D.L. Moody - Heaven: Where It Is, Its Inhabitants, and How to Get There

The Home of the Soul

That unchangeable home is for you and for me,

Where Jesus of Nazareth stands;

The King of all kingdoms forever is He,

And He holdeth our crowns in His hands.

Oh, how sweet it will be in that beautiful land,

So free from all sorrow and pain;

With songs on our lips and with harps in our hands

To meet one another again.

A Little Way

A little way! I know it is not far

To that dear home where my beloved are;

And still my heart sits, like a bird, upon

The empty nest, and mourns its treasures gone,

Plumed for their flight,

And vanished quite.

Ah me! Where is the comfort? Though I say

They have but journeyed on a little way.

A little way! At times they seem so near,

Their voices even murmur in my ear,

To all my duties loving presence lend,

And with sweet ministry my steps attend.

Twas here we met and parted company;

Why should their gain be such a grief to me?

This sense of loss!

This heavy cross!

Dear Savior, take the burden off, I pray,

And show me heaven is buta little way.

A little way? The sentence I repeat.

Hoping and longing to extract some sweet

To mingle with the bitter; from Thy hand

I take the cup I cannot understand,

And in my weakness give myself to Thee.

Although it seems so very, very far

To that dear home where my beloved are,

I know, I know,

It is not so;

Oh, give me faith to believe it when I say

That they are gonegone but a little way.

Anon .

What! Almost Home?

What! almost home? Yes, almost home, she said,

And light seemed gleaming on her aged head.

Jesus is very precious! Those who near

Her bedside stood were thrilled those words to hear.

Toward His blest home I turn my willing feet;

Hinder me not; I go my Lord to meet.

Silence ensued. She seemed to pass away,

Serene and quiet as that summer day.

Speak, cried through tears her daughter, bending low,

One word, beloved mother, ere you go.

She spoke that word; the last she spoke on earth,

In whispering tonesthat word of wondrous worth:

JESUS! The sorrowing listeners caught the sound,

But angels heard it with a joy profound.

Back, at its mighty power, the gates unfold

The gates of pearl that guard the streets of gold.

The harpers with their harps took up the strain,

And sang the triumph of the Lord again,

As through the open portals entered in

Another soul redeemed from death and sin.

And as from earth the spirit passed away,

To dwell forever in the realms of day,

Those who were left to mourn could almost hear

The strains of heavenly music strike the ear.

And to their longing eyes by grace was given,

In such a scene, as twere, a glimpse of heaven.

Unknown

I Shine in the Light of God

I shine in the light of God;

His likeness stamps my brow;

Through the Valley of Death my feet have trod,

And I reign in glory now!

No breaking heart is here,

No keen and thrilling pain,

No wasted cheek where the frequent tear

Hath rolled and left its stain.

O friends of mortal years,

The trusted and the true,

Ye are watching still in the valley of tears,

But I wait to welcome you.

Do I forget? O no!

For memorys golden chain

Shall bind my heart to the hearts below

Till they meet to touch again.

Each link is strong and bright,

And loves electric flame

Flows freely down, like a river of light,

To the world from whence I came.

Do you mourn when another star

Shines out from the glittering sky?

Do you weep when the raging voice of war

And the storms of conflict die?

Then why should your tears run down,

And your hearts be sorely riven,

For another gem in the Saviors crown,

And another soul in heaven?

From an English Friend .

Jerusalem, My Home

Jerusalem, my Home,

Where shines the royal throne;

Each king casts down his golden crown

Before the Lamb thereon.

Thence flows the crystal river,

And flowing on forever,

With leaves and fruits on either hand,

The Tree of Life shall stand.

In blood-washed robes, all white and fair,

The Lamb shall lead His chosen there,

While clouds of incense fill the air

Jerusalem, my Home!

Jerusalem, my Home!

Where saints in glory reign,

Thy haven safe, O when shall I,

Poor, storm-tossed pilgrim, gain?

At distance dark and dreary,

With sin and sorrow weary,

For thee I toil, for thee I pray,

For thee I long alway.

And lo, mine eyes shall see thee, too;

Oh, rend in twain, thou veil of blue,

And let the Golden City through

Jerusalem, my Home!

Hopkins .

Not Here! Not Here!

Not here! Not here! Not where the sparkling waters

Fade into mocking sands as we draw near;

Where, in the wilderness, each footstep falters!

I shall be satisfied; but oh, not here!

There is a land where every pulse is thrilling

With rapture earths sojourners may not know,

Where heavens repose the weary heart is stilling,

And peacefully lifes storm-tossed currents flow.

Satisfied! Satisfied! The spirits yearning

For sweet companionship with kindred minds,

The silent love that here meets no returning,

The inspiration which no language finds.

I shall be satisfied. The souls vague longings,

The aching void which nothing earthly fills!

Oh! What desires upon my soul are thronging

As I look upward to the heavenly hills.

Thither my weak and weary steps are tending;

Savior and Lord, with thy frail child abide;

Guide me toward Home, where, all my wanderings ended,

I then shall see Thee , and be satisfied .

Anon .

Chapter 6

ITS REWARDS

Every man shall receive his own reward
according to his own labor. - 1 Cor. 3:8.

My reward is with Me, to give every man
according as his work shall be. - Rev. 22:12.

If I understand things correctly, whenever you find men or women who are looking to be rewarded here for doing right, they are unqualified to work for God; because if they are looking for the applause of men, looking for reward in this life, it will disqualify them for the service of God, because they are all the while compromising truth.

They are afraid of hurting some ones feelings. They are afraid that some one is going to say something against them, or there will be some newspaper articles written against them. Now, we must trample the world under our feet if we are going to get our reward hereafter. If we live for God we must suffer persecution. The kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light are at war, and have been, and will be as long as Satan is permitted to reign in this world. As long as the kingdom of darkness is permitted to exist, there will be a conflict, and if you want to be popular in the kingdom of God, if you want to be popular in heaven, and get a reward that shall last forever, you will have to be unpopular here.

If you seek the applause of men, you cant have the Lord say Well done at the end of the journey You cant have both. Why? Because this world is at war with God. This idea that the world is getting better all the while is false. The old natural heart is just as much at enmity with God as it was when Cain slew Abel. Sin leaped into the world full grown in Cain. And from the time that Cain was born into the world to the present, man by nature has been at war with God. This world was not established in grace, and we have to fight the world, the flesh and the devil; and if we fight the world, the world wont like us; and if we fight the flesh, the flesh wont like us. We have to mortify the flesh. We have to crucify the old man and put him under. Then, by and by, we will get our reward, and a glorious reward it will be.