Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction,faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. -Romans 12:9-13
When sorrow like sea billows roll; it is well, it is well with my soul….
Many things can be taken away from us in this life. But there is something we can cling to that no one can take away.
In the dark moments, in the loss and the struggle and the pain, sometimes we must think first, and feel second.
Think of the love cast over mankind on the cross.
Think of the God who promises to never leave us or forget us.
Think of the promises of eternal life, joy in the morning, ashes exchanged for beauty.
And to these things our hearts must cling. Hope and trust and love and joy in God can never be taken from us if we hold tightly to them.
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life; Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul….
Secure in our God, the loss becomes an offering. The loosely held life we live, the possessions, the relationships, the blessings, once taken from us become evidence of our love for God above ourselves.
The life lived in submission to His providence feels the pain of loss but rises above and clings to Him.
But if we cling to a home, a job, a bank account, or a person more than we cling to Him, we live in a precarious place. Should life take an unexpected turn of loss, we may be left with nothing to hold on to, and be filled with despair.
But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait; The sky, not the grave, is our goal…
We cast our hope to eternity. We put heaven in our hearts as the goal. There is no winning or comfort here and now that can compare to where we are heading.
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. -1 John 3:2-3
Sixty daughters of God stood and declared it together. It is well with our soul. Yes, yes. It is all so very well.
