A
daily, Bible-based
perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation.
Home About
Us Archives
Free
email subscription 
Listen to this
message Donate
to this ministry
"Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:10,11).
Early last evening my Mom went home to be with the Lord. It was a very tough visit yesterday afternoon and I sensed her departure was near though the medical staff gave no warning. Her vital signs remained strong to the end. I told Brooksyne that I thought she was failing and wanted to go back to the hospital with her. As we were preparing to leave for the hospital the nurse called with the sad news of her death.
My last meaningful conversation with her was on Tuesday when I read some Get Well cards to her and told her I loved her. It is a great source of blessing that she was able to also tell me that she loved me as that has been our custom ever since I can remember. I prayed with her and committed her to God's care.
My dad died in 1998 and they had over 53 years together in marriage. My wife, Brooksyne, has done an outstanding job of being her primary care giver essentially since 1999 when she had a severe head injury due to a fall. This last year and particularly the past several months have been very hard due to the extent of Mom's medical needs which increased significantly. We sought to honor her wishes by keeping her in our home as long as we could and thankfully we were able to do so till last Friday when she was hospitalized.
Mom has loved the Lord for many years. God also gave her an incredible love for people. She has maintained contact with friends and family from all over the country and what a chore it will be to notify as many of these folks as possible of her passing. As a child I recall her faithfully reading devotional booklets such as "Our Daily Bread", which is a model to me for the layout of this ministry.
One troubling issue we dealt with and prayed about was an apparent lack of peace concerning her impending death. It did not seem so much to be a question of her knowing God's love and salvation but rather an apprehension about the event itself. Brooksyne especially sought to deal with this and shared the assurance we can have in the Scriptures that our death is merely a transition into heaven.
However yesterday a friend from church called and shared a story that really has blessed me. She visited my Mom on Tuesday afternoon and sensed the Spirit leading her to deal with this very topic. Naomi spoke to Mom about recognizing the Lord's goodness even in the midst of her extreme pain. She said to Mom, "We really don't know this for sure, but maybe the Lord will come for you soon and you won't have to suffer anymore. Wouldn't that be wonderful?" Mom responded with a slight smile, and stated, "Oh, it would be wonderful!" And then Naomi prayed for Mom and committed her into God's care. We were so pleased to hear that story.
A great promise of assurance is expressed in the daily Scripture text as we all face our impending death. Hide this promise deep in your heart both for your sake and that of family members and loved ones who know the Lord. "You will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
I am so confident that, based upon Mom's belief in Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice for her sin, she received a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That rich welcome awaits all of us who trust Christ. In fact let me close by expressing my faith in a very personal sense, which you can do as well. "I will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
Be encouraged today,
Stephen C. Weber
Brooksyne's prayer – God of all Comfort, just as You share in our sufferings You also share in our comfort. How grateful we are that when sorrow flows over into our lives Your comfort overflows into our hearts. Your comfort brings peace, assurance and a renewed sense of hope as we abide in You. We place complete confidence in Your providential work in our lives and Your perfect timing. How reassuring to know that nothing escapes Your notice, but You walk us through each life changing event. No enemy, no loss, or difficult situation will defeat us as moment by moment You tenderly care for us. Thank You for being our Refuge and Shield in whom we take refuge. The troubles of this life will soon be over and we'll cross over on the other shore. Lord, what unspeakable delight awaits us as we anticipate that rich welcome us into Your eternal kingdom. We give thanks to You, for Your love truly endures forever! Amen.
Brooksyne's Personal Note - I had difficulty sleeping last night as thoughts of Mom consumed my mind. Eventually I got up and did some baking and cleaning so that I'd be prepared for family members who will be coming. I was needing a word from the Lord so I turned on WDAC, our local Christian radio station. I don't think I was really listening until the song, "My Savior First of All" began to play. It got my full attention and a heartfelt "Thank You" to our Lord Jesus who knew I was looking for divine comfort. The lyrics of this song brought wonderful peace and assurance to my heart. I hope you know the tune so you can sing through these words. This is another one of the beautiful songs that Fanny Crosby wrote.
When my life work is ended, and I cross the swelling tide,
When the bright and glorious morning I shall see;
I shall know my Redeemer when I reach the other side,
And His smile will be the first to welcome me.
I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
And redeemed by His side I shall stand,
I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
By the print of the nails in His hand.
Oh, the soul thrilling rapture when I view His blessed face,
And the luster of His kindly beaming eye;
How my full heart will praise Him for the mercy, love and grace,
That prepare for me a mansion in the sky.
Oh, the dear ones in glory, how they beckon me to come,
And our parting at the river I recall;
To the sweet vales of Eden they will sing my welcome home;
But I long to meet my Savior first of all.
Through the gates to the city in a robe of spotless white,
He will lead me where no tears will ever fall;
In the glad song of ages I shall mingle with delight;
But I long to meet my Savior first of all.
Ester's Remembrances – MaMa and I always talked about whose birthday was next on the calendar. She always took a personal interest in my friends. She learned their names very quickly and often asked me about them. When Mom and Dad would leave me with MaMa I always made us a bowl of macaroni and cheese since we both liked it a lot. When I'd leave for school she'd always say, "Have a great day and be a blessing." I already miss her.
Listen to this
message Donate
to this ministry
Thursday, November 17, 2005
"A Rich Welcome"
"A Rich Welcome"
"Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:10,11).
Early last evening my Mom went home to be with the Lord. It was a very tough visit yesterday afternoon and I sensed her departure was near though the medical staff gave no warning. Her vital signs remained strong to the end. I told Brooksyne that I thought she was failing and wanted to go back to the hospital with her. As we were preparing to leave for the hospital the nurse called with the sad news of her death.
A
photo of Mom, along with Brooksyne. This photo was taken in 1998 when
Mom was 78 years old. This was taken at the wedding of a close friend
in California. That very night Mom had a serious fall resulting in a
head injury, which she never fully recovered from.
My last meaningful conversation with her was on Tuesday when I read some Get Well cards to her and told her I loved her. It is a great source of blessing that she was able to also tell me that she loved me as that has been our custom ever since I can remember. I prayed with her and committed her to God's care.
My dad died in 1998 and they had over 53 years together in marriage. My wife, Brooksyne, has done an outstanding job of being her primary care giver essentially since 1999 when she had a severe head injury due to a fall. This last year and particularly the past several months have been very hard due to the extent of Mom's medical needs which increased significantly. We sought to honor her wishes by keeping her in our home as long as we could and thankfully we were able to do so till last Friday when she was hospitalized.
Mom has loved the Lord for many years. God also gave her an incredible love for people. She has maintained contact with friends and family from all over the country and what a chore it will be to notify as many of these folks as possible of her passing. As a child I recall her faithfully reading devotional booklets such as "Our Daily Bread", which is a model to me for the layout of this ministry.
One troubling issue we dealt with and prayed about was an apparent lack of peace concerning her impending death. It did not seem so much to be a question of her knowing God's love and salvation but rather an apprehension about the event itself. Brooksyne especially sought to deal with this and shared the assurance we can have in the Scriptures that our death is merely a transition into heaven.
However yesterday a friend from church called and shared a story that really has blessed me. She visited my Mom on Tuesday afternoon and sensed the Spirit leading her to deal with this very topic. Naomi spoke to Mom about recognizing the Lord's goodness even in the midst of her extreme pain. She said to Mom, "We really don't know this for sure, but maybe the Lord will come for you soon and you won't have to suffer anymore. Wouldn't that be wonderful?" Mom responded with a slight smile, and stated, "Oh, it would be wonderful!" And then Naomi prayed for Mom and committed her into God's care. We were so pleased to hear that story.
A great promise of assurance is expressed in the daily Scripture text as we all face our impending death. Hide this promise deep in your heart both for your sake and that of family members and loved ones who know the Lord. "You will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
I am so confident that, based upon Mom's belief in Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice for her sin, she received a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That rich welcome awaits all of us who trust Christ. In fact let me close by expressing my faith in a very personal sense, which you can do as well. "I will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
Be encouraged today,
Stephen C. Weber
Brooksyne's prayer – God of all Comfort, just as You share in our sufferings You also share in our comfort. How grateful we are that when sorrow flows over into our lives Your comfort overflows into our hearts. Your comfort brings peace, assurance and a renewed sense of hope as we abide in You. We place complete confidence in Your providential work in our lives and Your perfect timing. How reassuring to know that nothing escapes Your notice, but You walk us through each life changing event. No enemy, no loss, or difficult situation will defeat us as moment by moment You tenderly care for us. Thank You for being our Refuge and Shield in whom we take refuge. The troubles of this life will soon be over and we'll cross over on the other shore. Lord, what unspeakable delight awaits us as we anticipate that rich welcome us into Your eternal kingdom. We give thanks to You, for Your love truly endures forever! Amen.
Brooksyne's Personal Note - I had difficulty sleeping last night as thoughts of Mom consumed my mind. Eventually I got up and did some baking and cleaning so that I'd be prepared for family members who will be coming. I was needing a word from the Lord so I turned on WDAC, our local Christian radio station. I don't think I was really listening until the song, "My Savior First of All" began to play. It got my full attention and a heartfelt "Thank You" to our Lord Jesus who knew I was looking for divine comfort. The lyrics of this song brought wonderful peace and assurance to my heart. I hope you know the tune so you can sing through these words. This is another one of the beautiful songs that Fanny Crosby wrote.
When my life work is ended, and I cross the swelling tide,
When the bright and glorious morning I shall see;
I shall know my Redeemer when I reach the other side,
And His smile will be the first to welcome me.
I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
And redeemed by His side I shall stand,
I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
By the print of the nails in His hand.
Oh, the soul thrilling rapture when I view His blessed face,
And the luster of His kindly beaming eye;
How my full heart will praise Him for the mercy, love and grace,
That prepare for me a mansion in the sky.
Oh, the dear ones in glory, how they beckon me to come,
And our parting at the river I recall;
To the sweet vales of Eden they will sing my welcome home;
But I long to meet my Savior first of all.
Through the gates to the city in a robe of spotless white,
He will lead me where no tears will ever fall;
In the glad song of ages I shall mingle with delight;
But I long to meet my Savior first of all.
Ester's Remembrances – MaMa and I always talked about whose birthday was next on the calendar. She always took a personal interest in my friends. She learned their names very quickly and often asked me about them. When Mom and Dad would leave me with MaMa I always made us a bowl of macaroni and cheese since we both liked it a lot. When I'd leave for school she'd always say, "Have a great day and be a blessing." I already miss her.
Sign
up
for the free daily email encouragement at www.dailyencouragement.net
Permissions:
Please feel free to pass on, reproduce and distribute any material on
Daily Encouragement Net, in part or in whole, in any format, provided
that you do not alter the wording in any way or charge a fee beyond the
cost of reproduction. It is our desire to spread this material, not
protect or restrict
it. I do request that you keep the
contact,
copyright and subscription information intact.
Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission; and the King James Version.
Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission; and the King James Version.
Personal Mission
Statement: "I am
created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I
have been redeemed and I make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My
mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and to
prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
©
Copyright 2005 Stephen C. Weber - All Rights Reserved ׀
Daily
Encouragement
Net - PO
Box 714 - Mount Joy, PA 17552
"Living
today anchored in
God's solid foundation"