The Bible Says

Be Thou Faithful
by Charlie Grier
 

"... be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life" (Rev. 2:10).

This thought came to me this week after hearing of the passing of our good friend Basil Mayo. The one thing that characterized Basil's life was faithfulness. He was always on an even keel - always the same - and his life reflected the Christ, his all in all. Basil suffered much during the past year but his life remained faithful! Today he is enjoying eternal life with his Blessed Redeemer!

The beautiful thing about it is that those who die in Christ do not sleep, as some suppose, until that final Resurrection Day. There is no delay whatsoever! Paul tells us in no uncertain terms, "To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord" (Phil. 1:23).

It is true our body is said to "sleep" until the Resurrection Day but our soul and spirit go immediately to be with the Lord. Only our body sleeps or remains dormant. Jesus said to the repentant thief, "Today, shalt thou be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23: 43).

FAITHFULNESS, HOWEVER, IS DEMANDED

In Matthew chapter 13, Jesus gives us the parable of the sower. Then in verses 18-23, in explaining this parable, Jesus sets forth four ways in which people respond to the message of Salvation:

1. To use a common expression, the first group "let the message go in one ear and out the other" (verse 19).

2. The second group "received the message with joy!" They really get excited about their new-found faith in Christ but they hadn't quite counted the cost, so soon they are back living in sin again (verse 21). These people may never have been saved, but they thought they were and claimed to be.

3. The third group keep up their profession, despite the difficulties but they don't take time to read and heed their Bibles, so they never accomplish anything for God (verse 22).

4. The fourth group go all-out for God and God uses their lives (verse 23). They are "faithful unto the end."

Several years before Dora went to be with the Lord she wrote a poem, the early part of which expresses some of the frustrations all of us experience at times. This poem ends on a note of victory that I trust will encourage the hearts of all who read it. For nearly five years now, Dora has been enjoying that glorious place called Heaven that was so real to her at the time she wrote. Praise the Lord!

Heaven
by Dora Grier

I've just been a wondering what Heaven will be like,
When we have washed and cooked all day and nothing went just right.
We are so very tired and we ache in every joint –
Will it be the same as this, or have we missed a point?

Will we remember all the things that irritate us so?
Or will it be all peace and joy – our faces all aglow
With all the love and thankfulness which wells up in our hearts,
To know we'll be with Him in Heaven and never more depart?

The Good Book tells us of the things we really need to know
By putting all our trust in Him, it will truly help us grow
In grace and in the love of God, so generously given
By Him who gave His life for us and builds our home in Heaven.

The tears will all be washed away, with ne'er a trace to find.
The aches and pains will all be gone and health will be sublime.
Our mortal bodies will then know the Resurrection power
Of Him who lived and died for us ‘mid Heaven's darkest hour.

So, if you do not understand nor fully comprehend,
The riches of the grace of God – a taste which Heaven sends –
Just trust Him with the future and rest in Him complete,
For up in Heaven we'll all rejoice and worship at His feet!

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GOD BLESSES AND REWARDS THOSE
WHO ARE FAITHFUL TO HIM

Although Dora sometimes wondered "why?" like we all do at times, giving up or quitting the race never once entered her mind. And the closer she got to the end of life and the greater her sufferings, the more her life glowed for the Lord!

Although Christians are not competing with one another for the heavenly rewards that God has for us, we are all racing toward the finish line. No runner actually achieves until he reaches the goal. Paul puts it this way:

"Know ye not that they that run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run that ye may obtain." I Cor. 9:27

"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13,14

It has been said: "It is not success that God rewards, but always the faithfulness of doing His will."