Is This All I Get--After So Much Trouble? - John Newton

"Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." John 16:33

Dear Brother,
Blessed be God for the news of a better world, where there will be no sin, trouble, nor defect forever!

What shall it be--when the Lord shall call us up to join with those who are now singing before the eternal throne!

What shall it be--when all the children of God, who in different ages and countries have been scattered abroad--shall be all gathered together, and enter into that glorious and eternal rest provided for them!

What shall it be--when there shall not be one trace of sin or sorrow remaining--not one discordant note to be heard, nothing to disturb or defile, or alleviate the never-ceasing joy!

Many a weary step we have taken, since the Lord first drew us to Himself; but we shall not have to tread the past way over again. Some difficulties may remain--but we know not how few. Perhaps before we are aware, the Lord may cut short our conflict and say, "Come up hither!" At the most, it cannot be very long! He who has been with us thus far--will be with us to the end. He knows how to cause our consolations to exceed our greatest afflictions!

And when we get safely home--we shall not complain that we have suffered too much along the way. We shall not say, "Is this all I get--after so much trouble?" No! When we awake in that glorious world, we shall in an instant--be satisfied with His likeness. One sight of Jesus as He is--will fill our hearts, and dry up all our tears!

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us." Romans 8:18

Imagine Heaven

Due to all the posts on PCA overtures, things need to be more pastoral around here.  So imagine heaven.

No mind has imagined

(Thomas Brooks, "A String of Pearls" 1657)

Surely there is no believer but who finds that sometimes
sin interrupts his joy, and sometimes Satan disturbs his
joy, and sometimes afflictions eclipse his joy. Sometimes
the cares of the world, and sometimes the snares of the
world, and sometimes the fears of the world--mar his joy.

Here on earth, our joy is mixed with sorrow; our
rejoicing with trembling. The most godly have . . .
  sorrow mixed with their joy,
  water mixed with their wine,
  vinegar mixed with their oil,
  pain mixed with their ease,
  winter mixed with their summer, etc.

But in heaven, they shall have . . .
  joy without sorrow,
  light without darkness,
  sweetness without bitterness,
  summer without winter,
  health without sickness,
  honor without disgrace,
  glory without shame, and
  life without death.

"In His presence is fullness of joy, and at His right
 hand are pleasures forevermore." Psalm 16:11

Mark--
  for quality--there are pleasures;
  for quantity--fullness;
  for dignity--at God's right hand;
  for duration--forevermore.
And millions of years multiplied by millions, do
not make up one minute of this eternity of joy
which the saints shall have in heaven! In heaven
there shall be no sin to take away your joy, nor
any devil to take away your joy, nor any man
to take away your joy!

As they shall have in heaven pure joy, so they shall
have in heaven fullness of joy. Here on earth all joy
is at an ebb--but in heaven is the flood of joy! Here
shall be joy above joy, joy surmounting all joy. Here
shall be such great joys--as no geometrician can
measure; so many joys--as no arithmetician can
number; and such wonderful joys--as no rhetorician
can utter, had he the tongue of men and angels!

Sometimes great crosses, sometimes hard losses, and
sometimes unexpected changes--turn a Christian's
harping into mourning.

Here shall be joy within you, and joy without you,
and joy above you, and joy beneath you, and joy
about you. Joy shall spread itself over all the members
of your bodies, and over all the faculties of your souls.

In heaven,
  your knowledge shall be full,
  your love full,
  your visions of God full,
  your communion with God full,
  your enjoyment of God full,
  and your conformity to God full;
and from thence will arise fullness of joy.

If all the earth were paper, and all the plants of the
earth were pens, and all the sea were ink, and if every
man, woman, and child, had the pen of a ready writer;
yet they would not able to express the thousandth part
of those joys which saints shall have in heaven!

All the joy which we have here in this world is but
pensiveness--compared to that joy which we shall
have in heaven. All the pleasure which we have
here in this world is but heaviness--compared to that
joy which we shall have in heaven. All sweetness
which we have here in this world is but bitterness--
compared to that joy which we shall have in heaven.

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind
has imagined what God has prepared for those
who love Him." 1 Corinthians 2:9