December 10

Morning

After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. — 1 Thess 4:17 BSB

Even the sweetest visits from Christ are so brief and fleeting. One moment, our eyes behold Him, and we are filled with unspeakable joy and glory. But soon, He seems to withdraw, like a swift deer leaping over the mountains of separation. He is gone, feeding no longer among the lilies, but retreating to the land of spices.

“If today He deigns to bless us
With a sense of pardoned sin,
He tomorrow may distress us,
Make us feel the plague within.”

Oh, how sweet it is to look forward to the day when we shall not see Him from a distance but face to face; when He will no longer be like a guest who stays for only a night, but will forever embrace us in His glory. We won’t see Him for just a short season, but:

“Millions of years our wondering eyes,
Shall o’er our Savior’s beauties rove;
And myriad ages we’ll adore,
The wonders of His love.”

In heaven, there will be no interruptions from care or sin; no tears will dim our eyes, no earthly concerns will distract our holy thoughts! Nothing will keep us from gazing endlessly at the Sun of Righteousness with undimmed eyes. Oh, if it is so sweet to catch a glimpse of Him now and then, how much sweeter it will be to gaze upon that blessed face forever without any clouds coming between, without ever having to turn our gaze back to this world of weariness and woe!

If death is merely the doorway into uninterrupted communion with Jesus, then death is truly gain, and the bitterness of it is swallowed up in a sea of victory!

Evening

Among those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. — Acts 16:14 BSB

Lydia’s conversion offers several important lessons. It was brought about by providential circumstances. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, but just at the right time to hear Paul preach, she was found in Philippi. Providence, the servant of grace, led her to the perfect place. Moreover, grace was at work in her heart, preparing her for the blessing—grace preparing her for more grace. Though she didn’t yet know the Savior, as a Jewess she had learned many truths that would serve as stepping stones to her eventual knowledge of Jesus.

Her conversion took place during the means of grace. On the Sabbath, she went where prayer was customarily made, and there her prayer was answered. Never neglect the means of grace—while God may bless us outside of His house, we have even greater reason to hope that He will bless us while we are in fellowship with His saints.

Notice the phrase, “Whose heart the Lord opened.” Lydia didn’t open her own heart. Her prayers didn’t open it. Paul didn’t open it. The Lord alone must open the heart to receive the things that lead to eternal peace. Only He can insert the key into the lock and open the door to enter. He is the Master of the heart, just as He is its Creator.

The first outward sign of Lydia’s opened heart was obedience. As soon as she believed in Jesus, she was baptized. It’s a sweet sign of a humble and broken heart when a child of God is eager to obey a command that isn’t necessary for salvation but is an act of simple obedience and communion with Christ.

The next sign was love, expressed in acts of gratitude and kindness toward the apostles. Love for fellow believers has always been a mark of true conversion. Those who do nothing for Christ or His church show poor evidence of an “opened heart.” Lord, grant me an opened heart always!