Happy Saturday

FOR JUST BEING HERE
by C. R. Stam

When you sigh for heaven, remember:

“…Christ…loved the Church, and gave Himself for it…That He might present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Eph.5:25,26).

Too readily we forget that Christ loves us infinitely more than we love Him; that He paid the penalty for our sins on cruel Calvary and shed His life’s blood that one day He might have us for Himself to share His glory with Him forever.

Surely, then, He would rather have us at His side in heaven than here in this scene of sin and sorrow, and sickness and death. We should bear this in mind when we long that we might leave this world and go to be with Him.

But there is more: The Saviour, who was exiled from this earth, and is, even now, rejected by men, has not yet rejected them. Rather, He has left us here as His ambassadors on hostile territory, to plead with his enemies, praying them “in His stead” to be reconciled to God, assuring them that He has done all that is necessary to effect a reconciliation (IICor.5: 20,21).

And this is His attitude toward mankind now, though the prophetic Scriptures declare so emphatically that man’s rejection of Christ was to be — and will be — visited with the severest judgment (Psa.2:4-9; Acts 2:16-20).

But not yet! Though man had declared war on Christ (Acts 4:26,27), He did not yet make a counter-declaration, but interrupted the prophetic program to save Saul of Tarsus, the leader of the rebellion and sent him forth to usher in the present “dispensation of the grace of God” (Eph.3:1-3).

This is why, in His love and compassion, He leaves us here still to plead with His enemies: “Be ye reconciled to God”. And what about His special love for us? Entirely apart from rewards earned by service or suffering for Him, God will richly reward us (II Cor.4:17) just for being here as “ambassadors for Christ”.

It Is Well With My Soul

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain

    It is well, with my soul,
    It is well, with my soul,
    It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

Refrain

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Refrain

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

Refrain

But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!
Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!

Refrain

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

Refrain

Daily Smile:
An executive was interviewing a young woman for a position in his company. He wanted to learn something about her personality, so he asked, "if you could have a conversation with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?"
She quickly responded, "The living one."

In The News:
University of Michigan Denies Removing InterVarsity Chapter From Campus
The University of Michigan has denied that it removed a chapter of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship from campus because the group's bylaws required its leaders to be Christians, the Christian Post reports. According to university spokesperson Kelly Cunningham, the Asian InterVarsity chapter did not complete its annual re-registration process by the Sept. 30 deadline, a requirement of all student organizations. Cunningham's statement came after the group said last week it was kicked off campus after refusing to revise its constitution to fit the university's nondiscrimination policy. But Greg Jao, an InterVarsity national field director, called the university's claim "factually inaccurate," saying the group had not submitted its constitution because the university would not recognize it. "It's the same as approved in prior years, not an administrative failure on our end, but [the university] won't accept it," he said. Cunningham, however, maintains that the university discussed the issue with the InterVarsity chapter in December, but the group has yet to complete the process. Jao says the group is just seeking to adhere to traditional Christian values. "Every student, regardless of beliefs, is welcome to attend meetings," he said. "But we believe it makes sense for a religious group to select religious leaders." 

Let Elderly 'Hurry Up and Die,' Japanese Official Says
The elderly should be able to "hurry up and die" to help the government, a senior Japanese official said, according to Baptist Press. Taro Aso, Japan's new finance minister, said: "Heaven forbid if you are forced to live on when you want to die. I would wake up feeling increasingly bad knowing that [treatment] was all being paid for by the government. The problem won't be solved unless you let them hurry up and die." Aso, 72, said he would decline medical care as his life nears its end, reported British newspaper The Guardian. Nearly one-fourth of Japan's 128 million people are over 60, according to The Guardian, and almost 40 percent of the Japanese households receiving government welfare include family members 65 or older.

California's Marriage Defenders Coming Up Short
Ahead of the Supreme Court case over California's Proposition 8, a ruling that could change the nation's laws about same-sex marriage, traditional marriage proponents are facing financial struggles, WORLD Magazine reports. After raising money year after year to continue supporting Prop 8, which defines marriage as between one man and one woman, traditional marriage coalition ProtectMarriage.com now finds itself $700,000 short of the money it needs to cover its litigation costs. "Unless the pace of donations starts to pick up right away, we could soon be forced over a financial cliff," ProtectMarriage.com said in a email to donors earlier this month. But while gay rights activists claim the decrease in funding represents a lack of support for traditional marriage, ProtectMarriage.com maintains that convictions have remained strong. "I don't detect a decrease in enthusiasm," ProtectMarriage.com attorney Andrew Pugno said. "What I detect is a certain degree of fatigue after having to essentially fight this issue non-stop since 2004, when the mayor in San Francisco started issuing marriage licenses." Beyond ProtectMarriage.com's battle in California, traditional marriage proponents in other states have been outspent and beaten by gay activists in the past four ballot measures -- such as in Washington state, where traditional marriage supporters raised $2.8 million compared to the $12.6 million raised by gay marriage advocates.