Hearthstone - October 2000


xxx	Volume 15, No. 10	October 2000
Chastening Hug's 'N Tugs by Wendy Greiner Lefko The Eternal Weight Of Glory Best of LifeLine By Rev. Larry W. Greiner Fragrance From Crushing It's Worth It All Heaven's Joys The Beauty Of Holiness	DIVINE COUNSEL Stonewall Jackson, a devout Christian, was once asked what he meant in speaking about being "instant in prayer." For reply, he explained a habit that to him had become almost as fixed as his breathing: "I never raise a glass of water to my lips without a moment's asking of God's blessing. I never seal a letter without a word of prayer under the seal. I never take a letter from the post office without a brief sending of my thoughts heavenward. I never change my classes in the session room without a minute's petition on the cadets who go out and those who come in." The Christian who has an appreciative awareness of the ever-presence of God will cherish the privilege of seeking His counsel and blessing in the affairs of each day.

CHASTENING
	"Now no chastening for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby" (Hebrews 12:11). A shepherd once had in his flock a sheep that followed him everywhere. He ate from his hand and followed him more like a dog than a sheep. He was asked one day to explain this evident love of the sheep for him. The shepherd replied, "You wouldn't believe that the first year of this sheep's life, he was very wayward and stubborn. He cost me innumerable long hours of searching. Finally one day I simply broke the leg of the sheep, bound it up and carried it wherever I went. I fed it by hand, I carried water to it, I took care of its every need. Subsequently when it was fully healed it had become so accustomed to a closer relationship with me, it has never strayed again." So are God's dealings with us. Many a physical misfortune followed by a forced time of physical repair, has alerted us to a spiritual relationship we left unattended due to our self-governed but mis-managed lives. "But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold" (Job 23:10). Back to Contents

HUGS 'N TUGS
By Wendy Greiner Lefko
	It was an unusually brisk August day, a "close-the-windows, put-on-a-sweater" kind of day, more suited to late October. It must have been 60° at best, but as I glanced out our kitchen window the thermometer read 110°! This was not a surprise, however, as I had come to expect such drastic miscalculation ever since we had installed the thermometer. We had made the mistake of placing it in direct sunlight. As a result we could never trust its accuracy. It would always provide a false reading. It got me thinking about the real-life "thermometers" we use to gauge our decisions and determine our choices. Do we view them in the light of God’s Word, or do we push our conscience’s thermometer into the beaming rays of the world’s standards where the reading is more acceptable, though totally inaccurate in God’s eyes? The world seeks to get us to move our thermometers away from the Word of God, and into the warm rays of its self-centered, "tolerant" philosophy, making sin seem appropriately warm for a season. In the light of the world, many sinful behaviors are not only acceptable, but applauded. The cold truth of sin's consequences, however, await us when we step out into reality. The world says, "Come out, it’s warm and beautiful," while the true climate it revels in is coldly unreceptive to any possibility of spiritual growth. We must look at God’s thermometer for a true reading of how our lives measure up to what they should be. "The world passeth away, and the lust of it; but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever" (1 John 2:17). Back to Contents

THE ETERNAL WEIGHT OF GLORY

"Therefore we do not lose heart….For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (2 Corinthians 4:16).

Our circumstances may overwhelm us to the point of despairing of life itself. Yet these burdens are temporary and light when compared with the eternal weight of glory. Imagine a pair of scales. Put all the problems of this life on one side, and on the other side place the eternal weight of glory. No matter how much adversity or how many problems and burdens you place on the one side, the scales will immediately go "plunk" as they give way to the weight of glory.

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BEST OF LIFELINE
By Rev. Larry W. Greiner
	Colonel William Travis faced the embattled defenders of the Alamo and said, "Men, the Mexican dictator, General Santa Ana, has demanded our surrender. But this fort is essential to the defense of Texas. My orders are to hold it. There is no help coming to reinforce us. The Mexicans are about 5,000 strong." Then as the 232 American soldiers watched, Colonel Travis drew a line on the dirt floor with his sword. "Any man who wants to escape is free to go now; any who are determined to stay and die in defense of the Alamo will cross this line." Strong-muscled Davy Crockett boldly stepped across the line. Others followed, and finally only James Bowie (who made the Bowie knife famous) was left, too ill to move by his own strength. He asked to be carried across. Immediately Colonel Travis sent the fateful courageous message: "We refuse to surrender" The Mexicans attacked on March 6, 1838. It took three assaults before they could overpower the fort by sheer mass of numbers. The Americans fought back grimly and fiercely, but inevitably all lay dead. When news of their bravery leaked to American forces, the defenders were inspired to advance. General Sam Houston gave the battle cry, "Victory is certain! Remember the Alamo." The motto fired the men on to victory over the Mexican army. We as Christians in God's army are up against a strong enemy, Satan. We have to go to battle every day. But let us be courageous and confident as we go forth, for Jesus Christ is our Commander and Chief. The war has been won by Jesus Himself on the cross and through His resurrection. Satan is a defeated foe but he will fight us to the very end. Let us take up a similar motto to that of General Sam Houston's. "Victory is certain! Remember the Cross!" "Thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:57). The battle is in progress, The foe we fiercely fight, But Jesus is our leader, In Him we find our might. Yet in our constant struggle, We sometimes think to flee, But look to our Commander — In Him there's Victory. "God wants us to be victors, not victims; to grow, not grovel; to soar, not sink; to overcome, not be overwhelmed." —William A. Ward Back to Contents

FRAGRANCE FROM CRUSHING
	A story is told of a conversation between a gravel walk and a bed of mignonette. "You smell delightfully fragrant," said the gravel walk to the mignonette. "We have been trodden on," said the mignonette. The gravel walk answered, "Treading on me produces no sweetness. I only become harder as I am trodden on." "Oh," replied the mignonette, "the secret is that we are crushed and bruised. Thus we give forth the sweet perfume you smell." Trials sometimes embitter and harden. However, if we allow God to have His way in the trials, we become mellow and sweeter through them. Through the crushing experiences, our lives are filled with the fragrance of His presence. Back to Contents

IT'S WORTH IT ALL
	The following letter, addressed to Bevan, was written by an 11-year-old boy and handed to us following a service recently in New York. "Dear Bevan, I want to thank you for leading me to Jesus on August 6^th, 1993. I was a 4-year-old at the time. Now, I am older in the Lord than I was when I first met Him. "You see, my two older brothers had gone to Camp Haluwasa in Hammonton, New Jersey. My parents brought me to their closing program at the end of the week. You and your family were entertaining all the campers. I really enjoyed your part with the dummy! At the end of the program, you explained what it meant to have Jesus as your personal Savior. Even though I was only 4, I understood what you were saying, and surprised my mom, dad, and grandparents by raising my hand and praying with you. "Thank you for loving children enough to give the gospel message over and over again. Please don't ever get tired of it! I am 11 & 1/2 years old now, am only in 6^th grade, but I have given my life to the Lord to go to Pensacola Christian College to be either a local pastor or a missionary, Lord willing. And it's because of your caring for kids like me. Thank you again. I will pray for you and your family as you keep giving out the Gospel." "Your Christian Brother, Tim S_____." Back to Contents

HEAVEN'S JOYS
	God shall wipe all tears from their eyes; there shall be no fear or sorrow, no mourning or death; a friend shall never go away from thence, and an enemy shall never enter. There shall be fulness without want, light eternal brighter than the sun, day and no night, joy and no weeping, difference in degree and yet all full; there is love without dissimulation, excellency without envy, multitudes without confusion, music without discord. There the understandings are rich, the will is satisfied, the affections are all love and all joy, and they shall reign with God and Christ for ever and ever, Amen. —Jeremy Taylor (1613-1667) Back to Contents

THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS
	After the death of Robert McCheyne, a letter addressed to him was found among his belongings. It was from one whom he had led to Christ. Speaking of the experience, the writer made this revealing statement: "It was nothing you said that first made me want to be a Christian — it was the beauty of holiness which I saw in your face." Back to Contents

DIVINE COUNSEL

By Wendy Greiner Lefko

By Rev. Larry W. Greiner