June Devotional: "a life in which the longings of the heart are satisfied."

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

I Peter 1:3-5

Come closer, weary one, and draw near,

Sink down under the shadow of My wings.

Seek refuge in Your Lord and Maker,

Trust, hide, and rest; let your heart gently sing.

I will be your peace, so you may be secure,

Forgiven and cleansed, restored by My shed blood.

I will be your hope, with a never-ending future,

Lift your head and look up, unto Heaven above.

O, come, draw near, I am your haven and home,

I am with you always; you are never alone.

 Let Me cover you with My merciful grace,

Bestowed upon you without measure.

Abide in my presence ‘til the eternal dawn breaks,

When I gather you to Myself, for forever.

C.A. TAYLOR

For Forever

There is something waiting for us here of which we may say, as of the living hope, that the very sound of it is refreshing: ’an inheritance, incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away.’ The refreshing element belongs to the contrast between this and the things to which we are most accustomed. With our regeneration we become heirs to a glorious spiritual estate, with all its inexhaustible possessions and treasures. How the Apostles roll out the New Testament music by ringing the changes upon this eagerly welcomed word! ‘Heirs of salvation!’ ‘Heirs of the kingdom!’ ‘Heirs together of the grace of life!’ ‘Heirs according to the hope of eternal life!’ The Apostles survey their estate from different angles, that they may comprehend the wealth of the vast inheritance. With what fruitful words does the Apostle Peter characterize the nature of the inheritance. It is an inheritance ‘incorruptible.’ It is beyond the reach of death. No grave is ever dug on this estate. It is an inheritance ‘undefiled.’ It is beyond the taint of sin. No contamination ever stains its driven snow. It is an inheritance ‘that fadeth not away.’ It is beyond the blight of change. The leaf never turns. 'Time doth not breathe on its fadeless bloom.’ Into this glorious inheritance are we begotten again by the abundant mercy of God.

All that is pure and lovely on earth is the reflected image in the unstable element of time of the enduring realities of eternity—the calyx that contains within it the unopened blossom of eternity. And just as the calyx in plants is a transformed leaf, and the blossom a transformed calyx, so heaven is only earth transformed by Him who maketh all things new.

It is a life in which the longings of the heart are satisfied, and cherished hopes are translated into tasted experiences. In heaven, personal perfection is attained. They hunger no more, neither thirst any more. There is perfect satisfaction in the attainment of perfect conformity to the will of God. No distance there between what we longed to be and what we are; but the rest of perfect attainment.

And yet all this passes away before something greater. At length there is the perfect satisfaction of our craving for God. With unveiled face we see His face; with the ear that is opened to grasp His utterances and understand we hear the music of His voice. There we know at length what it is to enter into the fullness of union with Him, to find eternal rest and joy, reposing on the heart of God.

JAMES HASTINGS

The Speaker’s Bible -I Peter

What Bernard of Cluny saw, as he peered through the darkness, was heaven itself. He saw it in glorious colors, all golden, all joyous, with Christ and the holy angels, and filled with, holy men and women.

But what Bernard of Clairvaux saw was better still. It was the King of the fair, heavenly land. It was the dear Savior who died for us. What he saw was the Person of Jesus. He saw the head that was crowned with thorns, and the feet that were pierced with nails, and His hands and His side.

And each of them put what he saw into a hymn.

The poor monk who had only a cell to live in made the hymn we have so often sung:

Jerusalem the Golden!

With milk and honey blest:

Beneath Thy contemplation

Sink heart and voice oppressed.

I know not, oh, I know not,

What joys await us there,

What radiancy of glory,

What bliss beyond compare.

The rich Abbot of Clairvaux saw past that glory, and fixed his great heart on Jesus Himself:

Jesus, the very thought of Thee

With sweetness fills my breast;

But sweeter far Thy face to see,

And in Thy presence rest.

Nor voice can sing, nor heart can frame,

Nor can the memory find

A sweeter sound than Thy blest name,

O Savior of mankind!

A. MACLEOD

The Child Jesus