The kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. Revelation 6:15, 16.
The derisive jests have ceased. Lying lips are hushed into silence. The clash of arms, the tumult of battle, “with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood” (Isaiah 9:5), is stilled. Nought now is heard but the voice of prayer and the sound of weeping and lamentation. The cry bursts forth from lips so lately scoffing: “The great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” The wicked pray to be buried beneath the rocks of the mountains rather than meet the face of Him whom they have despised and rejected.
That voice which penetrates the ear of the dead, they know. How often have its plaintive, tender tones called them to repentance. How often has it been heard in the touching entreaties of a friend, a brother, a Redeemer. To the rejecters of His grace no other could be so full of condemnation, so burdened with denunciation, as that voice which has so long pleaded: “Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die?” Ezekiel 33:11. Oh, that it were to them the voice of a stranger! Says Jesus: “I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof.” Proverbs 1:24, 25. That voice awakens memories which they would fain blot out–warnings despised, invitations refused, privileges slighted. . . .
In the lives of all who reject truth there are moments when conscience awakens, when memory presents the torturing recollection of a life of hypocrisy and the soul is harassed with vain regrets. But what are these compared with the remorse of that day . . . when “destruction cometh as a whirlwind”! Proverbs 1:27. Those who would have destroyed Christ and His faithful people now witness the glory which rests upon them.
Maranatha p. 295
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Prayer Requests
—–Please continue to pray for Brian as he will be getting settled into AFCOE today. Pray that this will be a wonderful experience for him and that he will be able to find work as soon as he graduates.
—–my DR’s wife had a stroke while she was preparing a bible study. it left her with poor vision and speech. she was working on a bible subject when it happened. the DR’s at the hospital said that her heart is good and they cannot find anything wrong with her or why this happened.. we believe she was under attack by the enemy because of the subject she was preparing.. thanks. M
—–Please pray for Marion who just had surgery and has a small baby and pre-schooler to care for. Pray that the cyst is benign.
—–Please pray for Julie who was shot Tuesday and is in critical condition.
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Dear Friends
Many years ago, my mother worked with a lady from Germany. As they worked together, they became friends. One Thanksgiving this lady invited my mother and I to her house to celebrate the holiday.
When we arrived, she and her husband gave us a tour of their home. It was on a large, wooded lot out in the country. The first story was made of cement block and was a large open area with a kitchen which was used in the summer. There was plenty of space for storage. The husband explained to us that when they had come to this country, they had lived very frugally. Every paycheck they would save as much as they could. Finally when they had enough money, they found just the land they desired and paid cash for it.
Then they were ready to begin the second step of their plan. Every time they got paid, they bought building materials, took them out to their lot, and covered them with a tarp. (In those days, there was not as much crime as there is today, so no one bothered it.) As soon as they had enough materials, the two of them built their first story, a cement block structure. They covered it with a flat roof that could be used for the foundation of the second story of the house which they would build when they had enough matierials. Then they moved in. They lived in this basement-like structure for a year or two. It lacked a lot of the comforts they wanted, but it was sufficient.
Now that they did not have rent to pay, their ability to buy more building materials for the second story that would be their living area progress rapidly. Week by week the stack of building materials grew. Finally, they had enough to put up the outside walls and the roof. They then began buying what they needed to furnish their comfortable place. A few years later, they added a deck off from the livingroom. By paying cash as they went along, they had a lovely home that was completely debt free.
Just as my mother’s friends gathered together building materials a little at a time, so we are instructed to memorize Scripture in the same way. “Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.” Isa 28:9,10 There are many programs to memorize Scripture. Ron uses one on his phone called Remember Me. It works on the same principle as did my mother’s friends’ home building project. Esther belongs to a Bible memory group at church. Each week only two verses are memorized. Sometimes it seems like that is an insignificant amount, yet as she works at it week by week, she finds a growing number of texts in her memory. The Holy Spirit will bring to her mind those texts just when she will need them.
As we study God’s Word we will find many familiar passages, but we will also find new ones as the Holy Spirit guides us: things we have not seen before but have been there all the time. Jesus said, “Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.” Matt 13:27 How do we get that treasure? By reading the Word of God, studying what it says upon any given subject, by meditating upon it, and memorizing the main points of Scripture. David asks, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.” Ps 119:9-12
May we spend time each day memorizing God’s Holy Word. May we meditate upon that passage until it becomes a part of our very being. May we, as did Jesus, meet the temptations of the evil one with a firm “It is written” for we have the promise that if we resist the devil, he will flee from us. (Matt 4:4, 7, 10; James 4:7)
Rose