"I am persuaded that neither death nor life … nor things present … shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Rom. 8:38.
"All things are, yours, whether … life or death, or things present … and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's." 1 Cor. 3:22.
"Neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us." - Num. 14:9.
I know the future all is bright,
The Cross has made my heaven secure;
The blood of Christ, on Calvary shed,
Has made my peace divinely sure.
I know none dare to separate
The Saviour and the sinner - when
His blood has rolled its crimson flood
Over the guilty souls of men.
But though my future thus is bright,
When sin and death shall all be o'er;
Over the present hangs a cloud,
Though sunshine sleeps on yonder shore.
Until I fully grasp that word
Which in my soul its music rings;
"Nothing can part us from God's love -
The future nor the present things."
"Nor present things" - the daily life,
With all its small ten-thousand needs,
Can't separate us from the One
Who e'en the sparrow daily feeds.
"Nor present things" - the little cares
Which daily, hourly, constant rise,
Like some dark cloud which, stretching o'er,
Blots out the sunshine of the skies.
"Nor present things" - the woes which sweep
Like floods upon the lower land,
Which often seem so dark and deep,
We fail to recognise God's hand.
"Nor present things" - the wildest storm
But rushes on our outer life,
And cannot reach its inner depths -
Oft calmest in the midst of strife.
They "cannot separate;" they only prove
The channels for those streams of love,
And grace, and tenderness, - which all our need
Is hourly drawing from above!
They "cannot separate;" they only make
Us nearer, closer still to cling;
Our very weakness is our plea
To bind us to our strength in Him!
They "cannot separate;" they only bring
Him nearer, closer, to us here -
His love, to meet our daily needs;
His sympathy, our hearts to cheer.
They "cannot separate;" they'll soon be o'er,
And we, redeemed, with those above
Will say, while gazing on the past
"'Twas there we learned His heart of love!"
A. S. Oliphant.
It is of all importance that we should hold in check the movements of nature. We should do it if we saw God before us; we should certainly do it in the presence of a man whom we wished to please. Now God is always present; therefore, to fail in this calmness and moderation (James 5:12) is a proof that we have forgotten the presence of God.