thou that judgest doest the same things. . . . And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?” Rom 2:1-3
Nathan the prophet visited King David with a message that illustrates this very point. “And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city, the one rich, and the other poor. The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children, it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him, but took the poor man?s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him. And David?s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.” 2 Sam 12:1-6
How quick David was to condemn the rich man for his cruelty, yet David, who had a multitude of wives and concubines had intimate relation with Uriah’s only wife whom he loved and cherished, and when Bathsheba became pregnant, caused her husband to be killed in battle. There were four-fold consequnces to David’s sin, just as there are consequenses when we judge and condemn others.
Jesus commands, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother?s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye, and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother?s eye.”Mt 7:1-5 Luke records it thus: “Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” Luke 6:37,38 Words fit to ponder.
May we be careful to “judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” John 7:24 May we, when we see another doing wrong and feel we must admonish him, remember Paul’s advice, “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” Gal 6:1
Rose