Treasures in Heaven

I would like to share with you parts of two letters that Samuel Rutherford (born around 1600) wrote to one of his parishioners on the occasion of the death of her infant daughter. I have sent these excerpts over the years to those grieving the death of a loved one, and the recipients have always been comforted by them, as I have over the years as well. 

As you read them, you can insert the actual name of someone you loved and lost. For ease of reading I have changed a few of the words to ones that are more familiar to modern-day readers. 

“You have lost a child: nay, she is not lost to you who is found to Christ. She is not sent away, but only sent before, like unto a star, which going out of our sight does not die and vanish, but shines in another hemisphere. You see her not, yet she does shine in another country.  If her hourglass was short, what she lacked of time she has gotten in eternity; and you have to rejoice that you have now a treasure up in heaven.”

And in another letter:

“Do you think her lost, when she is but sleeping in the bosom of the Almighty?  Think her not absent who is in such a friend’s house. Is she lost to you who is found in Christ?  If she were with a dear friend, although you should never see her again, your care for her would be but small. Oh, now, is she not with a dear Friend? And gone higher, upon a certain hope that you shall, in the Resurrection, see her again, when she shall neither be hectic nor consumed in body…  I do speak this fearing your weakness; for your daughter was a part of yourself; and therefore, nature in you, being as it were cut and halved, will indeed be grieved.  But you have to rejoice, that when a part of you is on earth, a great part of you is glorified in heaven.”

Laughter and the Lord

I'll admit it, I like to laugh. There is nothing quite like hearing an amusing story or pun or viewing a picture that is just plain funny. But I've always pondered how this relates to God. Surely He is the one who gives us the ability to chuckle... so does He laugh as well?

I think He does. The evidence is throughout the Bible - in both the Old and New Testaments. Consider many of the Proverbs, for example. What funny images are sprinkled throughout the 31 chapters of this Wisdom book:

"It is better to live in a corner of the housetop than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife." (Prov 21:9)

"The sluggard buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth."  (Prov 19:24)

"As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed."  (Prov 26:14)

Of course there is a serious lesson to be learned within these passages, but God uses memorable images that make us laugh AND remember the folly behind each one.

Or take the story of Abraham and Sarah, for years longing for a baby. Long after the promise was made to Abraham that he would be the father of many nations, no baby shower could be planned. The Scriptures then tell us that "Therefore, from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore." God promised them a son, and a son they got, but not before the husband in question could eventually be described with the phrase "as good as dead" that always causes me to laugh.

And Sarah laughed too! While eavesdropping on the angels talking to Abraham she heard that within a year she would be holding a baby boy. When he was born, he was aptly named "Isaac" which means "He laughs/Will laugh."  

Here is one of my favorite songs by Michael Card that summarized this whole episode of "an impossible promise come true!" Listen Here.

Finally, as evidence that God appreciates and probably even laughed while creating some of His creatures, look at these pictures and admit that they made you smile, and maybe even laugh out loud, as I did!

What Does It Mean To Pray Without Ceasing?

The following excerpt is from a podcast recorded by John Piper 4 years ago. Here is the link if you wish to listen to the 11 minute audio recording.  

If you don't have time to listen, I've highlighted some important parts of his teaching:

John Piper:

“Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). If that life sounds hard to you — “pray without ceasing” — then Paul gives a specific example of the kind of prayer in 1 Thessalonians 5:18. It is not just, “Help, Lord,” which, of course, we would pray all the time. I need help to live this way. But he goes on and says, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Let’s keep in mind two things about that context. One is the everys and the alls: “Do good always to everyone.” “Rejoice always.” “Pray always [or without ceasing].” “Give thanks always [or in every circumstance].” The other contextual observation is that there seems to be a deepening to the question “How? How to live?”

Answer: Do good always to everyone, even when they don’t do good to you. How? Rejoice always. Find your joy in something other than the way you are treated. How? Pray without ceasing. How? Be in a continual disposition of thankfulness to God.

Three Meanings

So, in those contexts, what does “pray without ceasing” mean? I see at least three things here that it means.

1. Spirit of Dependence

First, it means that there is a spirit of dependence that should permeate all we do. This is the very spirit and essence of prayer: dependence. So, even when we are not speaking consciously to God, there is a deep, abiding dependence on him that is woven into the very essence of our faith.

In that sense, we are praying. We are experiencing a spirit of dependence continuously, and that kind of disposition is, I think, right at the heart of what God creates when he creates a Christian.

2. Repeated and Frequent

The second meaning that it has (and I think this is probably the one that is foremost in Paul’s conscious intention here) is that praying without ceasing means praying repeatedly and often. I base that on the way he used the word unceasing in Romans 1:9. Listen to how he uses the same word for without ceasing. He says, “For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you.”

Now, we can be sure that Paul did not make mention of the Romans in every minute or second of his prayers or his days or his preaching. He prayed and he spoke about lots of other things besides the Romans. But he mentioned them over and over. He mentioned them often. He mentioned them regularly. So he says, “I mentioned you without ceasing.”

It doesn’t mean that he was verbally and mentally always, every second, mentioning them. It means that over and over, always, repeatedly, without fail, when I get on my knees, you are in my prayer. That is basically what I think he means by “pray without ceasing” — repeatedly and often.

3. Staying Steadfast

The third thing I think he means is this: not giving up on prayer. “Without ceasing” means you should never come to a point in your life when you say, “Prayer doesn’t work. I am done. I am giving up on prayer.” That would be the very opposite of “without ceasing.” It means, “Don’t ever do that. Don’t ever get to that point.”

So, the key to rejoicing always is to pray continually — that is, to lean on God all the time and to call to him repeatedly and often. Never give up looking to him for help. Come to him repeatedly during the day, and come often. Make the default state of your mind a Godward longing and a Godward thankfulness.

Living Well In A World of Wickhams

Last week I introduced CandyceLand readers to a new book entitled A Jane Austen Devotional. (See image below.)  The premise behind this work is that through her writings and published prayers, we can see that Austen displayed characters and themes very much akin to her biblical worldview. Frequent topics include forgiveness, redemption, justice, mercy, and sacrificial love. Her main characters exhibit both the 'desires of the flesh' and the 'fruits of the spirit.'  The author of this devotional uses her own spiritual insights, but more importantly Scripture, to enable us to make good spiritual use of these novels.

Excerpt from Pride and Prejudice: "Mr. Gardiner did not write again till he had received an answer from Colonel Forster; and then he had nothing of a pleasant nature to send. It was not known that Wickham had a single relation with whom he kept up any connection, and it was certain that he had no near one living. His former acquaintances had been numerous; but since he had been in the militia, it did not appear that he was on terms of particular friendship with any of them. There was no one therefore who could be pointed out as likely to give any news of him. And in the wretched state of his own finances there was a very powerful motive for secrecy, in addition to his fear of discovery by Lydia's relations, for it had just transpired that he had left gaming debts behind him, to a very considerable amount. Colonel Forster believed that more than a thousand pounds would be necessary to clear his expenses at Brighton. He owed a good deal in the town, but his debts of honor were still more formidable. Mr. Gardiner did not attempt to conceal these particulars from the Longbourn family; Jane heard them with horror. 'A gamester?' she cried. 'This is wholly unexpected. I had not an idea of it.'"

Devotion written by Steffany Woolsey based on the above excerpt:  "The news that Wickham left town deeply in debt is sobering: in Jane Austen's day, any gentleman would not rack up debts and leave them unpaid. We have already seen evidence that Mr. Wickham is driven by the pursuit of money, in that he gambled away the fortune left to him by the elder Mr. Darcy, pursued young women like Miss King and Miss Darcy for their dowries, and now has run away with Lydia in an apparent effort to extort money from her family. Wherever he travels Wickham accrues debt, both emotional and monetary.

Interestingly, through his interaction with Wickham, Mr. Darcy is gradually revealed as a hero figure. He clears Wickham (and Lydia by extension) by paying off his outstanding credit and canceling the debt. Though Wickham may not appreciate the kindness, it does not go unnoticed by Elizabeth.

We criticize Wickham's selfishness, but how easily you and I forget our own debt. God in the beginning created us to love and honor Him; every time we sin, we rack up spiritual debt. Thankfully, we have a Redeemer who willingly acted as mediator and paid the ransom. This is what Jesus was referring to when He prayed, 'Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors (Matthew 6:12). Through His sinless life and substitutionary death, Jesus cleared our names and freed us to live new lives, resulting in an eternal inheritance!

Think how much you have been forgiven, the sacrifice made on your behalf. And the next time you start to hold a grudge or add up how much someone owes you, remember that the price for your life - now an eternal - has been paid; you are gloriously free to extend grace to others.'"

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, 

and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Mark 10:45