| August 23, 1998 |
Vol. I, No. 23
|
“And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes, there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, and there shall be no more pain, for the former things are passed away.” (Rev. 21:4).
Those in heaven “shall reign forever and ever.” (Rev. 22:5). There will be no more death there, and no sorrowing, no tears. “There shall be no more pain” seems, to me, to be the epitome of all.
NO MORE PAIN! I glance at those assembled to worship God, and recall events in the lives of a few--
The eldest missed only three Sundays last year. Not because he had no illnesses, but despite them. In heaven he will have no need for Trnns-Derm Nitro, or diuretics. There will be no pain in heaven.
Some suffered the tortures of weak back, but the pain seldom kept them from worship. Someday, they will have no more pain!
The agonies of arthritis, colds, viral infections, cancer with its painful treatments and frightening dangers -- these and all other ailments will be no more. “And there shall be no more pain” there.
That radiant mother-to-be who prepares to endure the pain of childbirth so that she can bring up another soul “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:4) can rejoice, just thinking about a realm where “there shall be no more pain.”
Those who have slept under the surgeon’s skilled hand will find great comfort, for the Great Physician assures us “there shall be no more pain” in heaven.
The darkness of blindness will give way to everlasting light, old things will pass away, and there shall be no more pain.
Even little children will rejoice where no Band-Aids are needed, for there shall be no pain there.
NO MORE PAIN. In self-pity I thought of my own weaknesses -- and then I realized Jesus was in our midst as He promised. He who was spat upon, bruised and cursed. His body was hanged on nails driven through His hands and feet into Calvary’s cross. Surely Jesus knew greater pain than mine or yours as He gave Himself as the sacrifice for our sins so that we could inherit heaven where the former things are passed away, and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor tears, “and there shall be no more pain.”
--Everitt F. Wood
Recently I was looking through some old newspaper clippings I’ve kept in my files, and I ran across an article from several years ago by an unidentified author, pointing to some alarming facts regarding the leaders of our land and their priorities.
“Don’t Steal an Eagle Egg: If you do, it can cost you $5,000. Or a year in the clink. Or both. Eagles are protected by federal law against harm or harassment by the citizenry. The penalty for so much as stealing an egg from a nest has been stipulated by Congress.
“Don’t Gas a Beagle: Sen. Humphrey abhorred the idea of using dogs in any tests of chemical, biological or radioactive warfare materials. His amendment banning use of appropriated funds for such purposes was overwhelmingly approved in the Senate and accepted by the House.
“But [human] Babies You Can Kill. According to our U.S. Supreme Court, the word ‘person’ as used in the 14th Amendment does not include the unborn. Last year in these United States, more than 1,000,000 unborn babies were ‘terminated’ through abortion on demand. Terminated means killed. Killed without penalty. Unless someone got a parking ticket in front of an abortion mill.”
Don’t get us wrong. We are not opposed to laws that protect animal life and natural resources. But when the leaders of our land begin to think more highly of birds and dogs than they do of their fellow humans made in the image of Almighty God, Gen. 1:26-27, it is high time to be alarmed. Shedding of innocent blood has brought the wrath of God upon nations in time past, Joel 3:19, and there is no reason to believe God has changed His mind about that.
And remember the words of the Psalmist, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is His reward, (Psalm 127:3).
--CRJ
We are known by the company we keep out of.
I read the other day about a young couple who were dog fanciers and had two or three around the house. A baby came along and after some months, a friend inquired, “Does the baby talk yet?” Replied the mother, “Not yet, but he’s learning to bark.”
That may not be a very good joke, but it does serve to illustrate the fact that children pick up what they hear and see around the house. Bad language and bad habits, disrespect for authority, little or no emphasis on spiritual things, abusive criticism of others, and a host of other things that are opposed to godly living, are all absorbed by children. We can’t expect the next generation to be any better than this one until we begin to improve the environment in which our children are reared!
It is a frightening thing when you realize that both the church and the state receive their citizens from the home. Neither has any other source of supply. Just a casual reflection and observation would suggest that many of this present generation have never been taught that Romans 13 is in the Bible, and many have never learned that 2 John 9-11 is a part of divine revelation.
It does little good to point out what a person has failed to do when the opportunity to correct the mistake is past. But it can do good to be reminded of our responsibilities as parents while we still have children in that formative period. May God help us to instill in them those principles that will cause them to grow “as trees planted by the rivers of water.” No task is more fearful and none so filled with rewards later in life.
--author unknown
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:13-16). In these words, Jesus tells His disciples that they are to make a difference in the world.
In the beatitudes, Jesus told His disciples they must operate on a different level from the world, recognizing great values in such matters as humility, kindness, and moral purity. Such difference is sure to provoke persecution from a bewildered world, and thus one of the first temptations a follower of Jesus is likely to face is the temptation to hide his Christianity from a world that does not know how to value Jesus and His gospel.
The Christian must rise above this temptation. He is to be as salt in the world around him. In that day, salt had not one, but two great purposes. Then as now, it flavored whatever was salted with it. Christians should be an influence to flavor the world in which they live. But salt in that day had another common purpose -- that of preservation. Most of us are at least vaguely familiar with the power of salt to preserve, and can thus relate to how God intends to use Christians to be a saving influence on an otherwise lost and dying world.
In still another likeness, Jesus compared His disciples to light, shining in a world of darkness. In Phil. 2:15, Paul admonishes Christians to be “blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life...”
Unfortunately, in the 1900 years that have intervened since Paul’s day, many who fancy themselves as Christians are more inclined to apologize for the word of life than to hold it fast. Many nominal “Christians” are ashamed of the Biblical accounts of miracles. They cringe at the thought of an absolute standard of right and wrong, and that of eternal judgment. To many, there is no sin -- just misunderstanding and maladjustment. Many religionists long ago abandoned the concepts of heaven and hell, and quietly took their seat in the world, relinquishing their saltiness and covering their light until it has long since expired. Bible student friend, it is time and past time to cry out to our religious leaders to get back to the Bible, to give us book, chapter, and verse preaching that holds aloft God’s word and warns this unbelieving world that we will someday be judged by what the Bible says.
--CRJ