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_______________________________________ "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matt 6:21 ________________________________________  A Greater Treasure A medical doctor recently said that socialistic healthcare is inevitable. His rationale was a simple deduction, "People are too scared to die; they will therefore spend every cent of other people's money in order to stay alive." This quote is not only insightful for our present political direction, it is also expressive of what characterizes an earthly minded person. Christians are supposed to be heavenly minded people. Their treasure is in heaven and their hearts are knit to that place where God resides. As such, the Christian's mind should generally turn towards heaven. He will regularly reminisce upon its nature, excellence, glory, and blessedness. His mind will naturally flit there. It is a subject that fills him with wonder, sparks his curiosity, and inflames his heart's desires. Thus, the idea of death is radically different for us than it is for our current culture. We do not scrape and claw with every ounce of our energy (and every penny of our neighbor) to to maintain our mortal existence. We are well prepared to die and let nature take its course. Unlike the unbeliever, we happily leave an inheritance to our children's children. Doctors and hospitals do not need to eat up our life savings, for we have a greater treasure to inherit in the world to come. While a Christian will not ever think to speed death along, he does have a healthy anticipation of it. For to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Or, in the words of the 19th c. English preacher, John Angell James, He would instantly dissolve his ties with earth and, leaving his family and connections, fly the next moment to his eternal home. He is willing to wait as long as it is His heavenly Father's will to detain him upon earth, but he is willing to leave all and go to God whenever it is judged proper by Him to decide that he should go up to the mount and die. In the advent season, our minds may all the more be raptured and caught up into the skies. We will likely think of his second coming and how our lives will be radically changed when he parts the clouds:
There will always be those who see death as a curse to be avoided. However, we as Christians have a different attitude. For those of us in Christ, death truly comes a blessing. When this mortal life is done, we shall die to sin and revel in the riches of heaven.  Jolly Ol' Christmas Time Join us this Friday December 13 @ 7pm at Hedstrom for a joyous time of fellowship. You'll have a merry time of song, music, Scripture, & entertainment. Families may bring a finger food / appetizer to share afterwards if able.  Baptism & New Member Reception This Lord's Day we will have the blessed opportunity to receive the Keener family into membership. Josiah Ott will also be making his formal profession of faith and will be baptized during the service. 
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HOPEWELL CHURCHA Reformed and family integrated Church in Ashland, Ohio. Come & Worship
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