Jacobs Thoughts and Doings

We have been feasting on the great corn this year.  These are from the Stahl farm, near Landis Homes-  Sweeter than ever!  Wonderful crop this year.  Plenty of regular rain.

John Bucher’s Funeral.

Yesterday John Bucher, the last of the 4 Bucher children, was buried.  He was Anna Lois Charles’ brother.  I was not able to attend the funeral held at Landis Homes but Anna Ruth and Twila, who is here, were.  Families were well represented, I understand.  That Bucher family is a study – all of the children embraced the Lord and contributed to the Mennonite Church.  I have thought about their story quite a lot. God is good, that is for sure.  From what I learned I would have guessed that the children would have a negative view of Christianity.  Never!  They all remained committed Christians and stayed within that Mennonite orbit, even though they were born and raised in the Mennonite Church in York County. A great story of redemption, if I may say so.  Twila is still with us, working on some things like shortening my best pants!  She does well!

Jane still in Pittsburg with Dani.

Jane is now in Pittsburgh where Dani will be working beginning later this year.  All that Dani has left to do on her return to Australia is to go to the Embassy in Sydney to finalize leaving Australia.  Date uncertain but the way seems to be clear.

Jane returns here on Thursday, tomorrow.

Friday Appointment

Then on Friday we have an appointment scheduled with the people at Hershey Medical that deal with skin issues. The troubled area is on my head that was the object of 22 cancer treatments several years back.  That area is now crying for attention!

Phil and Linda are in the area for John’s funeral.  We hope to visit today.  Linda is dealing with a shingle issue.  We will learn more.

Enough for now.  God is good and his mercies endure forever.

For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.

Revelation 12:10

I consider the great facts of my salvation much too little.  It all begins with the victory Jesus Christ had in his death, resurrection and now reigning on high, for all and for us.  That is such a huge reality that it is hard to imagine the extent of its meaning.

The revelation opens with Satan gaining power in the heavenlies and on the earth. What can possibly stop him?  Jesus Christ did!  Jesus’ sacrifice and all that he accomplished pushed Satan right out of heaven, where he had accused the brethren before God, day and night.  Where is Satan now?  He is no longer welcome in heaven.  He can no longer stand before God and accuse us, sinners, of unfaithfulness. He is cast out.  So, he is alive outside of heaven, with no access to heaven at all, not even to accuse sinners of the fact that they are sinners. That is you and me!

The wonderful revelation is now open – God, the Father, the Son and The Holy Spirit have defeated Satan and he was cast out of heaven completely.

Of course, Satan can accuse the brothers and sisters here, but we now have an Advocate before the Father who pleads our case as we trust all on Christ.  All heaven comes to our side as we resist Satan who wants to steal us from the hands of our Lord.

I begin this day with the firm assurance that no matter what the Father of Lies might bring up, Jesus is stronger, by far, than all!

This is the week that we can expect the orange milkweed beetle at our milkweed stalks.  We have but a few milkweed but this bug finds them!  I am hugely impressed with the beauty of this beetle.  The orange and black contrast amazingly.

There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

Revelation 22:5

No more night!  So, no lamps will be needed!  Constant light!  That is our destiny.  Now we experience day and night as the earth spins on its axis. Our night is what happens when the earth spins.  Day and night – day and night – so it goes.  That will come to an end so light can be the reality all the time!

In this new world that awaits us there will be no need for lamps for the light is constant, never wavering. So, what is the source of the light?  God!  The Lord God will give them light.   It all radiates from God.  We will be in the presence of the eternal Lord.  His light will shine on us forever.

As the light of God gives us light, the Lord gives us a new context in which to experience light without darkness at all.  The Bible says that we shall reign!  Earthly life is one of being battered and bewildered, perhaps.  Our new life will be lived like a king!  That is a stretch, not?  Here kings reign over us.  In glory we shall reign!  Forever and ever.

It is on this note, this promise, that the Revelation resounds.  Friend, that is our eternal life, our future!  Let us embrace all that there is in that!

For the past few years we have enjoyed a good time in an August Sunday setting, time for sharing and eating together, held at the Church of the Nazarene here on Route 23.  This year, yesterday, over 50 attended.  The Nafzigers host the event!  That is appreciated by all.

We are a very mixed group but quite fond of one another.  It seems like we represent a cross section of believers here.  No blacks, however, because none live in our area just now. Denominations include several Protestant groups, Amish, Eastern Orthodox, Mennonite, Charity, plus others.  A great time for us to share and feel that the people in our community are taking their part in making this a better place to live and worship.  They also assist in overseas ministries.

We have been meeting yearly for some time now – each time getting to know one another better.

Some from this group help out with community carol singing at Christmas.

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.  Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Hebrews 4:14, 16

Jesus is now in heaven and with us by faith here and now – closer than our breathing.  Our High Priest, Jesus, is in glory.  Yet, amazingly, he is with us!  This describes the relationship we have with Jesus Christ as we truly believe and place our faith entirely on Him!

In Christ we are aware of our weaknesses.  This does not hinder our moving close to Him but, on the contrary, is the door to that!  So, in a sense it is our weakness that is the key to the entry of God into our lives.  I find it marvelous that what I want to rid my life of is the very thing that enables God to live with me and I him.

So, we approach God with our weakness, not in our inherent strengths that are not worth much but in happy realization that without Jesus I can do nothing of worth to the Father. So, I rely on Him entirely.  That is the secret of walking in newness of life in Christ.

As I begin this week, I ask you to join me in finding our rest in Jesus alone!

For the past several Augusts we have had a common picnic at the Assemblies Church here.  This evening 50 or more attended – wonderful time to share, from Amish to people like us and from the other churches.  Wonderful time of informal sharing.

I was impressed with the cycles our sunflowers went through, now near Fall.  I was impressed at this beauty when it was in hearty, colorful bloom.  The beauty was startlingly showy, perfect in flower. Then the insects came, including bees and birds like the canaries added to the life around the flowers.  Then the weeks when squirrels and other things lived on what the flower was able to provide.  In a way, it was a new birth.  The last to feed were smart golf finches.

Thank you, dear flower.  You did actually what was expected and more!  Thank you for adding life and beauty to fish ponds and to us!!

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

Ephesians 2:4, 5

Sunday morning.  First we are reminded of who we are in Christ.  We were dead in sins, now saved by the Blood of Jesus and living for Him.  We could have never come up with this marvelous grace, it is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit of God.  But is the most real thing we can experience!

What kind of God is this who saves us in this precious way?  It is the God who is rich in mercy!  He made us alive with Christ!  Can there be a more wonderful and life-changing revelation?  Hardly.  We are startled by the revelation – I am saved because Jesus died and rose for me, it is by that grace I have been saved, the same as all who come to God in the way of Christ.

Praise him now and always.

Sunday morning is when Anna Ruth and I, after our toast and coffee, join hearts in prayer.  We have developed a routine of using Sunday morning to pray for our extended family.  It is a bit shorter this morning as we celebrate the passing of John Bucher, the last remaining of the four Buchers.   Raymond’s wife was in that family.  Of course, John and Mildred had a family, all active and precious.  We praise God for this heritage.

We pray for all our close relatives, especially those in our own immediate family.  That is one of the joys and challenges that we have.  We know how to pray for our saved descendants, we are stretched a bit to cover all, however.  Each is precious, and each is eternal.  Lord, we pray for them all!