If any man’s work abide…, he shall receive a reward.1 Corinthians 3:14.
Glorious will be the reward bestowed when the faithful workers gather about the throne of God and of the Lamb. When John in his mortal state beheld the glory of God, he fell as one dead; he was not able to endure the sight. But when the children of God shall have put on immortality, they will “see him as he is.” 1 John 3:2. They will stand before the throne, accepted in the Beloved. All their sins have been blotted out, all their transgressions borne away. Now they can look upon the undimmed glory of the throne of God. They have been partakers with Christ in His sufferings, they have been workers together with Him in the plan of redemption, and they are partakers with Him in the joy of seeing souls saved in the kingdom of God, there to praise God through all eternity.
In that day the redeemed will shine forth in the glory of the Father and the Son. The angels, touching their golden harps, will welcome the King and His trophies of victory….A song of triumph will peal forth, filling all heaven. Christ has conquered. He enters the heavenly courts, accompanied by His redeemed ones, the witnesses that His mission of suffering and sacrifice has not been in vain….
There are homes for the pilgrims of earth. There are robes for the righteous, with crowns of glory and palms of victory. All that has perplexed us in the providences of God will in the world to come be made plain. The things hard to be understood will then find explanation. The mysteries of grace will unfold before us. Where our finite minds discovered only confusion and broken promises, we shall see the most perfect and beautiful harmony. We shall know that infinite love ordered the experiences that seemed most trying. As we realize the tender care of Him who makes all things work together for our good, we shall rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.
I urge you to prepare for the coming of Christ in the clouds of heaven…. Prepare for the judgment, that when Christ shall come, to be admired in all them that believe, you may be among those who will meet Him in peace.
Maranatha p. 323
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Prayer Requests
—–Prayers for my friend, Dorothy, who fell and was injured. Marlene
—–Please pray for baby Chris. He was born prematurely, weighs only 2.7 pounds, and has pneumonia. Mary
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Dear Friends,
When my aunt Joyce was 11, she, my mother, and two friends decided to dress up for Halloween. As the custom was in those days, they walked to town and
looked at all the other people in costumes.
A group of tough boys about the same age as my aunt stopped them and started trying to scare them. My aunt waited for the two friends, who were boys, to protect my mother and her. However, the boys were too scared to do anything. They just stood there. Suddenly Joyce knew what to do. She had a hand full of coins. This would make her fist very hard. She punched the leader of the boys in the eye as hard as she could. They were shocked! He said, “Oh, I thought you were all girls. I didn’t know one of you was a boy.” Joyce got teased over that for years. In fact, it became one of those family stories that gets told and retold.
Appearances can be deceiving. Sometimes we think we know the it all. Sometimes we feel we are right, but the Bible says, “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Prov 16:25 Jesus reminds us, “Enter ye in at the strait (narrow) gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matt 7:13,14
So how can we know the way? How can we find that narrow path that most people never find? Paul tells us, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Tim 2:15 Jeremiah says, “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart.” Jer 15:16 David gives us the key, “How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get understanding:
therefore I hate every false way. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.” Ps 119:103-106
By studying God’s Holy Word, by setting aside preconceived ideas, by taking it just as it reads we can know the way. There are gems of truth in each
passage that are just awaiting our discovery. He has promised to give us His Holy Spirit Who will “guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.” John 16:13 When we study we should always pray for His guidance. Then He will “show (us)great and mighty things, which (we
knew) not. Jer 33:3
May we “walk in the light as He is in the light.” 1 John 1:7 May we accept the great truths that we find in His Word. May we “follow on to know the Lord” (Hosea 6:3) that when He comes we can look up and say, “Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” Isa 25:9
Rose