Virginia Brandt Berg (1898-1968)
Lift up your head and smile through your tears. God's never failed you down through the years. He has watched o'er you, cared for your own. He'll not fail now He's still on the throne. Dark though the shadows just now may be. Still through the mist a pathway you'll see. Faith to the promise unfailing cling, God's on the throne and prayer changes things.
Greetings and God bless you and make you a blessing everywhere you go this day. Remember if you take the Lord with you and depend utterly upon Him it will be a victorious day indeed. The Lord will be with you everywhere today if you really put your hand in His and ask Him to lead and guide you. Now for our little meditation, something which happened today, started me thinking again of the great advantages a Christian has in this life and oh, what advantages they are! You know, it would be foolish to try and enumerate them in these few moments but I thought what it would mean to those that are listening who are not Christian if they could just get just a little inkling of the advantage a Christian has over them. Don't ever pity us, my friend, if you're not a Christian. Don't pity the one who's a Christian because we're rich beyond measure. We have everything when we have Jesus Christ. And this brought to mind a little editorial by Pastor William Thomas called "My Strongbox." I would like to insert the personal pronoun in this and here it is: "A fine Christian man full of years and now ready to leave the World in his dying hour asked his pastor who had called to see him, 'Will you please bring me my Strongbox?' The pastor hesitated and he said, 'It's there on the table, see?' But he pointed toward his Bible. He said, 'I want to go over my papers with you for I'm a rich man with a large inheritance.' The pastor saw that he was pointing to this particular Bible and brought it to his bed. Opening it the dying man said, 'These are my documents and they have to do with my wealth that I want to tell you about. The first document relates to who I am and says in 1Jn.3:2. "Beloved, now we are the sons of God. It does not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when He shall appear we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is." The second document relates to my inheritance. My inheritance, a great gift that I received and here it is. You know Jn.3:16, 'God so loved the World that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life,' and that I have inherited. And also Jn.1:12 and 13, 'As many as received him to them gave He the power to become the Sons of God, even to them that believe on His name which were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God.' The third document here is my life insurance, Jn.11:25 and 26, 'Then Jesus said, I am the Resurrection and the life. He that believeth on Me though he were dead yet shall he live and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die.' The fourth is my fire insurance. You'll find it in 2Peter the third chapter. 'But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night in the which the Heaven shall pass away with a great noise and the element shall melt with a fervent heat. The Earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and Godliness, looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of the Lord wherein the Heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the element shall melt with fervent heat. Nevertheless we according to His promise look for a New Heaven and a New Earth wherein dwelleth righteousness.' The fifth is my accident insurance, Romans 8:28, 'We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.' "Oh, this is all good and wonderful," said the pastor to the old man. "But what about their security? What about burglars and thieves getting some of these?" "Oh, no," said the dying man. "They are all deposited in a safe where no burglar can reach them. Here, I'll show you." With feeble hand he pointed to these verses. "I know in whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I've committed unto Him against that day." 2Tim.1. And then he added joyfully Jn.10:35, "And the Scripture cannot be broken." Then he said, "Look at this one, Jn.10:29, 'My father which gave them to me is greater than all. No man is able to pluck them out of my father's hand.'" Then the old man smiled, he closed the Bible and said, "What an inheritance I have! What an inheritance every Christian has! How rich we are! There are other securities and other riches I'd like to tell you about. I've used them over the long long years but I'm weary now and pastor I know you have all these yourself," then weary, the old man so near the end of the trail closed his eyes and the pastor thought that he saw the light of Heaven shine on his face. I would say with the old man, I trust all these riches and advantages of a Christian are yours also. They can be, they surely can be. They're for everyone and they're free but that doesn't begin to tell it all. Though the dear old man surely knew his inheritance. To me one of the most precious possessions I have in my Strongbox is the receipted bill for a great debt I owed and He paid that debt, the debt of sin. He bore that debt on Calvary. How true that Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He made it white as snow. Oh, nothing good have I whereby His grace acclaims. But I've washed my garments white in the blood of Calvary's lamb. Lord, now indeed I find Thy power and Thine alone can change a leopard's spot and melt the heart of stone. Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow. You know, I think I can express what the old man said and what I feel and experience best in the words of a wonderful song. You know, I think these words are inspired. They're some of the most wonderful words that I've ever found in a Christian song and that is the song that's called, "If I Gained the World But Lost the Savior":
"If I gained the World but lost the Savior, were my life worth living for a day?
Could my yearning heart find rest and comfort in the things that so soon must pass away?
If I gained the World but lost the Savior would my gain be worth the live long strife?
Are all the earthly pleasures worth comparing for a moment with a Christ-filled life?
Had I wealth and love in fullest measure and a name revered both far and near
Yet no hope beyond no harbor waiting where my storm-tossed vessel I could steer.
If I gained the World but lost the Savior who endured the cross and died for me,
Could then all the World afford a refuge whether in my angry I might flee.
Oh, what emptiness without the Savior, amid the sins and sorrows here below.
An eternity, how dark without Him, only night and tears and endless woe.
What though I might live without the Savior when I come to die.
How would to be?
Oh, to face the valley's gloom without Him and without Him all eternity."
Let's have a little word of prayer together now. Will you join with me? There are many requests for prayer that come to our life. I wish you'd help us in this prayer program. We're such a wonderful ministry. God looks for intercessors today.
Father we do reach out to Thee for these. Some whose hearts are so empty they've never had the Savior and they're striving so for gain. They're so feverish in their busy days and such a rush. We pray Lord for quietness of spirit until Thou can speak to hearts. We ask Thee, Lord, for these that have been so sorely tempted. Help in the time of temptation. We bring again the sick and the suffering, the storm-tossed with so many burdens to Thy great heart. We ask Thee for the unsaved, any that are listening in that really do not know Thee. Touch their hearts. Put a real hunger in their hearts for Thee and for these that have known Thee and wandered away, Lord, we ask that Thou would draw them by the cords of love and because we're united in prayer for them. May they feel Thy precious Holy Spirit tugging at their hearts. Bless now, Lord, every Scripture that was used today. We claim the promise that it shall not return to Thee void and each listener we pray for comfort, blessing and leading throughout the day in Jesus precious name we ask it. Amen. Remember God's still on the throne and prayer changes things.