Archives for March 2021

Good morning,

This week’s devotions will highlight my call to be the WASI (Wasilla Area Seniors, Inc) Chaplain, and the teaching, prayer, counseling, and hospital visitation ministries. 

Prayer is talking with God. God desires to hear from us. He wants us to acknowledge our need of Him. When we pray, God hears and acts. He always answers our prayers. Sometimes yes, sometimes no, and sometimes wait. Remember that God knows all, sees all, and has the power to change any circumstance He pleases. His answers to prayer are always right.

God’s word, the Bible, tells us to pray.

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” (Philippians 4:6)

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;” (Ephesians 6:18)

“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;” (Luke 18:1)

“Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.” (Psalm 55:17)

Each Wednesday we devote time to pray. Over the years we have seen God heal people, change circumstances, and do miraculous things.

Recently, we prayed for a pregnant mother. The baby was not expected to live, but God caused the baby to live.

Marie, a charter member of our class, had a serious medical problem. She had to go to the emergency room on several occasions. She was not eating and growing weaker. Yet as we continued to pray God began to heal her body. She is now eating and growing stronger.

We also support a missionary in prayer in Bangladesh. She is an administrator, teacher, and mentor, at the William Carey Academy. She was taken ill and evacuated back to the states. Then COVID-19 happened. She was stuck here. She also needed a new visa and other documents to get back into Bangladesh. Did I mention the country was closed? She was able to conduct her classes via the internet. Then God answered our prayers and she was able to get all her paperwork, supplies, and funds to get back to Bangladesh. She has now returned.

These are just recent answers to prayer. We have seen God consistently answer prayers over the last seven years.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskasenior.com

Good morning,

This week’s devotions will highlight my call to be the WASI (Wasilla Area Seniors, Inc) Chaplain, and the teaching, prayer, counseling, and hospital visitation ministries. 

The teaching ministry has several different components.

The Daily Devotion is a Bible based devotion used to challenge the readers to action. Published in its current format since February 2015, it has tackled many critical topics to help believers in Christ grow to maturity. You may find it on the WASI website, www.wasillaseniors.com, click on Programs, then Chaplain Services. There is also a place to subscribe to get the Daily Devotion in your email inbox.

The preaching and teaching of God’s word. Each Wednesday at 10am we meet to discover what the word of God, the Bible, has to say. We only use the Bible as our study material. The Bible is the only book that has the answers to all life’s questions. Need answers, turn to God and His word.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:¹⁷ That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

On Sunday a traditional Christian worship service is held in the Meeting Room at the WASI Senior Center at 11:30 am.  This service consists of praise, teaching and celebration.  Rev. Priscilla Fulford, preaches God’s word and challenges the congregants to follow Jesus every day.

“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.” (2 Timothy 4:2)

Discipleship is key to our growth in Christ. Helping people to learn God’s word and how to grow in Christ. God has taught me many things over the years, now it is my responsibility to share it with others.

“And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:2)

Please feel free to participate with us as we go deeper into the word of God, the Bible.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com

Good morning,

This week’s devotions will highlight my call to be the WASI (Wasilla Area Seniors, Inc) Chaplain, and the teaching, prayer, counseling, and hospital visitation ministries. 

The spring of 1972 brought pain and joy to my life.

During the fall semester in 1971, there was a girl who would become my fiancée. She was staying with her grandfather, who required her to go to church each Sunday. We all went together. During spring break, I travelled from Idaho to California, to surprise my intended. She was warm and receptive. On my arrival home, a letter arrived, with her engagement ring, telling me she no longer wanted to pursue our relationship. As you can imagine, this was devastating news.

The church we went to seemed to have many young ladies. These ladies were virtuous and were not looking for unsaved boyfriends. What they cared about was telling others about Jesus Christ. They invited me to a Bible study and it was through this study Christ became my Lord and Savior. That brought me a tremendous amount of joy.

The Campus Crusade for Christ ministry on campus discipled, trained, and taught me about the Bible, how to grow in Christ, and how to minister for the Lord. Coupled with my church attendance and service, the discipled became the discipler. In 1974, on my graduation from college, my years of ministry began.

During the next 47 years God allowed me to serve with several local church’s, para-church organizations, the military, teaching and preaching God’s word in some common and uncommon ways. Ministering in church’s, tents, indoors or outdoors.

In 2013, Ingrid Ling, CEO of WASI, called and asked me to be the Chaplain. My response was no. My job was full time and paid quite well. As with Moses, God does not accept our no. What happened next is epic. My employer terminated my employment. He fired me. No one had ever fired me before. This was the hand of God.

God wanted me at WASI. He made it quite plain that He wanted me to minister to the seniors at WASI. A subsequent call to Ingrid confirmed this and on 1 November 2013, WASI had its first Chaplain.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com

Good morning,

Wait on the Lord. That is a process. It doesn’t just happen. As we will see, David and Isaiah both knew their God. Subsequently, they were able to completely wait for God to act.

2) COMFORT FOR JERUSALEM (ISAIAH 40:1-31)

J. GOD HAS POWER OVER LEADERS (40:23-24)

That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.²⁴ Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.

        K. GOD IS… (40:25-31) HOLY ONE (40:25), CREATOR, STRONG IN POWER (40:26), FAINTETH NOT, NEITHER IS WEARY (40:28), GIVETH POWER TO THE FAINT, INCREASETH STRENGTH (40:29)

To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.²⁶ Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.²⁷ Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God?²⁸ Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.²⁹ He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

        L. JERUSALEM AND JUDAH COULD WAIT ON THE LORD BECAUSE OF WHO HE IS (40:30-31)

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. 

God is using Isaiah to tell Israel who God is, why He is superior to any other god, and ultimately why He can be trusted. Knowing all these things, Israel can confidently “…wait upon the Lord…”

Isaiah tells Israel that princes are nothing and judges of the earth are like vanity.  He says that “…the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.” God controls politicians. God can raise up or remove a politician at His pleasure. However, remember God sees the big picture. He knows why these people are in authority.

Isaiah then tells Israel that their God is holy, creator, strong in power, faints not, never gets weary, gives power to the  weary, and to them that need it, He increase their strength.

So what does God say to those who are weary? Wait upon the Lord. The results will be, renewed strength, mount up with wings as eagles, run, not be weary, be able to walk, and not faint.

We can wait on God’s provision for us. Because He sees all, knows all, and is powerful enough to change any circumstance He pleases.

His will or our will?

What will you choose?

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com

Good morning,

Wait on the Lord. That is a process. It doesn’t just happen. As we will see, David and Isaiah both knew their God. Subsequently, they were able to completely wait for God to act.

2) COMFORT FOR JERUSALEM (ISAIAH 40:1-31)

F.  GOD ASKS RHETORICAL QUESTIONS (40:12-14)

Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?¹³ Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him?¹⁴ With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?

        G. ALL NATIONS BEFORE HIM ARE AS NOTHING… (40:15-17)

Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.¹⁶ And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.¹⁷ All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.

        H. WHO IS LIKE GOD? (40:18-22)

To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?¹⁹ The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains.²⁰ He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved.²¹ Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?²² It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:

God wants Israel to know that their God is powerful, that the nations before them are nothing, and that there is no God but him.

He uses a series of rhetorical questions to challenge Israel’s thinking. He then shows Israel why the nations are less than nothing and vanity.

Then the question is asked, “To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?” He compares Himself to a graven image that rots and shall not be moved.

The question is answered in verses 21-22. God is the creator and He is in charge. He makes everything work.

Sometimes we forget the character of God. He created everything. He keeps everything in place. He knows everything. Nothing takes God by surprise. Even though our world seems out of control, it is not. God controls all things. God is all powerful. He can change anything whenever He desires.

What God wanted the Israelites and us to learn, is that whatever happens,  God has a reason for it. We may never know why, but God wants us to trust Him in our worst and best circumstances.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com

WAIT ON THE LORD

GOD’S PROTECTION AND GREATNESS

ECCLESIASTES 1:2, 12:8 PSALM 27 AND ISAIAH 40

INTRODUCTION:

VANITY OF VANITIES… (ECCL 1:2, 12:8) FAST FOOD, INSTANT GRATIFICATION

Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.  (Ecclesiastes 1:2)

Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.  (Ecclesiastes 12:8)

1) DAVID’S RELIANCE ON GOD (PSALM 27:1-14)

            A.  DAVID’S LORD IS LIGHT, SALVATION AND STRENGTH (27:1-3) V1

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?² When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.³ Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

            B.  DAVID’S DESIRE (27:4)

One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.

            C.  DAVID’S GOD OF PROTECTION (27:5-13)

For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.⁶ And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.⁷ Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.⁸ When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.⁹ Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.¹⁰ When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.¹¹ Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.¹² Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.¹³ I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

            D.  DAVID WAITS ON THE LORD (27:14) HE COULD WAIT BECAUSE HE KNEW WHO HIS GOD WAS AND TRUSTED IN HIM

Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

2) COMFORT FOR JERUSALEM (ISAIAH 40:1-31)

            A.  CONTEXT: PROPHECY AFTER BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY

              B.  COMFORT FOR JERUSALEM (40:1-2)

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.² Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.

            C.  JOHN THE BAPTIST PROPHESIED (40:3-5)

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.⁴ Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:⁵ And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

            D. THE WORD OF GOD SHALL STAND FOREVER (40:6-8)

The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:⁷ The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.⁸ The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

            E.  BEHOLD YOUR GOD (40:9-11)

O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!¹⁰ Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.¹¹ He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

            F.  GOD ASKS RHETORICAL QUESTIONS (40:12-14)

Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?¹³ Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him?¹⁴ With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?

            G. ALL NATIONS BEFORE HIM ARE AS NOTHING… (40:15-17)

Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.¹⁶ And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering.¹⁷ All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.

            H. WHO IS LIKE GOD? (40:18-22)

To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?¹⁹ The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains.²⁰ He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved.²¹ Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?²² It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:

            J. GOD HAS POWER OVER LEADERS (40:23-24)

That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.²⁴ Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.

            K. GOD IS… (40:25-31) HOLY ONE (40:25), CREATOR, STRONG IN POWER (40:26), FAINTETH NOT, NEITHER IS WEARY (40:28), GIVETH POWER TO THE FAINT, INCREASETH STRENGTH (40:29)

To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.²⁶ Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.²⁷ Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God?²⁸ Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.²⁹ He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.

            L. JERUSALEM AND JUDAH COULD WAIT ON THE LORD BECAUSE OF WHO HE IS (40:30-31)

Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. 

CONCLUSION:

1) READ GOD’S WORD

2) KNOW WHO GOD IS

3) DESIRE GOD

4) WAIT ON GOD TO DO HIS WILL IN YOUR LIFE

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com

Good morning,

Wait on the Lord. That is a process. It doesn’t just happen. As we will see, David and Isaiah both knew their God. Subsequently, they were able to completely wait for God to act.

2) COMFORT FOR JERUSALEM (ISAIAH 40:1-31)

        A.  CONTEXT: PROPHECY AFTER BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY

          B.  COMFORT FOR JERUSALEM (40:1-2)

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.² Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.

        C.  JOHN THE BAPTIST PROPHESIED (40:3-5)

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.⁴ Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:⁵ And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

        D. THE WORD OF GOD SHALL STAND FOREVER (40:6-8)

The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:⁷ The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.⁸ The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

        E.  BEHOLD YOUR GOD (40:9-11)

O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!¹⁰ Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.¹¹ He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

Israel is in midst of the Babylonian captivity.

God tells Isaiah to comfort His people. He says to speak comfortably to her. Tell her “…that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned:”

Then Isaiah tells Israel of the one who will prepare the way for the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Then God tells him to cry. He cries that the people are grass and like flowers in the field. He ends with, “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.” We should never forget that God’s word is eternal. When we need answers, God’s word has the answers we need.

Then Isaiah tells Israel to “…behold your God!” Why? The Lord will come with a strong hand, His arm shall rule for them, His reward is with Him, He shall feed his flock, He shall gather His lambs, He shall carry them, and shall gently lead them.

Isaiah knew his God and was told by God to tell Israel what God was about to do for them. He comforts Israel with these words.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com

Good morning,

Wait on the Lord. That is a process. It doesn’t just happen. As we will see, David and Isaiah both knew their God. Subsequently, they were able to completely wait for God to act.

1) DAVID’S RELIANCE ON GOD (PSALM 27:1-14)

        A.  DAVID’S LORD IS LIGHT, SALVATION AND STRENGTH (27:1-3) V1

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?² When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.³ Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

        B.  DAVID’S DESIRE (27:4)

One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.

        C.  DAVID’S GOD OF PROTECTION (27:5-13)

For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.⁶ And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.⁷ Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.⁸ When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.⁹ Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.¹⁰ When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.¹¹ Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.¹² Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.¹³ I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

        D.  DAVID WAITS ON THE LORD (27:14) HE COULD WAIT BECAUSE HE KNEW WHO HIS GOD WAS AND TRUSTED IN HIM

Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

The only way that David could make the statement in verse 14,”Wait on the Lord:…” is to have known the Lord and what He had done in his own personal life. As we read, we see David saying that the Lord is MY life, He is the strength of MY life, David desires to dwell in God’s house all the days of MY life. David also knows that the Lord will protect him. David says the Lord will hide him and deliver him from his enemies. He praises the Lord for His protection and salvation.

This is how David can say, “Wait on the Lord:”.

Do you know the Lord like David did? If not, begin cultivating that relationship right now!

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com

Good morning,

A flower that only grows in the garden of eternity!

(Matthew Hale 1600-1675)

“You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand!” Psalm 16:11

True happiness is not to be found in this life. It is a flower that only grows in the garden of eternity, and to be expected in its full fruition only in that life which is to come.

If we do but seriously believe the truth of the gospel, the best things of this world will seem of small importance; and the worst things this world can inflict will seem but of little consequence. The worst things that this world can inflict will appear too light to provoke us to impatience or discontent. He who has everlasting glory in prospect, will have a mind full of contentment in the darkest condition here.

This poor world is the place of our travel and pilgrimage, and, at the best, our temporary inn.
Our home, our country, is Heaven, where there are no sorrows, nor fears, nor troubles.

In my Father’s house there are mansions, many mansions, instead of my inn. My Savior Himself has gone before me to prepare a place for me. I will therefore content myself with the inconveniences of my short journey, for my accommodations will be inconceivable when I come to my true home, that heavenly inheritance which is the place of my eternal happiness.

“I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints!” Ephesians 1:18
~  ~  ~  ~
Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com

Good morning,

On our learning this lesson depends our comforting walk heavenward

(Letters of William Romaine, 1714-1795)

When the Holy Spirit takes of the things of Christ and preaches them to the heart–oh, what a sweet peace follows! For the believer then finds himself saved from all the miseries of sin, and entitled to all the blessings of eternal glory.

Being thus persuaded of his safety by believing in the sin-atoning blood of our Great High Priest, the Holy Spirit then teaches him how to live upon Christ, and how to make use of Christ’s fullness.

On our learning this lesson depends our comforting walk heavenward. For Christ does not give us a stock of grace and expect us to improve it by being faithful to grace given. No, no, that is not His way. Our souls must depend upon Him, just as our bodies do upon the elements of this world. Every moment we must live by faith upon His fullness, and be every moment receiving out of it grace upon grace.

And this is our happiness–to have all in Christ!

A beggar in myself, but rich with unsearchable eternal riches in Him.

Ignorant still in myself, but led and taught by His unerring wisdom.
A sinner still, but saved by His blood and righteousness.

Weak and helpless still, but kept by His Almighty love.

Nothing but sorrow in myself, nothing but joy in Him.
Oh, this is a blessed life!

No tongue can tell what a Heaven it is, thus to live by faith upon the Son of God. Thanks be to Him, that I do know a little of it. Surely I could not have thought, some years ago, that there was such a Heaven upon earth as I now find. May you find it more and more! Sweet Jesus keep you, my dear friend!

Yours,
William Romaine
~  ~  ~  ~

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com