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Listen while you read: "Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing"1 (Lyrics) |
Psalm 127:3 – Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. (NIV 2011)
Romans 8:14 – For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. (NIV 2011)
My wife and I recently purchased a condominium in Victoria on Canada's Vancouver Island, and we intend to move there shortly. The woman from whom we purchased the condominium was a widow. She was dying, and she wanted to sell her home to save her family from having to deal with it as part of the probate.
After the sale closed and we took possession of our new condominium, there were several admail envelopes from various charitable organizations in the mailbox addressed to the previous owner. In attempting to contact a member of her family to pass on the mail, we learned that she had died. We were able to find her obituary and to read that she was a Christian woman, who was loved by her family and friends, and who helped many in her community.
But now I had a dilemma: what was to be done with the admail? Feeling guilty about simply tossing the admail in the recycling bin, I wrote "Return to Sender — Deceased" on the envelopes and placed them in a mailbox. Hopefully, this would alert the charities and stop the cycle of receiving more admail.
The act of writing "Return to Sender" made me think of the woman in her new home, a spiritual home with our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. I imagined that her immortal soul had been stamped "Return to Sender".
John 14:3 – And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (NIV 2011)
Jesus came into this world so that we all may be saved through His giving His life for our sins! We need simply to receive Jesus as our Lord and Saviour and to believe that by the grace of God, we, too, are saved. By believing in Him and following His path, our souls, too, are stamped "Return to Sender", our heavenly Father.
Prayer: Loving God, may we not forget that we are Your children and that You love us. We thank You that You have given us Your Son and that He has prepared a place for all who believe in Him to spend eternity with Him. By Your grace and through our faith, we thank You that we, too, will be stamped "Return to Sender". Amen.
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Amen, Peter.
Thanks, Peter. What a great way to describe our going home.
Thank you for these thoughts. Well written. Enjoy your new home in a beautiful area.
Thank you for that comforting Devotional. God bless you.
(Ontario)
Thank you, Peter, for contributing a thoughtful and meaningful devotion.
(Texas)
Thank you for these words. I will be giving them to others, whom I think can take comfort in them. God Bless you.
What a heartfelt, helpful devotional you have written here, Peter. May you write many, many more so straightforward and moving.
Amen Peter, great analogy. I pray you and your wife have many long and happy years in your new home in Victoria. Such a beautiful city.
Blessings.
Hello Peter
I hope you and Kate are doing fineWe enjoyed this devotional a lot. It was a pleasant surprise to see that you had written it.
You’re so fortunate to have your spouse. I’m widowed but not old. I miss him so much. To read of couples such, as yourself and others in my family, make me happy for you. Enjoy your relationship. I miss mine.
It is really hard to stop that charity mail, even if alive. I think the post office will just throw them out but good try.
Good analogy. God Bless.
(ON)
Thanks, Peter, for your encouraging devotional today! What a wonderful analogy of ‘Return to Sender’ for the admail and of course a believer’s destination at death! I’m so thankful that our Lord had come to earth and returned to heaven to prepare a place for us!
Thanks be to God!
Greetings Peter,
Thank you for writing this devotional and expressing a very poignant message in a beautiful analogy of “Return to Sender”. Yes, the Lord creates us and then, through our faith and belief in Him, we return to the eternal dwelling place He has for us.
Blessings and may all go well in your move and adjusting to your new location.
(B.C.)
Your devotional reminded me of selling my last home to people who were to me perfect family and Christians who could enjoy my home. I can drive by this home and see two trees I had planted in memory of two children I had lost, and they agreed to leave them as they were miniatures.
You are, I think, the perfect people to enjoy this condo and I am sure she was at peace selling to you.
Enjoy this home and what was, is no longer. Marking her generosity reminder mailings ‘return to sender- deceased’ is correct and helpful to the charities involved. One day we hope the doors in heaven will be open to receive us after our work here has been done.
Well done.
What a lovely story and interpretation.
Thank you.
Dear Peter Morrison,
Thank you for a very fine Gospel devotional.
The good news of salvation in Jesus Christ is very clear for our readers.
Keep writing.