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By Derward Poole

In a little cemetery at Cane Ridge, Kentucky, one grave stands out from the rest. On its tombstone are the words: “Barton W. Stone … Minister of the Gospel of Christ and Distinguished Reformer of the Nineteenth Century.” Stone was a leader in the great 1801 Cane Ridge Revival---over 20,000 attended---that led to the first Christian churches of Kentucky.

In Romans 1:8, Paul says, “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, because your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world.” When he wrote to the Romans, he, too, paid tribute to their faithful Christian service. In thinking about it during these days, the word success is used once. The word faithful is used 83 times. It seems that there is less emphasis on success than on the faithful performance of Christian service. In the parable of the talents (matthew 25:14-30), the slaves who had earned five and two talents, respectively, received the same commendation: “Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master.”

How will we like to be remembered? Whether you are a famous leader or an uncelebrated servant, there is no greater tribute than for God to say, ‘Well done, good and faithful child of God.” Let us thank the Lord for the faithful believers who have gone before us and let us be found faithful.

By Patrick Mulvehill

Oh, how He loves you,

Oh, how He loves me,

Oh, how He loves you and me.

It is such a simple truth, but one that we need to be reminded of so often. Jesus loves us! And it isn’t the superficial kind of love that only cares about how you are doing when bumping into you on the street, but it’s the “not forgetting your birthday” kind of love! The kind of love that knows you better than you know yourself. The kind of love that gives and then keeps on giving with no thought of getting anything back in return. The kind of love that sings along with you even though you sound like a dying cow in a rainstorm and never says a word about how bad it really sounds. The kind of love that doesn’t know that meaning of giving up. The kind of love that you feel even when you are miles apart. The kind of love that laughs when you laugh and cries when you cry, that seeks the best for you even when you don’t know what the best is yourself. That is a powerful kind of love. And if that weren’t enough, that same love made the ultimate sacrifice for you so that you could live enterally with Him.

“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.” (1 John 4:9)

He gave His life, what more could He give;

Oh, how He loves you,

Oh, how He loves me,

Oh, how He loves you and me.