Streams in the Desert - Dec 12
by L. B. E. Cowman and Jim Reimann
I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4: 6– 7)
Just as old soldiers compare their battle scars and stories of war when they get together, when we arrive at our heavenly home, we will tell of the goodness and faithfulness of God, who brought us through every trial along the way. I would not like to stand with the multitude clothed in robes made “white in the blood of the Lamb” (Rev. 7: 14) and hear these words: “ ‘These are they who have come out of the great tribulation’— all except you.”
How would you like to stand there and be pointed out as the only saint who never experienced sorrow? Never! You would feel like a stranger in the midst of a sacred fellowship. Therefore may we be content to share in the battle, for we will soon wear a crown of reward and wave a palm branch of praise.
~Charles H. Spurgeon
During the American Civil War, at the battle of Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, a surgeon asked a soldier where he was hurt. The wounded soldier answered, “Right near the top of the mountain.” He was not thinking of his gaping wound but was only remembering that he had won the ground near the top of the mountain.
May we also go forth to higher endeavors for Christ, never resting until we can shout from the mountaintop, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
Finish your work, then rest,
Till then rest never;
Since rest for you with God
Is rest forever.
God will examine your life not for medals, diplomas, or degrees but for battle scars.
A medieval singer once sang of his hero:
With his trusty sword for aid;
Ornament it carried none,
But the notches on the blade.
What nobler medal of honor could any godly person seek than the scars of service, personal loss for the crown of reward, disgrace for the sake of Christ, and being worn out in the Master’s service!
Reference
Cowman, L. B. E.; Reimann, Jim (2008-09-09). Streams in the Desert: 366 Daily Devotional Readings (p. 462). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
Categories: spiritual