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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2010 13:09:52 GMT -6
IVORY PALACES~ poems - six devotionals ~ by Martha Snell Nicholson author of Wings and Sky, Threshhold of Heaven, Heart Held High, In Heaven's Gardens and The Glory ForeverCopyright @ 1949 Moody Press Chicago, Illinois edited for Our Final Authority by Baptist Bible Believer in the spirit of the Colportage ministry of a century ago divintfor.proboards.com/index.cgi~ out-of-print and in the public domain ~
During online Internet searches of the Library of Congress database in Washington D.C., performed on 8-31-2004 no evidence of a current copyright renewal within 28 years of copyright prior to 1964 was found for this publication.
God bless you from the Our Final Authority website!
Please tell everyone you know about this website, pray for this ministry - and that will be payment enough!" Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding" (Proverbs 23:23) LIST OF POEMS
IVORY PALACES END OF BOOK ONE WHEN HE COMES WONDERFUL STORY THE RAPTURE WEDDING GUEST I CANNOT TRUST THE ONLY NAME "I KNOW WHOM I HAVE BELIEVED" SOLILOQUY OF A GUARDIAN ANGEL (DEVOTIONAL) SHUT-IN THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY WALKING WITH God GOD'S VOICE SINCE YESTERDAY BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE HARK! 'TIS THE LORD! ETERNITY MINISTRY BELOVED OF GOD THREE JOURNEYS DOORS WAITING TEARS THE DEBT I OWE PRAYER FEED MY LAMBS WE SHALL BE SATISFIED OIL OF JOY FOR MOURNING SCARS MANNA FOR WHOM I PRAY FAMINE IN HEAVEN'S GARDENS PARADISE LOST RETURNING THANKS THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST THE HEAVY LADEN THE COMFORTER WHAT WOULD I BE? HIS PATH FOR ME TERROR EARRINGS JUST AS I AM I WILL TRUST HIM HOME BEYOND THE STARS THE POWER OF PRAYER A BRIDE'S DRESS SHOULD BE WHITE BLESSED HOPE WHEN SKIES ARE BRASS JEWELS HIS SON'S BIRTHDAY STREAMS IN THE DESERT CONCERNING SHUT-INS (ARTICLE) GUESTS FEAR WHAT GOD HATH WROUGHT! JULY FOURTH ON WRITING A BOOK WAR THE BRIDE I AM THE WAY HE IS MY LIGHT SPLATTERED BUT NOT WASHED HIGH ROAD OR LOW ROAD GRACE NOCTURNE BEFORE GOD'S JUDGMENT THRONE HE BECAME SIN FOR US PRAYER WITHOUT WORDS THE WELL-FED WHEN HE RETURNS CHRISTMAS GIFTS "AS IT WAS IN THE DAYS OF NOAH" THE HEART OF HOME CLOSED DOORS FACE TO FACE DWELLING PLACE BEHOLD, I STAND AND KNOCK A CRY GOES UP TREASURES THE DIFFERENCE ADAM, WHERE ART THOU? THERE IS GLORY HERE (ARTICLE) PRAYER TENTH ANNIVERSARY IN A HOSPITAL WARD THE HEART HELD HIGH "MY SHEEP HEAR MY VOICE" EN ROUTE COMPLETED MARCHING SONG REFLECTIONS UNSAVED OLD AGE TO CHRISTIAN YOUTH COVETOUS A MOTHER PRAYS SO FAR, SO NEAR YOUNG LOVE SECURITY BREAD MARRIAGE IN ESCROW A VERT LITTLE HOUSE "HEART TROUBLE" BIRTHDAY GREETINGS NEIGHBORS SCOUTIE AND PENNY AND SANDY AND NEIL SPRING TO A NEW BABY OUR FATHER ONLY A KEY THE WORRIER BANK BOOKS ADVENTURE THE INDEFATIGABLE GARDENER MY OLD-FASHIONED GARDEN TO SANDY THE CURTAIN GOES UP -The Stage Setting -Some of the Principle Actors -Leading Lady, and Dicky and Billy -Villians? -Musical Interlude -Phantasy -The Curtain Falls, and Rises Again on Another Scene *** FOREWORD It is a real privilege and honor to write this brief foreword to another book of poems by Martha Snell Nicholson. To know something of her life of suffering, handicapped by years of illness and almost constant pain, and then to read the precious verses so full of hope and inspiration and thanksgiving, is to cause a sense of wonder that anyone so oppressed by bodily weakness could possibly produce such a volume of worthwhile material of uniform excellence. This writer is not attempting to praise the literary value of this collection of poems, although he feels that they reach a high standard of accomplishment, but rather he desires to testify to the real lift of soul which he himself has felt as the words freighted with beauty and truth, have found their way into his heart. Not only are they eminently readable, they are surcharged with the SPIRIT of our Lord JESUS Christ, issuing from the heart of one who knows her Lord and whose fellowship with Him is close and constant. These writings will bless all who read them and ponder. I have found that audiences thrill not only to the cadence of the words but are stirred by the message they bring. It has been one of life's rarest experiences to know Mrs. Nicholson and her faithful husband -- both of them real children of the KING. The author of these verses would be the last one to lay any claim to sainthood, but all those who know her will testify to the beautiful radiance of her presence, her invariable cheerfulness even in the midst of the severest physical pain. She loves people and she loves and lives with the Lord. I believe this volume will add luster to her reputation as a poet of charm and power, but more than that, it will be used by God to enrich and cheer many lives in these days when chaos and suffering and sin are so widely rampant. I hope and believe that the book will be widely circulated and am sure that it will bring great blessing wherever it goes, and will exalt the Lord JESUS Christ, who has enabled this saint of God to honor Him in this way. Arthur I. Brown, M.D., F.R.C.S. Ed.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2010 10:26:42 GMT -6
IVORY PALACES
"Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad" (Psalm 45:6-8).
For three and thirty years they stood, Empty and eloquent Of Him who laid His glory down, And went, obedient.
To die for sins of you and me. He must have turned His eyes At times in homesick longing toward His mansions in the skies.
I think the doors were never sealed, But partly left ajar; And something of Him lingered there, Though he had gone so far.
Perhaps the angels peered within Each waiting, empty room, And whispered of strange things -- the Cross, Gethsemane, the tomb.
And sometimes God Himself went there To think about that One Who never had been far from Him, His well-beloved Son.
Now in His palaces the light Shines out from every room; And angels never cease their song, "The Son of God is home!"
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2010 10:27:03 GMT -6
" And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree" (Isaiah 34:4) " And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places" (Revelation 6:14) END OF BOOK ONE
The world is weary, spent and old; Her troubled story almost told -- Last chapter of a dying age . . . God is about to turn the page.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2010 5:25:21 GMT -6
" I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8) WHEN HE COMES
Sensing the mood of the living air, The winds in their circling feel Him near.
The moon sheds her silver beams abroad Marking the path of the Son of God.
The stars cease their singing and are still, Waiting the knowledge of His will.
The track of the sun is broad and bright, And paved with gold for the Lord's delight.
Only the suffering earth is blind, Nor peace, nor a blessed hope can find.
When our wondrous Lord comes back again What will He find in the hearts of men --
Faith, or the same old greed and sin, And Pharisees, and a crowded inn?
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Post by Deleted on Feb 23, 2010 4:48:45 GMT -6
" That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:7) WONDERFUL STORY
Wonderful story of infinite grace! Story of One crucified in my place, Hanging forsaken between earth and sky, Shamed and tormented and left there to die, His kingly head bowed with the weight of my sin. (Foul was I, Lord, without and within.) Angels still carol the story through space, Wonderful story of infinite grace!
Wonderful story of infinite love, Wanting me there in heaven above; Seeing me, blood-washed, as spotless as He, Building a home for a sinner like me; Oh, how it eases the pain I must bear, Only to dream of that home waiting there, Its windows aglow with the light from His face! Wonderful story of love and of grace!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 24, 2010 4:35:32 GMT -6
" 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 Thess. 4:17) THE RAPTURE
Lord, haste the day When Thou shalt say, "Cease from your long entreating."
A call, a light, A Presence bright, And I my Lord am meeting!
Glory-filled skies . . . Time falters . . . dies . . . (Hush, my heart, your beating!)
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Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2010 5:07:37 GMT -6
" And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage" (John 2:1-2) WEDDING GUEST
A guest at a wedding! It touches my heart To read of the wedding in which Christ took part.
Simple and human the need that He met. Down through the ages the story lives yet.
Often I think of those two that were wed, Telling their children, as fleeting years sped,
"You know at our wedding the Lord was a guest, And the wine that He made was the sweetest and best."
Lasting the marriage and blessed the way If Christ were invited to weddings today!
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Post by Deleted on Feb 26, 2010 4:42:21 GMT -6
" (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)" (II Corinthians 6:2) I CANNOT TRUST
I cannot trust my future years To God; my faith is weak, and fears
Assail my soul, and doubts dismay. I cannot trust beyond today.
Enough, faint heart! Today is His. Today is all there ever is! " Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12)
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Post by Deleted on Feb 27, 2010 6:06:13 GMT -6
" Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12) THE ONLY NAME
There is a Name, above all other names, Which all my love and adoration claims!
It is my sheltering cloak, my shield, my sword, The Precious Name of JESUS CHRIST the LORD!
Dear Name, the source of all my secret springs, Blest Name, which gives my spirit joyful wings;
Loved Name, which teaches my tired heart a song And comforts me through pain-filled days and long.
No other name is given unto men, No other name whereby he must or can be saved.
No other name is half so sweet, No other name is water, bread and meat.
What other name makes devils fear and flee Save that of Him who died for you and me?
O CHRIST the LORD, no other name I know To cleanse my soul and wash me white as snow!
Before that Name, so often blasphemed now, The day will come when every knee shall bow.
"KING of kings!" From pole to farthest pole; "And LORD of lords!" Triumphantly shall roll
The mighty swelling chorus to proclaim The wonder and the glory of His Name!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2010 5:06:57 GMT -6
" For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day" (II Timothy 1:12) "I KNOW WHOM I HAVE BELIEVED"
The things I know so far outweigh The ones I do not know, I leave the unknown in God's hand, Content that it is so.
For I know WHOM I have believed! That is enough for me -- Enough for life, enough for death, And all eternity.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 1, 2010 15:26:33 GMT -6
I really like these poems. I can see that the author (I mean respect) has been through everything that she has written. Thank you for sharing these, Baptist Bible Believer! Yes, you'll dscover much about Martha through her writings, and her life of pain - but you'll hardly know that through her praising the Lord. She truly learned the art of showing how one might glorify God even while laying on her back on the sickbed.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2010 4:49:23 GMT -6
" Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into" (I Peter 1:12) SOLILOQUY OF A GUARDIAN ANGEL (DEVOTIONAL) We angels know so many things which we never tell. If we could, life might be very different for some of the children of earth, who grope blindly through life with a half-knowledge, not only of what is in the hearts of those near to them, but also of what is in God's heart concerning them. Even if we try to tell them, their ears are sealed, and so they beat their hands against the smothering walls, while their aching eyes try to pierce the seemingly unanswering heavens for the knowledge for which they yearn. In the courts of heaven we angels sometimes gather about the fountains in the cool of the evening. After the dust and the grime and the pain of earth, heaven seems very beautiful. We have been busy all day. There have been deeds of service to Him to record in the books which we shall later show to God. Sad hearts have been comforted, faltering feet have been guided past ways of temptation; blood-washed souls, newly freed from the body's fetters, have been carried to their eternal home; tender words have been shispered into the ears of mothers who bent over sleeping children; sufferers have been strengthened to bear the pain of their long day. Perhaps we gossip a little, kindly: this one's bruised heart is healing; this one found all his doubts dispelled as he studied the Word of God; someone else spoke bitter words today, but it was only because of a wound, a sick hurt, and the words were not really meant. Here were two people who, loving each other, yet walked apart with averted faces because neither knew what was in the heart of the other. They take so much caring for, these humans. Their destiny is magnificent, those who are saved, and yet they weep and groan so much that I find it depressing at times. It is a wonderful experience for us guardian angels to meet in person those over whom we have watched through the six thousand years of man's existence: to become visible to them after years of invisibility, to talke with them and bring to their remembrance instances of our watchful care, which perhaps they thought had "just happened." This evening an unusually large number had gathered to talk over the day's activities. One who looked a little weary said that he had spent the day on the battlefields, and had turned aside bomb after bomb from the boy who had been in his especial charge. If the Lord tarries, He surely must plan to use that boy in His service. "It was different with my boy," remarked another. "He was a G.I. in a foxhole, and shrapnel got him, but just before he died, the HOLY SPIRIT brought to his mind some words he had heard long ago -- 'He that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath eternal life' -- and then and there he accepted Christ and I was sent to bring him home. The heart of his mother will be broken when she received the word of his death, and she will think he died unsaved, until she too gets to heaven. See him over there, alive and well, but still dazed with joy and the knowledge of God's great mercy." We bring strange things up here sometimes. Today one brought a thin silver dime, given directly to the Lord JESUS Christ for whom she earned it. It was put into His hands, and He smiled most tenderly upon it, and as He smiled the dime grew brighter and brighter until it glowed with radiance. And angel remarked, "A man wanted me to bring up a million dollars which he had given to some welfare agency, a worthy enough cause, but not glorifying our Lord's name nor spreading His Gospel. And too, though he would not acknowledge it, he wanted the praise of men. I could not carry it, of course: it was too heavy -- there was too much of earth clinging to it." A million dollars! Such a pity. I thought of places where they are pleading for missionaries. As the angel was speaking I saw Michael, the special angel of His chosen people, pass in the distance. During these days his face is set in stern sorrow, and he often murmurs, "Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord." What a day that will be, and what a day when the nation of Israel will look upon Him whom they have pierced, and accept Him, a nation in a day! Heaven is especially lovely these days. There is a whisper of expectancy, of joyour anticipation. Sometimes I suspect that they may be getting the tables ready for the marriage supper of the LAMB. Certainly the lilies were never so tall nor so fragrant, and never were the meadows of heaven so dotted with blossoms. Of course we cannot know the day nor the hour when the Lord will be crowned KING of kings and Lord of lords, but we have a strong and blessed hope that the time is very near. After that, I shall have a different task for eternity, and I often wonder what it will be. What a place heaven will be when all the redeemed are here at last, with their tears wiped away! I can remember when heaven had no men and women, no boys and girls, and the heart of God longed for their companionship, and so He created man. In His sovereign will, God saw fit to create me an angel, a servant. His will is perfect and I am content with my lot. But these human beings are so loved by God that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believed on Him should not perish but have everlasting life. He watches over and cherishes each one who becomes His child, and He has made them not only His sons, but His heirs, and joint-heirs with Christ. Each is the object of His special personal care and each is predestined to be conformed to His image! We have no such future. We are only angels. Human beings often refer to the beauty of the angels, but it is nothing compared to what their own will be. It seems very odd to me that so few of them are able to grasp this magnificent fact. Many, instead of living as members of His royal family, act as though they were existing on the dole, and were afraid even that would stop after the next election. It is all told them very plainly in His Word, yet most of them do not seem to actively believe it. I have talked with thousands of them after they came over here, and they have expressed regret at their failure to understand. Yet time after time they have read those words, "Beloved NOW are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." Yes, I am content to be God's servant -- but oh, the amazing glory of being His child!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2010 4:56:34 GMT -6
" And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lord shut him in" (Genesis 7:16) SHUT-IN
Outside the bending sky is blue. Spring comes on eagar feet To furbish up the worn old earth And make it fair and sweet.
The gnarled trees in the orchard now Wear bridal veils of white; The mocking bird, the day too short, Is singing all the night.
And little flower beds everywhere Are gold and rose and blue. The butterflies which lightly drift Are bright with color too.
Through greening lawns the crocuses Push upward to the light; And every haunting perfume was Distilled for our delight.
You think since I am shut away I may not have a part In spring? Because my Lord is here Spring blossoms in my heart!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2010 4:43:17 GMT -6
" For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known" (I Corinthians 13:12) THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY
There seems so little I can know As on this darkened path I go.
The future looms, a fearsome thing, Shapeless and dim. What it may bring
My spirit dares not contemplate. Yet I, a child of God, may wait
Its coming with a lifted heart And soul serene. My only part
To TRUST. I thank upon my knees The wise and tender Lord who sees
My future clearly as my past, And who will lead me home at last.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2010 5:23:51 GMT -6
" And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day . . . " (Genesis 3:8a) WALKING WITH GOD
Walking with God, under Eden's green trees In the cool of the day, when the evening breeze
Fluttered the leaves of the Tree of Life -- God and Adam, and Eve, his wife.
Walking with God! Then one bitter day They sinned and they wandered far away
On a desolate road where they walked alone. And the centuries passed, till God sent His Son.
And the stars in their courses sang that day, For our Lord Himself is the road, the way;
And because of His Cross and the path He trod, We, sons of Adam, may walk with God!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 6, 2010 7:02:17 GMT -6
" Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish. Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought. For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee" (Isaiah 41:10-13) GOD'S VOICE
God calls to us from earthquake crash And from the dwey dawn. The voice of every breeze is His, And when the day is done,
And sunset glories fade away, And moon and stars ride high In silver light, He mightly speaks From out the spangled sky.
He speaks thus to my eyes and ears; And yet my spirit longs For words more intimate and dear Than all the night sky's songs
I thank God that there is a Word Delivered long ago; A word most definite and sure Which I may read and know
His saving grace, His keeping power, His plan for me, His will, His glory and His majesty . . . My heart is hushed and still
With wonder and with thankfulness: The Lord of earth and sky Has leaned down from His heavenly throne To speak to such as I!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 7, 2010 6:32:01 GMT -6
" Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord" (II Corinthians 5:6-8) SINCE YESTERDAY
To Broughton B. Cade
Along the golden streets A stranger walks tonight With wonder in his heart -- Faith blossomed into sight.
He walks and stops and stares, And walks and stares again At vistas of loveliness Beyond the dreams of men.
He who was feeble, weak, And shackled to a bed Now climbs eternal hills With light and easy tread.
He has escaped at last The cruel clutch of pain; His lips shall never taste Her bitter cup again.
Oh never call him dead, This bouyant one and free, Whose daily portion is Delight and ecstacy!
He bows in speechless joy Before the feet of Him Whom, seeing not, he loved While yet his sight was dim.
Along the golden streets No stranger walks today, But one who, long homesick, Is home at last, to stay!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2010 5:13:44 GMT -6
" Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name" (Malachi 3:16) BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE
The other day, deep in a trunk, I found a little book Which bore the title, "Autographs," In tarnished gilt. It took
Me back again to childhood days. The faded writing ran, "In friendship's garland I would be A post." Scacely can
I recollect the one who wrote It there for me. And this, From a beloved childhood chum, "With my love and a kiss."
Then one declaring that "no knife Could cut our love in two," Another one proclaimed that I Was "sweet as sugar too."
At last I laid the book away With smile and yet with tear To think this careless heart forgot The friends I once held dear.
And then I thought of other books The hand of God has kept, The many volumes over which The angels must have wept.
The books of life, of death, the books Of works which we have done. But to this longing heart of mine, Most precious is the one.
Which God calls His "remembrance Book," That book in which He writes The times we testified for Him, And carefully indites
Each time we "thought upon His name." It touches me to know That in our Father's loving heart These things are measured so.
Each smallest deed we did for Him Our God remembers yet, And through the long eternities He never will forget
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2010 4:42:11 GMT -6
HARK! 'TIS THE Lord!
Hark, tis' the Lord! Our hearts have heard our SAVIOUR calling. Tender and clear On waiting ear His voice is falling.
Swift our bright flight Through shafts of light, The heavens cleaving. Earth and its tears, Heartaches and fears, Forever we're leaving.
Never again Sorrow and pain, Failure and sinning. All weakness past, Like Him at last -- Heaven beginning.
Bright angel throngs Silence their songs, Hushed with their wonder. We, our Lord's Bride, From His dear side Never asunder!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 10, 2010 5:08:09 GMT -6
"That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:7)
ETERNITY
I stood with God on the edge of the world, and my hand was in His hand. I looked down the road of the past, as it stretched away in the dim distance, till it was shrouded in the mists of time. And I knew it had no beginning, and a little chill wind of fear blew about my head.
God asked, "Are you afraid?"
And I said, "Yes, because I cannot understand how there can be no beginning."
So God said, "Let us turn and face the other way."
And I looked into glory, and my heart rejoiced with joy unspeakable. And then my mind went ahead, a billion, billion years, and I knew there would be no end, and again that little chill wind of fear began to blow.
And God asked me again, "Are you afraid?"
And I answered, "A little, because I cannot understand how there can be no end."
So God asked me tenderly, "Are you afraid now, today, with your hand in mine?"
And I looked up at Him and smiled and replied, "O my Father, NO!"
And God said, "Every day in eternity will be today.”
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