Welcome to the City of God

His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Matthew 25:23.
With unutterable love, Jesus welcomes His faithful ones to the joy of their Lord. The Saviour’s joy is in seeing, in the kingdom of glory, the souls that have been saved by His agony and humiliation. And the redeemed will be sharers in His joy, as they behold, among the blessed, those who have been won to Christ through their prayers, their labors, and their loving sacrifice. As they gather about the great white throne, gladness unspeakable will fill their hearts, when they behold those whom they have won for Christ, and see that one has gained others, and these still others, all brought into the haven of rest, there to lay their crowns at Jesus’ feet and praise Him through the endless cycles of eternity.
As the ransomed ones are welcomed to the City of God, there rings out upon the air an exultant cry of adoration. The two Adams are about to meet. The Son of God is standing with outstretched arms to receive the father of our race—the being whom He created, who sinned against his Maker, and for whose sin the marks of the crucifixion are borne upon the Saviour’s form. As Adam discerns the prints of the cruel nails, he does not fall upon the bosom of his Lord, but in humiliation casts himself at His feet, crying: “Worthy, worthy is the Lamb that was slain!” Tenderly the Saviour lifts him up and bids him look once more upon the Eden home from which he has so long been exiled.
After his expulsion from Eden, Adam’s life on earth was filled with sorrow. Every dying leaf, every victim of sacrifice, every blight upon the fair face of nature, every stain upon man’s purity, was a fresh reminder of his sin…. With patient humility he bore, for nearly a thousand years, the penalty of transgression. Faithfully did he repent of his sin and trust in the merits of the promised Saviour, and he died in the hope of a resurrection. The Son of God redeemed man’s failure and fall; and now, through the work of the atonement, Adam is reinstated in his first dominion.
Maranatha p. 315
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Prayer Requests
——Feeling feeble and in great need of prayer for me and my family. Satan is relentless, yet God is much more able! Nicole
——Please pray for the people in the path of the wildfires especially the one an hour and a half from AFCOE. Brian
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Dear Friends
When Ronnie Jay was six, we spent the summer camping at a privately owned campground. It was a lovely summer with lots of adventures for the children. The owner of the place had a grandson, Lindon, who was about Ronnie Jay’s age. The two boys became friends immediately and played together daily.
One day, the boys found part of a map that had been dropped by some utility workers a few days before. They took it to Ron, who, using his fertile imagination, told the boys that it was a pirate’s treasure map. Ronnie Jay and Lindon were thrilled! They talked about their find for hours thinking of all the toys they could buy with the money. I knew nothing of this or I would have told them that Ron was teasing.
The campground was small and nestled the woods. A path through the woods took us down the hill to the river. Ronnie Jay often asked to go to the river, but I would not allow him to go ess I went along. There were poisonous snakes and other “critters” in that southern woods that could harm my precious son. In addition, the river flowed swiftly and Ronnie Jay could not swim.
As I was doing the little duties that must be done around a camp, I noticed that I had not heard or seen the boys in quite awhile. Concerned, I grebbed Esther Marie’s hand and walked toward the owner’s house. I didn’t get far before I saw her coming toward me. She was looking for Lindon. We were really worried then. We called and called, but there was no answer. Finally, a very tall man, who was camping there overnight, walked over to us and asked, “Are you looking for two little boys?” Seeing our nodding heads and anxious looks, he pointed and said, “I see two heads bobbing along through that tall grass over there.”
Lindon’s grandma and I with stern looks upons our faces were waiting for them at the end of the path that led to Lindon’s house, which was about 1/4 mile away. Lindon was not allowed there while his parents were at work because his father insisted on keeping some very mean dogs. There were many other things a little boy could get into while unsupervised.
Upon questioning them, we discovered the reason for their disobedience. Over the fireplace, Lindon’s father had a large sword hanging upon the wall. He had it there for decoration, but it was a real sword and very sharp. As they had been talking about the “treasure map,” Lindon had decided that they would need that sword to fight the pirates if they were still guarding it. Thankfully they were too short, even when standing upon a chair, to reach it and were heading back to the camp.
How careful we must be when we tell children anything. They have perfect trust, perfect confidence in us. They are not filled with doubts like grownups are. They believe our every word. Jesus speaking of this trait of little children “called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” Later He explained, “Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.” Matt 18:2-6; 10:15
May we have that same perfect trust, perfect confidence in our loving Heavenly Father. With loving voice, He bids us, “Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matt 11:28 May we so do, bringing to Him all of our sorrows, all of our perplexities, all of our joys, for He cares for us more than His Own Life.
Rose