Farther Along

“In God we trust” stated a sign printed over the lunch counter where I often stopped for coffee. Just under that phrase in smaller print it said, “All others pay cash!” As a young man I decided to trust God for my salvation and I felt confident that I now understood how God wanted me to handle life’s problems. But I was puzzled that many people at my church seemed to act as if they didn’t seem to share my calm assurance.

After getting married and becoming a father it began to dawn on me that lots of things were a just little more complicated than I had realized. Today, I am entering my senior years with many inabilities I can only overcome with the help of others and I am learning that only God knows most of the answers. The good news has been that rather than feeling that this is a personal failure it has been a relief because to realize that I don’t need to figure it all out. God is okay with me simply trusting Him! I hope that my simple rendering of this song, “Farther Along” will bring some hope, comfort and a smile to someone else who is also holding tightly to God’s hand through the changing seasons of their life. Blessings…

 

For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.  Romans 8:24-26

 

Seeing From Here

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
I John 3: 2

In John’s letter he gives us two assurances. First, that despite appearances, or the opinion of others we are God’s children. Though there are days when we don’t act like ot or even feel confident in our faith it remains true. There is simply nothing in this world that can ever give us that sense of belonging that heaven holds. That is when John’s second assurance kicks in and tells us that when He appears we will be like Him! Wow! If that doesn’t blow the cobwebs out of our dusty souls then we haven’t read closely. We have His promise that one day we will be accepted home to heaven with God!

Did you ever wish you just could get a small peek into heaven? No, we cannot see heaven from here but when we have expectant hope God’s peace will come and rule over every fear, every doubt and tear. We will one day really see Jesus just like the women who went to the tomb on Easter morning 2000 years ago. Right now we at best see only empty tombs but one day when we sprint across the finish line of this life we will see Him as He is!

Anchor of the Soul

Where is your hope today? Is it locked in a safe deposit box? Can it be located in a safe neighborhood in a gated community? Does it depend on what position you hold or what people think? I confess that too often these have been places where I looked by failed to find hope. But the Bible tells us that the true hope is beyond the veil through which Jesus passed with His own blood. We cannot see the place where He went to set our anchor yet we can trust in His promise that it will hold for ever.

T

his hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, Hebrews 6:19 NKJV