View source for The most potent force

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<p> <strong>The most potent force for the product of virtue!</strong><br>
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        "The hope which is reserved for you in Heaven." Colossians 1:5 <br>
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        Our hope in Christ for the <em>future</em>, is the mainspring and the mainstay of our joy here on <em>earth</em>.<br><br> It will animate our hearts to think often of Heaven—for all that we can desire is promised there. Here on earth—we are weary and toil-worn; but yonder is the land of rest—where the sweat of labour shall no more bedew the worker's brow, and fatigue shall be forever banished. <br>
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        To those who are weary and woe-worn, the word "rest" is full of Heaven. We are always in the field of <em>battle</em>; we are so <em>tempted </em>within, and so<em>molested </em>by foes without—that we have little or no peace!<br><br> But in Heaven we shall enjoy the victory, when the banner shall be waved aloft in triumph, and the sword shall be forever sheathed, and we shall hear our Captain say, "Well done, good and faithful servant! Enter into the joy of your Lord!" <br>
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        We have suffered bereavement after bereavement—but we are going to the<em> land of the immortal,</em> where graves are unknown things. Here on earth, sin is a constant grief to us—but there we shall be perfectly holy, for nothing which defiles shall enter into that pure kingdom! Hemlock does not spring up in the furrows of celestial fields. <br>
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        Oh! is it not joy, that you are not to be in a state of <em>banishment </em>forever—that you are not to dwell eternally in this <em>wilderness</em>—but shall soon inherit everlasting glory!<br><br>
        Nevertheless let it never be said of us, that we are <em>dreaming about the future</em>—and<em> forgetting the present.</em> Let the future <em>sanctify </em>the present to highest uses. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, <strong>the hope of Heaven</strong> is <strong>the most potent force for the product of virtue!</strong><br><br> It is a <em>fountain of joyous effort</em>, it is the corner stone of <em>cheerful holiness.</em> The man who has this hope in him—goes about his <em>work </em>with vigour, for the joy of the Lord is his strength. He fights against <em>temptation </em>with ardour, for the hope of the next world repels the fiery darts of the adversary.<br><br> He can labour without present reward, "for here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come!" Hebrews 13:1
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