He is the First and the Last

Today I read a passage of scripture in Revelation 1:17-18: When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: ‘Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. That is very comforting to me. So much of my life I have spent worried about something or other, anxious and depressed. Of course for me and for many people, the ultimate worry is death, but Jesus holds the keys to death and Hades. He will take care of you and me, no matter what happens. Elsewhere Jesus says, “…and noone shall take them out of my hand.” In a few days, Keegan leaves for his annual missions trip with his grandpa. He and my father-in-law will be spending a week on an Indian reservation on Manitoulin Island in Ontario. We will miss him while he is gone! Yesterday I met with the associate pastor of Upland Community Church, where Michele and I have recently decided to make our church home. We had a good talk and I was pleased to hear that he, too, used to attend Wheaton Bible Church, our previous home church.