My Mother

Your love, I know--I've seen your tears; You've given to me my life. You've walked through hours and days and years Of heartache, toil and strife. To see that I could have the best That you could give to me, You gave up needs and often rest-- You viewed eternity. To do His will my highest call And by your special care I stood and walked and did not fall, You held me up in prayer. Though strands of gray may brush your hair, And miles divide our way, I know that by your quiet prayer You've helped me day by day. You've shown me how to give, to share To put my own needs last. You've helped me see and be aware That life is so soon past. To spite your love I would not dare, For there's not another Who spreads her gentle love and care Like you--My Loving Mother.

Are You Sure You Are Saved?

Many people go through life unconcerned about eternity, assuming that they and most everyone else will just automatically be saved at the end of time. But we can learn the truth of this lesson from Jesus. Someone once put this question to him: "Lord, are they few that are saved?" (Luke 13:23) He answered in part: "Strive to enter in by the narrow door, for many, I say unto you shall seek to enter in, and shall not be able" (Luke 13:24).

A sad scene of Judgement Day is presented to us by Jesus in Matthew 7:22-23. He tells us: "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works? And then I will profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

It would be horrible to be lost and to know that you're lost, but it seems even a worse tragedy to go through life thinking you are saved when actually you are lost. That's the situation with these people Jesus mentions. They had the marks of being religious, and they expected to go to heaven. But they were woefully mistaken, and they discovered it too late.

For this reason the Bible urges us: "Try your own selves, whether ye are in the faith; prove your own selves" (2 Corinthians 13:5). This can only be done by diligently studying God's word and comparing our lives with what the Bible tells us to be and do. All of us who expect to be with the Lord in eternity must take this admonition seriously. It might be that we have only thought we are saved when actually we are lost.

Our hearts go out in sympathy to Marie Howard and her family and friends in the death of her father, George Willis, this past Thursday. Funeral services were yesterday at Kersey's.

Opinion Poll

As the elders prepare to hire a new preacher for the congregation here at Orange Street, they have asked that you let them know your thoughts on those that applied for the position. In the order they tried out- they were:

• Terry Hightower
• Larry Van Steenberg
• ////// /////// (name not published by request)
• Ted Horn
• Garry Martin
• ///// /////// (name not published by request)

On The Bulletin Board

There is a letter and a picture posted on the bulletin board in the foyer, from Don and Vanessa Powell. Please take a minute to stop and see what the Powells have to say about Cliff's accident and be sure to keep them in your daily prayers.