Eternal Joy

"Nothing is to quench the believer's joy for it is occasioned by that which is eternal."

F.B. Hole, I Thess., p.132

When I occupy my mind with all that the Lord has done for me, all that He has in store for me and all that He is doing for me right at this moment I can rejoice in Him. My future is secure. I do not know what this life may have for me...sickness, sorrow, pain. But because I know that where I am going after this short life is over can only be pure joy and bliss I can rejoice even today. My future is very bright.

Trust and Rest

"If you are in the deep shadows because of some strange, mysterious providence, do not be afraid. Simply go on in faith and love, never doubting. God is watching, and He will bring good and beauty out of all your pain and tears."

J. R. Miller

Trust and rest when all around thee

Puts thy faith to sorest test;

Let no fear or foe confound thee,

Wait for God and trust and rest

Trust and rest with heart abiding

Like a birdling in its nest

Underneath His feathers hiding,

Fold thy wings and trust and rest!

(Found among my notes--from an old friend, 1977)

Our Service in Training Of Children

I've been wondered if one of the reasons the Lord gives us children, (who are so dependent and helpless when they are born), is to reveal to us how much we actually have put ourselves first in our own lives. When your young child is very small his demands are immediate -whether it be a wet diaper, food or sleep, those needs come before your own and have to be met or you "hear about it" til they are! I never knew how selfish I was until I had children. Of course, we are obliged to train our children in such a way that they soon realize that the world does not revolve around them. If we fail to do so we soon find out that we are raising selfish tyrants!

I've been thinking about servants in the kingdom and how it relates to us. When I take the low place and become a servant I can take no offence. When I expect to "spend and be spent" I can't feel as if people are taking advantage of me. If I give myself wholly to others and in the Lord's service and don't expect anything in return I will not be disappointed when I receive no thanks or even acknowledgement for what I've done. These are the verses that have prompted these thoughts.

Matthew 5:42 "Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee, turn not thou away."

2 Corinthians 12:15 "Spend and be spent." Paul says: "I will very gladly spend and be spent ('utterly spent', JND Translation) for you."

I think that the "spend" refers to what we willingly do of our own accord and that the "be spent" is when others take advantage of us.

We are not in this world for ourselves or for our own gain except in the way that it relates to how the Lord is using life to train us for the kingdom and for our eternal blessing. More and more I am realizing that I'm here to serve. And more and more I'm realizing how selfish I really am.

Now try to balance that with raising and training children! As a servant you would do everything for them! But that would be a disservice to them, wouldn't it? They too need to be servants. And so we go through our lives being servants of the Lord and others with our children right by our sides. And we give them responsibilities (ie, around the house), not because we do not want to serve them but because they too need to learn to be servants.