Blessed good Sabbath morning, dear friends and family!
How about a history lesson....moving from A.D. 33 to 1944....?
In 1942, General Douglas MacArthur was forced to retreat from the Philippines to Australia. As he left the island, he made a promise to the Philippino people, "I shall return!"
As the war raged and the Philippine nationals suffered greatly(90,000 civilians died) the people pressed on...fighting bravely and holding on to a hope...a promise by a great man they trusted...General Douglas MacArthur!! They held on, believing he would surely keep his promise to them!
On October 20th, 1944...hope became sight. Since no landing craft was available, General Douglas MacArthur waded ashore....and once more stepped on the Philippine island! There he spoke his famous words:
"People of the Philippines: I have returned. By the grace of Almighty God our forces stand again on Philippine soil..." A promise kept...after two long years!
Jon and I are reading through Acts again... This morning we were listening to it on our dramatized audio Bible. We hadn't gotten through chapter one before my heart was just slammed with His Presence!! I remembered another promise! One made by the greatest "man" of all time! One who ALWAYS keeps His promises!!!!
In verse 11 we see the disciples gazing up into the heavens into which Christ had disappeared... they then spoke to the disciples who have must have been still rather awestruck...with the fact that Jesus was gone from them...and with the supernatural way in which He departed! "Why stand ye gazing up into heaven. This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into Heaven!"
In John 14, Jesus had earlier given this same promise to His disciples..
"Let not your heart be troubled:ye believe in God, believe also in Me.
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you.
I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I WILL COME AGAIN, and receive you unto Myself: that where I am, there ye may be also!"
So this morning while listening to Acts...my heart just overflowed... this same Jesus WILL COME AGAIN!!! General Douglas MacArthur was a great man, but ONLY a man!!
This man Jesus, the divine God man, Jesus, has NEVER... and NEVER WILL fail to keep His promises!! He said, I shall return....
How much greater is our source of hope than the one the dear Philippine nationals had... Yet they fought on...never surrendering. Never
failing... because they KNEW their "savior" would return.
We can trust Jesus!!! Coming again, coming again... Oh, what a wonderful day that will be.. Jesus IS COMING AGAIN!!
Fight one faithful friends....look up... it could be today!!!
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