I recently came across this song by Sarah Doudney.
 It was first sung at the funeral of Charles Spurgeon:

THE MASTER HATH COME
The Master hath come, and He calls us to follow
The track of the footprints He leaves on our way;
Far over the mountain and through the deep hollow,
The path leads us on to the mansions of day:
The Master hath called us, the children who fear Him,
Who march ‘neath Christ’s banner, His own little band;
We love Him and seek Him, we long to be near Him,
And rest in the light of His beautiful land.

The Master hath called us; the road may be dreary
And dangers and sorrows are strewn on the track;
But God’s Holy Spirit shall comfort the weary;
We follow the Savior and cannot turn back;
The Master hath called us, though doubt and temptation
May compass our journey, we cheerfully sing:
Press onward, look upward, through much tribulation;
The children of Zion must follow the King.

The Master hath called us, in life’s early morning,
With spirits as fresh as the dew on the sod:
We turn from the world, with its smiles and its scorning,
To cast in our lot with the people of God:
The Master hath called us, His sons and His daughters,
We plead for His blessing and trust in His love;
And through the green pastures, beside the still waters,
He’ll lead us at last to His kingdom above.

I remember when we had the “Blue Laws”— no shopping on Sunday. I know that seems strange to the “Gimme Generation”, but the “Greatest Generation” got along just fine. Then someone came up with the “Black Friday” idea. Now “Black Friday” has become “Black Thursday”! And I just read this headline—“Thanksgiving Sales May Depose Black Friday As Biggest Day For retailers”! It just keeps getting crazier. Personally I liked the old days and the old ways better.

It was hard to believe, but true. Leon Sheppard of Memphis, TN. had 5 children, 12 grand-children, and 6 great-grand-children, but when he died he left his $250,000 and a 4,270 square foot mansion to his two cats! Yep, you heard it right– to his two cats! While I don’t know any details about his relationship with his family, what he valued most is obvious. How stupid can a man get? Even if he had disowned his family because they were the scum of the earth, there are better things to do with your money. There are starving children all around the world that could have used what he left. Yet he gave it to the cats!

So what will you do with what you leave when your turn comes to die? We all have something– who will get it? What Mr. Sheppard did is actually no worse than what others do when they leave their goods to ungodly wicked people who will misuse it. Since we are responsible for what we have we need to give serious consideration to where it goes after we’re gone. While no one should leave their estate to cats, or dogs, neither should they leave it to wicked vile people who will waste it. I won’t make any suggestions as to where you should leave yours, except to say that you ought to leave it where it will do the most good in carrying out your life’s purpose– which should be to glorify God. And that shouldn’t be too hard to do. What ever you have you will someday leave. The only question is, “Where?”. Think about it!

With Thanksgiving rapidly approaching I was suddenly surprised with a reminder of just how much I have to be thankful for. It happened the day before yesterday as I spoke with a man who just lost his wife and two daughters. By “lost” I mean she and the children left, moved out of state to her parents home, because of his sins. He made no excuses, confessed his sins, and took full responsibility for the consequences.

Although he made a profession of faith and appeared to be deeply sorry for what he did, the damage was done. Although his sins have been forgiven the consequences continue. Although he is now part of God’s family, his family is broken. Hopefully over time God will heal the hurts and restore his marriage. Meanwhile the whole family suffers. I hope you will pray for them, but I also hope that we all can learn something from this sad story.

When we sin, we often do things we can’t undo. Avoiding sin is much better than trying to deal with its aftermath. Resisting temptation is far easier than trying to restore things after the damage is done. As I told the man, “When God saves us, He forgives us, accepts us into His family, and assures us of heaven, but He doesn’t remove the scars for our body, pay our gambling debts, etc.

I rejoiced that this young man trusted Christ as his Savior, but my heart was grieved to think about the pain he and his family are experiencing. However, I was blessed, and I am hopeful, because his story reminded me of mine. I know from experience what God can do. He can turn defeat into victory. Out of the ash-heap of sinful failure, God can bring forth beauty and blessings beyond what we can imagine. When we parted ways, I left with the prayer that God will do for him what He did for me.

I don’t know who might be reading this–you might have fallen or you might be the victim of someone else’s sin, but in the Lord there is hope for you! That hope, however, isn’t found in trying to bargain with God –” I will- – – if you – – -“. It’s one thing to say, Lord if you put my marriage back together I will serve you the rest of my life”, and another to say, “Lord, I love you, trust you, and will serve you the rest of my life–regardless of what happens”. The latter gives us the best chance for success. I don’t know for certain that this man’s marriage will be restored, or that your problem will be solved, but I do know this–you ought to serve God regardless of the cost, circumstances or consequences. Think about it!

Just like people, every church is different, and in some regards that is just fine. However, there are certain things that should characterize every church. There are certain doctrines that must be believed. These truths are set forth in what is commonly called the “Articles of Faith”– a description of things believed regarding major doctrines.

The problem is that many people have never studied these doctrines. Even worse is that some preachers have never taught them. And they see no need in doing so. That leads to serious problems –problems that are very obvious to the close observer. For example, they sing “It’s all about you Jesus”, when in reality it’s all about them. They are more interested in their feelings than they are in the fundamentals of the faith. The songs they sing are selected on the basis of how it excites them emotionally, rather than what they say about the person and work of Christ. Some are admittedly bored with the grand old hymns of yesteryear. The “preaching” they enjoy is not that where the Word of God is faithfully expounded. They want to be entertained, not enlightened. Even when the Bible is mentioned they pay no mind as to what version is used. They have no idea why one version is better than another– and they don’t care. Their concern is not for what is right or best, but for what is most pleasing to them. While they won’t admit it, everything else is secondary to that.

Even those who are involved in “Christian service” or church related activities are not exempt. They will do a lot of good things if it gains them pleasure or popularity. They love the limelight and will do almost anything to get attention. They give no consideration to why they do what they do other than that. But, motives matter to God. Some people will travel around the world and even subject themselves to hardships to get what they crave, yet they never lift a finger to help a neighbor in need. Some teach Sunday School because they love to teach, not because they love those they teach. Motive matters. If your motive is wrong all you do is wrong. If it’s not for the glory of God and the good of others you’re doing it for the wrong reason.

Most of all, truth matters! Having a good motive and being sincere is not enough. We need to know the truth, love the truth, and obey the truth. It is the truth of God’s Word by which we all shall be judged. I realize that this brief message is not going to change everyone who reads it, nor wake up every liberal preacher, nor shut down every cult that is called a church. I simply pray that that it will provide some food for thought and encourage someone, anyone, to set out in pursuit of the truth. The Bible is the only sure guide and only true churches can be said to be “the pillar and ground of the truth”(1 Tim. 3:15). Only true churches are endowed with authority and endued with the power of God’s Spirit to carry out God’s plan. Don’t be deceived by imitations. Counterfeits might look good, but they will get you in trouble. It’s the truth. Think about it!