Aches and Praise Six Hundred & Fifty Four

March 22, 2024
 
 
 Dear friends, 
 

Last month, I wrote that Hans, a friend of ours, was in palliative care. On Monday, he entered the presence of the Lord whom he loved. He will be greatly missed by many. Please pray for his widow, Luba, and their family as they mourn his passing.

How wonderful it is to know that children of God have the assurance from His Word that we will be reunited with loved ones in heaven. In our radio follow-up office in Chateauguay, we have several copies of a special edition of the New Testament entitled “Here’s Hope: Jesus Cares for You.” The introduction begins with a question: “Is There Any Hope?” followed by:

“The future is uncertain.                                                                                           
Families are falling apart.                                                                                                            
Drugs are ruining cities and schools.                                                                             
Disease is killing our people.”

After repeating the question, “Is There Any Hope?” the following questions are posed:

“Can we have peace and joy in our hearts?                                                                                    
Can we have fulfillment in life?                                                                                          
Can we have power and strength to live meaningful lives?                                                      
Does anyone really care?”
 

The answer is “YES!” followed by the title of this special edition of the New Testament: “Here’s Hope: Jesus Cares for You.” The Committee on Bible Translation, comprised of fifteen biblical scholars, spent thousands of hours in research and discussion in the 1970s and 1980s in order to provide this edition, Here is the last part of the Preface: “Like all translations of the Bible, made as they are by imperfect man, this one undoubtedly falls short of its goals. Yet we are grateful to God for the extent to which he has enabled us to realize these goals and for the strength he has given us and our colleagues to complete our task. We offer this version of the Bible to him in whose name and for whose glory it has been made. We pray that it will lead many into a better understanding of the Holy Scriptures and a fuller knowledge of Jesus Christ the incarnate Word, of whom the Scriptures so faithfully testify.”

Here are some Scripture references in the introductory section entitled “Where To Find It”:

“The Bible is our guide for living”       2 Timothy 3:14-17                                                
“Comfort when you are in trouble”      John 14:1-18                          
“Strength for your faith”                    Hebrews 11:1-40
“Rest when you are weary”                Matthew 11:25-30                                    
“How to cope with worry”                  Matthew 6:24-34                                   
“How to forgive and be forgiven”        Matthew 18:21-35                                         
“How to pray”                                   Matthew 6:5-13
 

If you have never asked God’s forgiveness for your sins and trusted the Lord Jesus as your Saviour, the question that comes to mind is: “What are you waiting for?” If you are a child of God, rejoice in the Lord and share His Word with family, friends, and others.

Scripture for the weekend: “remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.” Ephesians 2:12-13 (NIV)

Thought for the weekend: “The health of our souls requires that we take the whole Bible as it stands and let it do its work in us.” – A. W. Tozer
 

By His grace,                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Steve


^