Verse of the Day - weekend 12/10

Matthew 24:31(NLT) And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.

 

At this time of year people are gathering, some for small get togethers of only a few friends or family, others for extravagant Christmas, "Holiday", or New Years parties.  One thing they all have in common is that they will come to an end.  For some, things will simply go back to normal, for others, there will be quite a mess to clean up, both in trash and in lives.  Today's verse speaks of a gathering that will never end.  It is a gathering of Jesus' friends, His loved ones, with no mess to be cleaned up.

 

I read the following post this morning from an article written by J.C. Ryle back in 1878.  It seemed to be fitting for the day the season and the time in life.  Saying good bye can be hard, especially if you don't know when or if you'll ever see some of those friends and loved ones again.  We can take consolation, and look forward to a better time, an eternity where we won't have those same emotions again.

 

"The gathering of all true Christians shall be a meeting without a parting. There are no such meetings now. We seem to live in an endless hurry, and can hardly sit down and take breath — before we are off again. "Good-bye!" treads on the heels of "Hello!"

The cares of this world,
the necessary duties of life,
the demands of our families,
the work of our various stations and callings
— all these things appear to eat up our days, and to make it impossible to have long quiet times of communion with God's people. But, blessed be God — it shall not always be so. The hour comes, and shall soon be here, when "good-bye" and "farewell" shall be words that are laid aside and buried forever! When we meet in a world where the former things have passed away, where there is . . .
no more sin,
no more sorrow,
no more poverty,
no more work of body or work of brains,
no more need of anxiety for families,
no more sickness,
no more pain,
no more old age,
no more death,
no more change —
when we meet in that endless state of being, calm, and restful, and unhurried — who can tell what the bliss and blessedness will be? I cannot wonder that Paul bids us look up and look forward."  J.C. Ryle 1878

Let us look upward and forward in faith, in hope and in praise today for when "the saved of earth shall gather".

 

1. When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and time shall be no more,
   And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair;
   When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore,
   And the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there.
   • Refrain:
     When the roll is called up yonder,
     When the roll is called up yonder,
     When the roll is called up yonder,
     When the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there.
2. On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise,
   And the glory of His resurrection share;
   When His chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies,
   And the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there.

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

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Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace  NIV

Matthew 24:29-31 ESV