Together – Now and Then

Another saint went home to heaven recently, reminding me again of the quote, “If your loved one is with the Lord, and the Lord is with you, they can never be very far away.” It is this blessed hope, this assurance of reunion that marks the difference in how Christians bury their loved ones and how non-Christians bury theirs. The Bible is clear, God is with believers. First Kings 8:57 proclaims, “May the Lord our God be with us, as He was with our fathers. May He not leave us nor forsake us,” and again in Acts 17:27, “He is not far from each one of us.” The only question that remains is if our loved one is with God. Once sure of that presence, reunion is assured – both now in remembrance, and forever in heaven. Two things remain if you want to be with your loved one again: (1) Be sure they have placed their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and (2) be sure of your own salvation. Today would be a good day to check on those relationships.

Join me in praying for the following global concerns:
• Pray for missionaries who have decided to refuse their sending agency’s Voluntary Retirement Initiative, and remain on their field of service, with many uncertainties, but with the certainty of God’s continuing call.
• Pray also for several hundred missionaries who have accepted the retirement offer. Pray for them as they return to the States and begin a new phase of life, trusting the Lord to meet all their needs – homes, transportation, jobs, etc.
• Pray for missionaries who are beginning two new small groups geared toward students at the University of Amsterdam.
• Pray for churches of the International Baptist Convention that are without pastors in Argentina, Austria, Bulgaria, Germany, the Netherlands, Panama, Spain, and Ukraine.