The flashes of lightning lit up the trail and the cliffs above us brighter than the brightest day. An instant later, a cacophony of thunder clapped all around us, frightening the mules, shaking the ground and reverberating through the trees. Each strike left a man feeling fragile, helpless, as if he lay upon the anvil of God, spared once but just as easily struck down at the next bolt.”
–R. Cameron Cooke (Trail of the Gunman)
“When the people heard the thunder and the loud blast of the ram’s horn, and when they saw the flashes of lightning and the smoke billowing from the mountain, they stood at a distance, trembling with fear.”
–Exodus 20:18 (NLT)
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The New Year — oh, the hopes that are before each of us. That’s good, but we must also live in the reality of life. Life and the devil have a way of trying to crush hope. No matter what happens we must keep our eyes on that heavenly light–the Holy Spirit. Through the darkest nights, through the skies of gray days, through troubles and woes He is always there to lighten our way.
I had one of those “midnight hymns.” A song that I haven’t heard in ages. My Aunt had an album by Red Foley (most of you won’t remember him) and he was singing this song. The tune is nice, but the words came to me this first week of 2023. It was written by Doyle Lawson. I’ll give you the chorus first.
“There’s a light guiding me I can see heaven’s glory,
And it holds me steadfast to His way and His love.
It’s guiding me through temptation and evil,
There’s a light guiding me to that Heaven above.”
The song starts where we must all start, with repentance. Now, there is the repentance of salvation, but it is something that we need to practice every day. We need to repent of the sins we committed, we need to repent of the sins we committed out of ignorance. In other words, it should become a practice. None of us are above repenting before the Lord. Jesus died for all of us, for all of our sins. Repent and let the Light guide us through each day, through each situation of life.
“I’ve talked with the Lord many nights at my bedside,
I’ve asked His forgiveness as I knelt to Him,
And if I could repay I’d be only too willing
For He died on the cross just to save us from sin.”
To that distant shore many friends have gone ‘fore me,
They are singing the victory of God’s love I know
Through the valley of death I’ll be guided by Jesus,
He will carry me over though I’m weak and low.”
As I get older I see the value of obituaries; it’s to see who’s yet living. As I age, more and more of the folks that I knew have succumbed to the grave. Of course, that is to be expected. I often wonder why people say, “Rest in Peace,” when, if they don’t know Jesus they will never rest in peace. However, on the other hand, Christians can walk through that valley of death with confidence. Their Lord is beside them and He’ll bear them across that great divide between life, death, and glory. Old Charles Greenaway used to say that “we might not look like much when we cross into glory, but we’re going to make it.”
“When that great day comes and I see heaven’s glory,
I’ll hope that my soul will be free from all care;
He’ll open the gates and bid me to enter,
When the roll’s called up yonder I pray to be there.”
When we all get to heaven, we’ll see those we looked for in the obituaries. We’ll holler “Here” when the Master calls the roll in heaven. Cares will all be gone, tears no more to shed. We’re no longer heaven-bound, but we are there–home at last, never more to roam. Now, in this new year, He will hold us steadfast, guiding us with His holy Light through this dark world. Keep your eyes upon the Light of Jesus; follow the leading of the Holy Spirit throughout 2023.
————————————
The New Year — oh, the hopes that are before each of us. That’s good, but we must also live in the reality of life. Life and the devil have a way of trying to crush hope. No matter what happens we must keep our eyes on that heavenly light–the Holy Spirit. Through the darkest nights, through the skies of gray days, through troubles and woes He is always there to lighten our way.
I had one of those “midnight hymns.” A song that I haven’t heard in ages. My Aunt had an album by Red Foley (most of you won’t remember him) and he was singing this song. The tune is nice, but the words came to me this first week of 2023. It was written by Doyle Lawson. I’ll give you the chorus first.
“There’s a light guiding me I can see heaven’s glory,
And it holds me steadfast to His way and His love.
It’s guiding me through temptation and evil,
There’s a light guiding me to that Heaven above.”
The song starts where we must all start, with repentance. Now, there is the repentance of salvation, but it is something that we need to practice every day. We need to repent of the sins we committed, we need to repent of the sins we committed out of ignorance. In other words, it should become a practice. None of us are above repenting before the Lord. Jesus died for all of us, for all of our sins. Repent and let the Light guide us through each day, through each situation of life.
“I’ve talked with the Lord many nights at my bedside,
I’ve asked His forgiveness as I knelt to Him,
And if I could repay I’d be only too willing
For He died on the cross just to save us from sin.”
To that distant shore many friends have gone ‘fore me,
They are singing the victory of God’s love I know
Through the valley of death I’ll be guided by Jesus,
He will carry me over though I’m weak and low.”
As I get older I see the value of obituaries; it’s to see who’s yet living. As I age, more and more of the folks that I knew have succumbed to the grave. Of course, that is to be expected. I often wonder why people say, “Rest in Peace,” when, if they don’t know Jesus they will never rest in peace. However, on the other hand, Christians can walk through that valley of death with confidence. Their Lord is beside them and He’ll bear them across that great divide between life, death, and glory. Old Charles Greenaway used to say that “we might not look like much when we cross into glory, but we’re going to make it.”
“When that great day comes and I see heaven’s glory,
I’ll hope that my soul will be free from all care;
He’ll open the gates and bid me to enter,
When the roll’s called up yonder I pray to be there.”
When we all get to heaven, we’ll see those we looked for in the obituaries. We’ll holler “Here” when the Master calls the roll in heaven. Cares will all be gone, tears no more to shed. We’re no longer heaven-bound, but we are there–home at last, never more to roam. Now, in this new year, He will hold us steadfast, guiding us with His holy Light through this dark world. Keep your eyes upon the Light of Jesus; follow the leading of the Holy Spirit throughout 2023.