It’s so hard on these freezing mornings to uncurl from that
cozy cover-cocoon
…but, this is not some futile quest
That we traverse from sod to sky
And moments are not mercy’s jest
Painting morning, noon and midnight
The Hope for whom we strive is not
A phantom Thing lost when we die
And what we suffer here is but
A brief prelude to By and By
The By and By; ah, this is where
Faith will unveil what Time conceals
Of promises told in His Word
As reckoning God’s Truth reveals
So we press forward, morn to morn
Knowing death is not our reward
Though unbelievers often scorn
Life is a highway, not to death
But to an ageless By and By
And moments are Time’s little breath
Leading to where we never die
© Janet Martin
For some inexplicable reason I woke with this parable being
one of my first thoughts …
The Rich Man and Lazarus Luke 16:19-31
“There was a rich man who was dressed in
purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus,
covered with sores and
longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his
sores.
“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried
him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in
torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.
So he called to him,
‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger
in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’
“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that
in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad
things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between
us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go
from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’
“He answered, ‘Then I
beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let
him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’
“Abraham replied,
‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’
“‘No, father Abraham,’
he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
“He said to him, ‘If
they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even
if someone rises from the dead.’”
