"Salvation is of the LORD." -Jonah 2:9

Amazing love, how rich and free, That God would pour His grace on me; Forgive all my iniquity, And save my soul eternally. Behold His matchless sovereign grace, He sent His Son to take my place; To bear my sin and then to die, The law’s demands to satisfy. Amazing love, how can it be, That Christ would die on Calvary? ‘Twas by that death He ransomed me, From condemnation I am free. Redeeming love surpasses thought, O what a work my Savior wrought; He drank the cup of vengeance dry, To save my soul and justify. Amazing love remains my theme, For in that bloody, crimson stream, All of my sins were washed away, Christ Jesus died my debt to pay. Redeeming love will be my song, When I shall join the heav’nly throng: Then gathered round His throne above, We’ll sing of His amazing love. Tune: “ Sweet Hour of Prayer ,” p. 361 (LM/DOUBLE) Words by preacher Jim Byrd

“ He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of His people shall He take away from off all the earth: for the L ORD ha th spoken it” (Isaiah 25:8). Notice the expression, “ swallow up” ; it means to destroy or to do away with. According to this scripture, there is coming a time when death will be lost to sight.  It will be as though it had never existed. Yet there are many who are uncomfortable with the thought of it. The comedian, Woody Allen, spoke for many of us when he quipped, “I’m not afraid of death I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” But there’s coming a time when death will not have a trace remaining—there will be no sign left that there ever was such a thing! The Lord promises His people, “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be your plagues; O grave, I will be your destruction” (Hosea 13:14). Take it from the Lord Himself, death

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us." - II C ORINTHIANS 4:7 [KJV] Be not surprised if you feel that in yourself you are but an earthen vessel; if you are made deeply and daily sensible unto what a frail body God has communicated light and life. Be not surprised if your clay house is often tottering; if sickness sometimes assails your mortal tabernacle; if in your flesh there dwelleth no good thing; if your soul often cleaves to the dust; and if you are unable to retain a sweet sense of God's goodness and love. Be not surprised nor startled at the corruptions of your depraved nature; at the depth of sin in your carnal mind; at the vile abominations which lurk and work in your deceitful and desperately wicked heart. Bear in mind that it is the will of God that this heavenly treasure which makes you rich for eternity should be lodged in an earthen vessel. We are to carry about