“Homeward”

    Born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ do not pass through the valley of death when we depart this present world for our heavenly home.  We rather pass through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23:4).

    “Whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die” (John 11:26).

    If we could see for even the briefest moment that which our loved ones witnessed in that twinkling moment when first they gazed upon their Savior, we would shed tears of unbridled joy.  We would be so thrilled for them that our sadness at their departure would be mitigated, if not altogether dismissed.  Indeed, we can be sure that the valley’s shadow fails to obscure to any degree whatsoever the bright light of the One who promised He would be with us for the journey Homeward.  “Thou art with Me” (Psalm 23:4).

     Alas, we cannot see what they saw.  So, we weep.  We grieve.  We seek the comfort of God, family, and friends.  And we remember promises made by the God who “cannot lie” (1:2).

     “If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him.  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (I Thessalonians 4:14-17).

     “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25).

    “To depart and to be with Christ… is far better” (Philippians 1:23).

    

     Whence we go, we shall not go alone.  Such truth in Christ blesses every moment from our new birth onward.  However, we shall especially know the presence of our Good and Great Shepherd for that homeward journey through the valley not of death, but merely of its shadow. 

Homeward, My child, it is time to go.

I am with you, just as promised, you’ll venture not alone.

I have been this way we journey,

its paths My footsteps trace.

Those sparkles all along the way

are glimmers of My grace.

Angels travel with us, they marvel at the scene

of yet another spirit, from sad earth redeemed.

And Someone waits to greet you,

a Father all sublime.

Oh, I have no words to tell you

of the wonder you’ll soon find.

So, homeward, child, we venture, united in My love.

I have waited for this moment, when yonder up above,

you’ll see things unimagined,

you’ll look upon your God.

And forever we’ll be together,

because this path we’ve trod…

Yes, Homeward, My child, it is time to go.

“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.  For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”

(I Corinthians 15:20-22)

“A Plentiful Measure of Grace”

     “When Jesus then lifted up His eyes, and saw a great company come unto Him, He saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? Philip answered Him…There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?...  They gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.” (John 6:5; 7; 9; 13).

     Our Lord’s greatest working in our lives begins with similar inquiries to Philip’s question, “What are they among so many?”  Seemingly insufficient supply, strength, motivation, condition and circumstance become the seedbed of a bountiful harvest of grace in those who remember God’s declaration to the Apostle Paul, “My grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (II Corinthians 12:9).

     Had there been a plentiful measure of loaves and fish on hand in this scene recorded by the Apostle John, there would have been no plentiful measure of grace to report.  The event would not be included in the pages of Scripture.  Since, however, the story begins with insufficiency and ends with twelve baskets of leftovers, John provides for us a blessed affirmation of God’s sufficiency “made perfect” in insufficiency.

     Doubtless, we all find the question pertinent in various arenas of life: “What are they among so many?”  If we have trusted the Lord Jesus and are seeking His glory and will, His presence provides our answer.  “They” are the holy means by which our Savior reveals the glory of God in unexpected and unimaginable ways.  Such works are often accomplished quietly – John does not record great excitement or fanfare during the event of the feeding.  They also happen according to God’s way and timing.  They happen nevertheless as we realize the truth that the appearance of insufficiency provides opportunity for faith in the reality of our Lord’s working to reveal His superabundant sufficiency…

“Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding, abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.  Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.  Amen.”

(Ephesians 3:20-21)

“Far Better”

    A friend recently shared these lines with me, from the poem, “Time’s Paces,” by Henry Twells.
 
 

When as a child I laughed and wept, time crept.

When as a youth I dreamed and talked, time walked.

When I became a full grown man, time ran.

When older still I daily grew, time flew.

Soon I shall find in travelling on, time gone.

 
     We can construe Twells’ brief but profound stanzas either positively or negatively.  The unbeliever must view them in despair, mourning a physical demise that will too soon approach and confront him.  If he realized that death does not portend of non-existence, he would despair even more.  “It is appointed unto man once to die, but after this, the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).
 
     The clock’s racing hands may also tempt believers with a sense of sadness as our present life seems to increasingly slip away.  We should actually rejoice, however, in the blessed truth declared by the Apostle Paul:
 
    “I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better” (Philippians 1:23).
 
      I love the little word “far” in Paul’s affirmation of a departure not into nothingness, but into Christ Himself.  Three letters comprise a word that speak of an eternal glory of blessedness for which we have little frame of reference.  Of course, our Savior dwells with us in our present life through the indwelling Holy Spirit given to all believers (John 14:17).  Our experiential apprehension of God is limited, however, although it can be overwhelmingly wonderful and heart-fulfilling.  Nevertheless, that which is to come is far better.  We can only imagine what the “better” promises, and then rejoice all the more in the glory of “far!”
 
     We need not mourn at the prospect of “in travelling on, time gone.”  We rather rejoice in a life presently lived with our Lord, and in a life to come “far” more lived with Him.  The clock indeed races, and seemingly at an ever-increasing pace.  What a relief!  And what a prospect for born again believers in the Lord Jesus who increasingly realize that “time gone” promises the full realization of the Psalmist’s exultation…
 
“In Thy presence is fullness of joy; at Thy right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
(Psalm 16:11)