Steps to Peace
By Barbara Henderson
Do you want world peace? (yes no)
Do you have a suggestion on exactly how world peace could be obtained? (yes no)
Do you have any faith that people standing around holding a sign that says, ‘I declare peace’ will have any effect what so ever in bringing about peace in the world or even in specific areas of population? (yes no)
What would be required to actually bring peace?
The first thing that comes to my mind is the sense of entitlement that so many people have. If they see something they want, they are suddenly ‘entitled’ to have it. It doesn’t matter how much someone else deserves it, has earned it, needs it, or anything else. If the ‘entitle minded’ wants it, they suddenly have more rights to it than anyone else.
The most dangerous living with a sense of entitlement are of course world leaders who are quite often professional manipulators. They all believe the ends justify the means, and that THEY are much more worthy of control and possessions than the masses.
Sadly, these people do not know the differences between true peace, and coerced peace. Well, they probably actually do know; they just don’t care. They are entitled to whatever they want. They are not required to care who it hurts.
Honestly, all the world is going to gain from attempts at peace through mortal means is war. They are attempting to bring about peace without consulting God Almighty.
Now, as an individual, no one has the power to ‘declare peace’. To those who have ‘declared peace’ I would like to say, ‘Let me know how that is working out for you.’
For an individual’s efforts to bring peace to the world to have any impact whatsoever, they must first begin in exactly the right place. That place is in their own hearts. They must first make peace with God.
The world as a whole is in rebellion against God. All good things come from God. All those separated from God because of sin have a wicked heart. They will not achieve any real or lasting peace.
Isaiah 48:22 says, ‘There is no peace, saith the LORD, unto the wicked.’
Isaiah 57:21 says, ‘There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.’
Those seeking peace apart from God will achieve only the slightest gain; but, they will cry loudly that their achievement is mighty.
Jeremiah 6:14 says, ‘They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace’
Jeremiah 8:11 says, ‘For they have healed the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace’.
They absolute most they can achieve will be something that appears to be peace, but is like a cement block wall built using sand for mortar. It will fall at the slightest ground shift.
Ezekiel 13:10 says, ‘Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered morter:’.
No one’s heart will be in a forced peace. Everyone will be looking for an excuse to break the peace.
The only true beginning to global peace is the effort of the individual to personally reconcile with God Almighty through Jesus Christ the Son. Ephesians 2:8 says, ‘For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:’. THAT is where peace REALLY begins. All other efforts are just vain busy work. In case you don’t know, ‘busy work’, is just work that has no actual purpose. Nothing will be accomplished through busy work except people will look busy, and their time will be occupies. An example of vain busy work is what is going on with Israel in the name of peace.
Obviously, there cannot be true global peace until Christ Himself sets up His kingdom. However, the true people of God can look for peace.
Psalm 29:11 says, ‘The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.’
Isaiah 55:12 says, ‘For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands’.
By the way, there is no way to determine whether someone is really a child of God. Some people can easily be assigned the label of apostate or heretic. Some are very difficult to figure out. Fortunately, the Lord does know who the true believers are.
2 Timothy 2:9 says, ‘Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity’.
We are given a clue there as to how to tell true believers. If someone claims to be a Christian, yet does not depart from the things of their old life, then they are suspect. To me, those who take the things of the world such as music and dress into the church are very much suspect. However, I don’t have to ‘know’ who is and who isn’t a Christian. God knows.
The actual door to world peace is through Jesus Christ alone. Any other effort to achieve world peace is will fail miserably.
Once you get it settled that you have made peace with God through Christ, the next step in your own peaceful existence is to live according to the boundaries set down in the Bible.
You are not required to take on additional burdens – such as salvation through works, specific dress codes (be moderate and modest), food, socially acceptable requirements, politically correct actions, or anything else not required of you in the Bible.
Peace in your own heart is much easier if you follow Bible instructions such as:
Fear not
Have faith specifically in God – not the faith that is in nothing but the word faith.
Be kind one to another.
Forgive others.
Love one another.
Treat others the way you want to be treated.
Doing these things builds a positive attitude in you. It does not guarantee you your desired outcome in all situations; but, it does help you in just living the life you have today.
Job 13:8 says, ‘Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.’
Today is the day to follow the instructions in Isaiah 50:7 which says, ‘For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.’
This means set your heart and mind to follow God at all costs. Follow Him now when the times are easy – or at least ‘easier’ than they may be in the future.
Luke 9:62 says, ‘And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God’. If you have truly chosen to follow Christ, then follow Him. I Kings 18:21 says, 'And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.'
If you are not specifically following God, then you are following Baal - or one of his namesakes.
You know, through salvation the believer gains eternal life in heaven with God. Salvation cannot be lost, but fellowship can be lost or at least tarnished. To keep peace in the heart of the believer, fellowship with God must be maintained.
The path to peace is:
First, be saved (reconciled to God)
Second, do the things Christ said to do in order to stay in fellowship with Him
Third, keep you eyes on your eternal destination; don't be distracted by the things of the world.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Is Homo-Noeticus Replacing Homo-Sapien as the Dominant Life Form on Earth?
Who is REALLY a Human Being?
In America and around the world, there is a battle raging regarding abortion as a legitimate method of birth control. Those on one side say that an unborn baby is just a hunk of flesh and no more human than a jelly fish. Those on the other side say that life begins at conception, and should be respected as a human being from that time forward.
Can you guess which side I am on? I am pro-life of course. But, the battle for life is raging beyond just the right to life for the unborn, and the partially born.
History shows us that all that is needed to launch a war on human beings of any age is the arrogance that comes from a racial superiority complex. In recent history, we saw it at in WWII. Japan saw themselves as a people superior to all other races. Germany saw itself equally superior to all other races. I don’t know what the outcome might have been if the last two armies standing had been Japan and Germany.
To the Germans it was ok to slaughter Jews, because they were classified as ‘non-human’. To the Japanese it was ok to murder POW’s with torture, starvation, and death marches, because they really weren’t human according to the Japanese thoughts. If something that ‘looks’ like a human being actually isn’t a human being, then they have no rights as human beings. They are like the animals, at the mercy of those in charge.
Years ago I read about an interview with a recently captured Nazi war criminal. He was the overseer of the slaughter of many Jews. He admitted to the slaughters, but could not seem to comprehend the scope of his crime. He still was convinced that he not been part of the murder of any human beings. In his mind he had just been responsible for the eradication of life forms that were not worthy of life.
Abortionists and the ‘pro-death’ crowd see things the same way. Unborn children are not human beings. There is no crime in disposing of them.
It boils down to when you can convince a large part of the population that someone who is unwanted or troublesome is ‘not human’, then slaughter of the non-human cannot be far behind.
Today, I see an approaching slaughter of innocents stemming from those who think themselves more evolved and therefore superior to the masses.
This slaughter will be directed at Christians and anyone else who does not get on board with the globalist agenda of world leaders. People who do get on board will be told they are more evolved and superior to those who do not agree with the globalist agenda.
You may wonder how these people become more evolved and superior to the lesser evolved, such as those who cling to beliefs in absolute truth, salvation by grace through faith, and the value of every human being.
The answer is they had a ‘quantum leap’ in evolution. In other words, their parents were simple homo-sapiens. Then, due to the quantum leap forward in evolution, the children born to these parents were suddenly ‘homo-noeticus’. That is supposedly the ‘next step in the evolutionary ladder’.
The dictionary says noetic theory is (from Greek word noûs), is a branch of metaphysical philosophy concerned with the study of nature, the operation of intellect, and the relationship between human and divine intellect.
By the way, evolutionary quantum leaps do away with the need for discovery of ‘missing links’ in evolution. If quantum leap evolution is actually the way it works, then gradual evolution doesn’t happen, and there are no missing links. One creature just suddenly starts producing a new and drastically improved version of its self.
The homo noeticus human being is ‘enlightened’, understanding the failings of the Holy Bible, and the necessity of including all religions in determining one’s personal beliefs. They will tolerate all personal beliefs as long as they are no absolute values or unchangeable truths involved.
The homo noeticus judges truth and right through personal experience and feelings.
The homo noeticus is on his or her way to taking their rightful place as co-god or co-goddess.
This supposed ‘higher form of humanity’ is currently emerging on the earth. It will make homo-sapiens obsolete, and even a drain on the resources of society as a whole.
Homo noeticus are more multidimensional that the older version of humankind. Their soul and spirit are more ‘merged’, and more ‘aware’ of events beyond what the five senses can perceive.
Their quantum leap in evolution is first spiritual. The physical quantum leap will come later. That is why you can’t tell a homo noeticus from homo sapiens just by looking at them.
Now, why would homo noeticus want to keep homo sapiens around? The poor out of date homo sapiens will be less than human. If they are not useful, why keep them around? Once the homo noeticus beings are in open control, the less developed homo sapiens will quickly become an endangered species – but they will not receive protection as an endangered species. They will likely be considered something like a termite infestation in an expensive home. Like any home owner, mother earth will prefer that they be eradicated.
People will not see themselves as persecuting human beings. They will see themselves as just cleaning up the planet.
In America and around the world, there is a battle raging regarding abortion as a legitimate method of birth control. Those on one side say that an unborn baby is just a hunk of flesh and no more human than a jelly fish. Those on the other side say that life begins at conception, and should be respected as a human being from that time forward.
Can you guess which side I am on? I am pro-life of course. But, the battle for life is raging beyond just the right to life for the unborn, and the partially born.
History shows us that all that is needed to launch a war on human beings of any age is the arrogance that comes from a racial superiority complex. In recent history, we saw it at in WWII. Japan saw themselves as a people superior to all other races. Germany saw itself equally superior to all other races. I don’t know what the outcome might have been if the last two armies standing had been Japan and Germany.
To the Germans it was ok to slaughter Jews, because they were classified as ‘non-human’. To the Japanese it was ok to murder POW’s with torture, starvation, and death marches, because they really weren’t human according to the Japanese thoughts. If something that ‘looks’ like a human being actually isn’t a human being, then they have no rights as human beings. They are like the animals, at the mercy of those in charge.
Years ago I read about an interview with a recently captured Nazi war criminal. He was the overseer of the slaughter of many Jews. He admitted to the slaughters, but could not seem to comprehend the scope of his crime. He still was convinced that he not been part of the murder of any human beings. In his mind he had just been responsible for the eradication of life forms that were not worthy of life.
Abortionists and the ‘pro-death’ crowd see things the same way. Unborn children are not human beings. There is no crime in disposing of them.
It boils down to when you can convince a large part of the population that someone who is unwanted or troublesome is ‘not human’, then slaughter of the non-human cannot be far behind.
Today, I see an approaching slaughter of innocents stemming from those who think themselves more evolved and therefore superior to the masses.
This slaughter will be directed at Christians and anyone else who does not get on board with the globalist agenda of world leaders. People who do get on board will be told they are more evolved and superior to those who do not agree with the globalist agenda.
You may wonder how these people become more evolved and superior to the lesser evolved, such as those who cling to beliefs in absolute truth, salvation by grace through faith, and the value of every human being.
The answer is they had a ‘quantum leap’ in evolution. In other words, their parents were simple homo-sapiens. Then, due to the quantum leap forward in evolution, the children born to these parents were suddenly ‘homo-noeticus’. That is supposedly the ‘next step in the evolutionary ladder’.
The dictionary says noetic theory is (from Greek word noûs), is a branch of metaphysical philosophy concerned with the study of nature, the operation of intellect, and the relationship between human and divine intellect.
By the way, evolutionary quantum leaps do away with the need for discovery of ‘missing links’ in evolution. If quantum leap evolution is actually the way it works, then gradual evolution doesn’t happen, and there are no missing links. One creature just suddenly starts producing a new and drastically improved version of its self.
The homo noeticus human being is ‘enlightened’, understanding the failings of the Holy Bible, and the necessity of including all religions in determining one’s personal beliefs. They will tolerate all personal beliefs as long as they are no absolute values or unchangeable truths involved.
The homo noeticus judges truth and right through personal experience and feelings.
The homo noeticus is on his or her way to taking their rightful place as co-god or co-goddess.
This supposed ‘higher form of humanity’ is currently emerging on the earth. It will make homo-sapiens obsolete, and even a drain on the resources of society as a whole.
Homo noeticus are more multidimensional that the older version of humankind. Their soul and spirit are more ‘merged’, and more ‘aware’ of events beyond what the five senses can perceive.
Their quantum leap in evolution is first spiritual. The physical quantum leap will come later. That is why you can’t tell a homo noeticus from homo sapiens just by looking at them.
Now, why would homo noeticus want to keep homo sapiens around? The poor out of date homo sapiens will be less than human. If they are not useful, why keep them around? Once the homo noeticus beings are in open control, the less developed homo sapiens will quickly become an endangered species – but they will not receive protection as an endangered species. They will likely be considered something like a termite infestation in an expensive home. Like any home owner, mother earth will prefer that they be eradicated.
People will not see themselves as persecuting human beings. They will see themselves as just cleaning up the planet.
Friday, April 10, 2009
The Valley of Sorrow
My Dad died on February 9 if this year.
My father in law died on February 5 three years ago.
My sister April died on Good Friday of 1995.
That particular Good Friday I was sitting at my desk at my husbands auto repair shop. I wasn't busy, so I got out my Bible and read all four Gospel accounts of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
I was thinking of how thankful I was that Christ arose, and how we would someday see my Grandad and other family and friends who had already got on the bus to heaven.
THEN - the phone rang.
When someone you love dies it seems that the world should at least stand still for a day or two.
So great is your personal sense of loss and heartbreak that it seems impossible for most of the world to be unaffected.
However, I believe God Himself is affected when we suffer loss.
His heart is broken to see our hearts broken.
There is a song with a line that Christ speaks which says,
'I felt every tear drop when in darkness you cried, and I strove to remeind you - tha for those tears I died,' ( posted all the lyrics for 'For those tears I died' at the very end of the article - after Whispering Hope)
When God says, 'I feel your pain' - He really DOES feel your pain.
I know that often times like Easter and other holidays cause people to remember and mourn over loved ones who have died instead of celebrating and being thankful for life, salvation, and the blessings of the day.
Anyway, I have copied here an article that I wrote on getting through the death of a loved one. I hope it will be helpful to you, or please forward or recommend to someone or anyone you think it might help.
-----------
The Valley of Sorrow
It felt like I had been run over by a freight train. I was stunned. I was in shock. I was crying hysterically. But it was really just a phone call. My dad called and said he had to talk to my husband Jerry. I knew it was bad because Jerry hates to talk on the phone so no one ever asks for Jerry unless something bad is going on. I knew some elderly family members and friends were sick, so I thought one had died. I was right someone had died. But it was not an elderly person or even a sick person. It was my sister April. She was 33, a college graduate, a non drinker, non smoker, no drugs - nothing - just a little over weight. She had been getting ready for a Sunday School party and simply dropped dead. It was probably a heart attack. And that was when the shadow of death passed over my life like a freight train. Suddenly, from the middle of bright sun shiny Good Friday, I was in the valley of Baca. At some time or another I had heard a sermon based on a verse from Psalms 84:6 on the subject of "when passing through the valley of Baca (sorrow) dig a well. I had suddenly become a "well digger".
The well I dug was really just "digging into God's word" and learning to believe His promises. I learned that God was with me because somehow He gave me the strength to read His word. Somehow He gave me strength to get up every morning and go through the day. He gave me strength to live each day. He gave me strength to begin to look toward the future.
The first thing He showed me when I was looking toward the future was our eternal future. I "saw" heaven. I saw a very real place filled with very real people doing very real and wonderful things. I saw peace and joy. I saw love and excitement. I saw beauty without ugliness, pure love without any animosity. It was wonderful.
Then from that vantage point I began to consider the immediate future and try to live each day as it came. Gradually it became more normal. There will always be an empty place in my life here on this earth because my sister's existence here is missed. Nothing could fill her place. But I know she is in heaven doing just fine. The Bible tells us. 1 Corinthians 2:9 "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." April is in a place that is just too wonderful for us to even imagine. Knowing where she is does not fill the empty place she left here, but it does give great comfort that she really is ok.
So - I miss her - but I am not without hope. On the firm foundation of God's promise - I will see her again and there will be no parting anymore. All this I learned from digging through the wonderful written message God gave us. The Bible became more real to me than ever before. It is a well of comfort and joy beyond anything we can imagine. Really the well is already dug. It is the Bible. We just have to dig through the verses to find what we need at the moment.
My father in law recently died of cancer. He was the earthly patriarch of my husband's family. He was (and still is) loved deeply. His illness was hurtful to everyone because we didn't want to see him suffer and grow weaker. We didn't want him to leave this earth. We wanted all of us to abide in good health until the return of the Lord. But in leaving us here - we KNOW he went to the same place in which my sister now resides. I think they are laughing about the time April fell of my daughter's horse and rolled right up to my father in law's front door - and dented the screen door. The Bible says "we shall know as we are known" (I Cor. 13:12). We know the apostles knew Moses and Elijah at the transfiguration - even though they had never met them before. We will not only know our friends and loved ones - but others also!
Before my father in law's death I had already come to terms with how wonderful heaven will be. My real sorrow is for the family who was left without him. Without his corny jokes and his onery way. Without his steady faithfulness in the daily things of life. For his wife of 64 years who was left alone and lost without him. But I have hope for the future. That future is more real than the here and now.
The very thought of the reunion in heaven becomes more and more precious with the passing of each loved one. It also becomes more real each time. Sometimes I begin to wonder how thin the veil between heaven and earth really is.
I don't know what you personally may be facing right now. No one knows what he or she may have to face in the future. But I do know the One who will be there to face it with you. I know He will not leave you nor forsake you.
Of course there are many sorrows in life that don't involve a death but are still very painful. The way through any sorrow or trial is still the same. First you look to Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). Second you focus on the promises he has given you in the book he has provided for us. The Bible is chocked full of promises. I don't know what promise you will find the most helpful. That is why you must study the Word for yourself. There will be a verse that jumps from the page into your mind and brings you comfort as though it had been directly spoken to you and written thousands of years before just for you to read today. Third, you keep at it. Keep reading. Keep studying. Keep praying. Second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour, keep going.
I like to end an article by mentioning an old hymn that seems relevant to the subject if the article. I usually have a hard time deciding on the hymn because there are so many wonderful hymns. But this time it was easy. The hymn for the day is "Whispering Hope". "Whispering Hope - Oh how welcome thy voice." That relates so well to the still small voice that speaks - but it can be heard more easily than thunder by the child of God who is listening.
God Bless YOU!! - Love Barbara
WHISPERING HOPE WORDS
Soft as the voice of an angel,
Breathing a lesson unheard,
Hope with a gentle persuasion
Whispers her comforting word:
Wait till the darkness is over,
Wait till the tempest is done,
Hope for the sunshine tomorrow,
After the shower is gone.
Refrain
Whispering hope, oh how welcome thy voice,
Making my heart in its sorrow rejoice.
If, in the dusk of the twilight,
Dim be the region afar,
Will not the deepening darkness
Brighten the glimmering star?
Then when the night is upon us,
Why should the heart sink away?
When the dark midnight is over,
Watch for the breaking of day.
Refrain
Hope, as an anchor so steadfast,
Rends the dark veil for the soul,
Whither the Master has entered,
Robbing the grave of its goal.
Come then, O come, glad fruition,
Come to my sad weary heart;
Come, O Thou blest hope of glory,
Never, O never depart.
Refrain
http://ingeb.org/spiritua/whisperi.html
Words & Music: Septimus Winner, 1868 (MIDI, score). Hymnals often list the author as Alice Hawthorne, one of Winner’s several pseudonyms.
-----------------
You said you'd come and share all my sorrows,
You said you'd be there for all my tomorrows,
I came so close to sending you away,
But just like you promised, you came here to stay,
I just had to pray.
refrain - And Jesus said, "Come to the water, stand by my side.
I know you are thirsty, you won't be denied.
I felt every tear drop when in darkness you cried,
And I strove to remind you that for those tears I died."
Your goodness so great I can't understand.
And dear Lord, I know that all this was planned;
I know you're here now and always will be.
Your love loosed my chains and in You I'm free, but Jesus why me?
refrain
Jesus, I give you my heart and my soul,
I know now without God, I'd never be whole. S
avior, you opened all the right doors,
And I thank you and praise you from earth's humble shores,
Lord Take me I'm yours.
refrain
My father in law died on February 5 three years ago.
My sister April died on Good Friday of 1995.
That particular Good Friday I was sitting at my desk at my husbands auto repair shop. I wasn't busy, so I got out my Bible and read all four Gospel accounts of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
I was thinking of how thankful I was that Christ arose, and how we would someday see my Grandad and other family and friends who had already got on the bus to heaven.
THEN - the phone rang.
When someone you love dies it seems that the world should at least stand still for a day or two.
So great is your personal sense of loss and heartbreak that it seems impossible for most of the world to be unaffected.
However, I believe God Himself is affected when we suffer loss.
His heart is broken to see our hearts broken.
There is a song with a line that Christ speaks which says,
'I felt every tear drop when in darkness you cried, and I strove to remeind you - tha for those tears I died,' ( posted all the lyrics for 'For those tears I died' at the very end of the article - after Whispering Hope)
When God says, 'I feel your pain' - He really DOES feel your pain.
I know that often times like Easter and other holidays cause people to remember and mourn over loved ones who have died instead of celebrating and being thankful for life, salvation, and the blessings of the day.
Anyway, I have copied here an article that I wrote on getting through the death of a loved one. I hope it will be helpful to you, or please forward or recommend to someone or anyone you think it might help.
-----------
The Valley of Sorrow
It felt like I had been run over by a freight train. I was stunned. I was in shock. I was crying hysterically. But it was really just a phone call. My dad called and said he had to talk to my husband Jerry. I knew it was bad because Jerry hates to talk on the phone so no one ever asks for Jerry unless something bad is going on. I knew some elderly family members and friends were sick, so I thought one had died. I was right someone had died. But it was not an elderly person or even a sick person. It was my sister April. She was 33, a college graduate, a non drinker, non smoker, no drugs - nothing - just a little over weight. She had been getting ready for a Sunday School party and simply dropped dead. It was probably a heart attack. And that was when the shadow of death passed over my life like a freight train. Suddenly, from the middle of bright sun shiny Good Friday, I was in the valley of Baca. At some time or another I had heard a sermon based on a verse from Psalms 84:6 on the subject of "when passing through the valley of Baca (sorrow) dig a well. I had suddenly become a "well digger".
The well I dug was really just "digging into God's word" and learning to believe His promises. I learned that God was with me because somehow He gave me the strength to read His word. Somehow He gave me strength to get up every morning and go through the day. He gave me strength to live each day. He gave me strength to begin to look toward the future.
The first thing He showed me when I was looking toward the future was our eternal future. I "saw" heaven. I saw a very real place filled with very real people doing very real and wonderful things. I saw peace and joy. I saw love and excitement. I saw beauty without ugliness, pure love without any animosity. It was wonderful.
Then from that vantage point I began to consider the immediate future and try to live each day as it came. Gradually it became more normal. There will always be an empty place in my life here on this earth because my sister's existence here is missed. Nothing could fill her place. But I know she is in heaven doing just fine. The Bible tells us. 1 Corinthians 2:9 "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." April is in a place that is just too wonderful for us to even imagine. Knowing where she is does not fill the empty place she left here, but it does give great comfort that she really is ok.
So - I miss her - but I am not without hope. On the firm foundation of God's promise - I will see her again and there will be no parting anymore. All this I learned from digging through the wonderful written message God gave us. The Bible became more real to me than ever before. It is a well of comfort and joy beyond anything we can imagine. Really the well is already dug. It is the Bible. We just have to dig through the verses to find what we need at the moment.
My father in law recently died of cancer. He was the earthly patriarch of my husband's family. He was (and still is) loved deeply. His illness was hurtful to everyone because we didn't want to see him suffer and grow weaker. We didn't want him to leave this earth. We wanted all of us to abide in good health until the return of the Lord. But in leaving us here - we KNOW he went to the same place in which my sister now resides. I think they are laughing about the time April fell of my daughter's horse and rolled right up to my father in law's front door - and dented the screen door. The Bible says "we shall know as we are known" (I Cor. 13:12). We know the apostles knew Moses and Elijah at the transfiguration - even though they had never met them before. We will not only know our friends and loved ones - but others also!
Before my father in law's death I had already come to terms with how wonderful heaven will be. My real sorrow is for the family who was left without him. Without his corny jokes and his onery way. Without his steady faithfulness in the daily things of life. For his wife of 64 years who was left alone and lost without him. But I have hope for the future. That future is more real than the here and now.
The very thought of the reunion in heaven becomes more and more precious with the passing of each loved one. It also becomes more real each time. Sometimes I begin to wonder how thin the veil between heaven and earth really is.
I don't know what you personally may be facing right now. No one knows what he or she may have to face in the future. But I do know the One who will be there to face it with you. I know He will not leave you nor forsake you.
Of course there are many sorrows in life that don't involve a death but are still very painful. The way through any sorrow or trial is still the same. First you look to Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). Second you focus on the promises he has given you in the book he has provided for us. The Bible is chocked full of promises. I don't know what promise you will find the most helpful. That is why you must study the Word for yourself. There will be a verse that jumps from the page into your mind and brings you comfort as though it had been directly spoken to you and written thousands of years before just for you to read today. Third, you keep at it. Keep reading. Keep studying. Keep praying. Second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour, keep going.
I like to end an article by mentioning an old hymn that seems relevant to the subject if the article. I usually have a hard time deciding on the hymn because there are so many wonderful hymns. But this time it was easy. The hymn for the day is "Whispering Hope". "Whispering Hope - Oh how welcome thy voice." That relates so well to the still small voice that speaks - but it can be heard more easily than thunder by the child of God who is listening.
God Bless YOU!! - Love Barbara
WHISPERING HOPE WORDS
Soft as the voice of an angel,
Breathing a lesson unheard,
Hope with a gentle persuasion
Whispers her comforting word:
Wait till the darkness is over,
Wait till the tempest is done,
Hope for the sunshine tomorrow,
After the shower is gone.
Refrain
Whispering hope, oh how welcome thy voice,
Making my heart in its sorrow rejoice.
If, in the dusk of the twilight,
Dim be the region afar,
Will not the deepening darkness
Brighten the glimmering star?
Then when the night is upon us,
Why should the heart sink away?
When the dark midnight is over,
Watch for the breaking of day.
Refrain
Hope, as an anchor so steadfast,
Rends the dark veil for the soul,
Whither the Master has entered,
Robbing the grave of its goal.
Come then, O come, glad fruition,
Come to my sad weary heart;
Come, O Thou blest hope of glory,
Never, O never depart.
Refrain
http://ingeb.org/spiritua/whisperi.html
Words & Music: Septimus Winner, 1868 (MIDI, score). Hymnals often list the author as Alice Hawthorne, one of Winner’s several pseudonyms.
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You said you'd come and share all my sorrows,
You said you'd be there for all my tomorrows,
I came so close to sending you away,
But just like you promised, you came here to stay,
I just had to pray.
refrain - And Jesus said, "Come to the water, stand by my side.
I know you are thirsty, you won't be denied.
I felt every tear drop when in darkness you cried,
And I strove to remind you that for those tears I died."
Your goodness so great I can't understand.
And dear Lord, I know that all this was planned;
I know you're here now and always will be.
Your love loosed my chains and in You I'm free, but Jesus why me?
refrain
Jesus, I give you my heart and my soul,
I know now without God, I'd never be whole. S
avior, you opened all the right doors,
And I thank you and praise you from earth's humble shores,
Lord Take me I'm yours.
refrain
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