31 MARTHA’S SABBATH LESSONS Eternal perspective February 5, 1899 Scripture: Psalm 23:6 “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Martha’s Thoughts: “The first part of this Psalm tells us what God does for us in life. Then what he does for us in death—then what he does for us in eternity. The heavenly messengers sent out who they are— goodness and mercy. He provides goodness to supply every want and mercy to pardon and save us. Sometimes as Christians we do things that dishonors God and is hurtful to ourselves and to others. God sends a missionary—or a Bible or a sermon or a letter and brings us back. Sometimes when we look back over our past lives we see much wrong doings so many mistakes we feel discouraged and feel that there is not any hope for us, but God in His goodness and mercy comes behind to gather up our shortcomings and casts them forever behind his back. Life portrayed in this Psalm is full of change—as life really is in this world. This life is the vestibule or the robing room for eternity. Christ provides a home for us where we shall dwell forever. What an attraction and magic there is in the word home. The love of home brings back the wander [sic] from the ends of the earth. Home is where our loved one are—hence heaven is our home where shall meet our loved ones and will be with them forever more. The thought is we shall have as much freedom in the presence of God in heaven as we do in the presence of our earthly father here. If the paradise of the past is lost—the paradise of the future is awaiting us. Let us not think too much of our separations but more of our reunion. As long as day light lingers we only see the landscape & the scenery of earth, but when darkness settles over the earth what a revelation—the whole great universe is opened up before us. As long as we live in the world we only see those of our friends upon this side—but when death settles upon us how different we see heaven—& Christ and our dear departed friends and the angels.” Remember: “If the paradise of the past is lost—the paradise of the future is awaiting us.” Submitted by: Grace E. Kohler
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