Watson

A REAL KEEPSAKE

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I have in my possession a fascinating piece of metal! It’s actually a bracelet made from the fuselage of a Japanese bomber shot down in the Northern Pacific, the Marshall Islands to be specific. This belonged to my Great Aunt Alma Murphy. It was given to her by her husband, my Great Uncle Carl Murphy, who served in the United States Navy during WWII. This is a real keepsake:

  • On the outside, using some kind of a tool, there’s a heart embossed in the center with the word “Love” in the middle of the heart.
  • At the bottom of it the name “Alma” appears — that’s my Aunt Alma.
  • Then, across the front, on either side of the heart, are the words “Marshall Islands.”
  • The inside is painted red — probably the original paint on the fuselage. Embossed inside are the words Jap Bomber.
  • Every time I look at this bracelet
  • I’m reminded of Uncle Carl and Aunt Alma.
  • It reminds me of the love Uncle Carl had for her.
  • Every time I look at this bracelet, I begin reminiscing about all the fun we had as kids with them — and other family on the holidays.

You see, this bracelet is a symbol, a reminder of so many wonderful things connected with Uncle Carl and Aunt Alma.

This is what the Communion elements are meant for: they are reminders, symbols of Christ’s love for us, demonstrated on Calvary’s cross!

“Right reception of the Lord’s Supper has a sanctifying effect on the soul. The bread and wine remind us how great is our debt of gratitude to our Lord, and how thoroughly we are bound to live for Him who died for our sins. They seem to say to us, ‘Remember what Christ has done.’” J.C. Ryle (1816-1900)

“It was wonderful love that Christ should rather die for us than for the angels that fell. They were creatures of a more noble extract, and in all probability might have brought greater revenues of glory to God; yet that Christ should pass by those golden vessels and make us clods of earth into stars of glory — Oh, the hyperbole Of Christ’s love!” Thomas Watson (1620-1686)

The next time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, let’s ponder deeply the meaning of these simple-yet-profound symbols, the bread and the cup — effective reminders of the ultimate sacrifice: Christ’s forfeiting of His life in exchange for ours.

“He [God the Father] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (II Corinthians 5:21).

Prayer and Teaching of James

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James 5:13-18 (NLT)
Are any among you suffering? They should keep on praying about it. And those who have reason to be thankful should continually sing praises to the Lord. Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. And their prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make them well. And anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for the next three and a half years! Then he prayed for rain, and down it poured. The grass turned green, and the crops began to grow again.

A Theme to Remember:
The records of prayer’s achievements are encouraging to faith, cheering to the expectations of saints, and an inspiration to all who would pray and test its value. Prayer is no mere untried theory. It is not some strange unique scheme, concocted in the brains of people, and set on foot by them, an invention which has never been tried nor put to the test. Prayer is a Divine arrangement in the moral government of God, designed for the benefit of all and intended as a means for furthering the interests of His cause on earth, and carrying out His gracious purposes in redemption and providence. (Adapted from E.M. Bounds, The Necessity of Prayer)

Words to Remember:
Prayer is the golden key that opens heaven.
–Thomas Watson

A Prayer for Mercy

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Lamentations 5:1-3 (ESV)
Remember, O LORD, what has befallen us; look, and see our disgrace! Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our homes to foreigners. We have become orphans, fatherless; our mothers are like widow

A Theme to Remember:
Sin has consequences; dire consequences. The effect may not be felt today, tomorrow, or in the near future, but we can be certain that unless we repent and stop rebelling from God’s laws we will surely suffer the penalty we justly deserve.

Words to Remember:
Mercy is not for them that sin and fear not, but for them that fear and sin not.
–Thomas Watson

A Prayer of Praise

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1 Chronicles 29:10-19 (ESV)
Therefore David blessed the LORD in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: “Blessed are you, O LORD, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name. But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you. For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding. O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own. I know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you. O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you. Grant to Solomon my son a whole heart that he may keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes, performing all, and that he may build the palace for which I have made provision.”

A Theme to Remember:
David beautifully contrasts the transience of human lives with the eternal glory of God, the Alpha and the Omega. In turn, the allusion to Israel’s relationship with the Lord compares and models the believer’s redemptive bond with the Savior.

Words to Remember:
Praising God is one of the highest and purest acts of religion. In prayer we act like men; in praise we act like angels.
–Thomas Watson