The worst thing

Thankfully it was another calm night, and Pads has a peaceful air about him. He only asked for pain relief when we were changing his bed first thing.
Padi is very economical with his words now but he clearly asked me to read Spurgeon's "Faith's cheque book" for today and it is amazingly apt and helpful (full text below). I've noticed in film and TV how the very worst thing that can happen to anyone is their death. As Spurgeon says, in a sense the worst thing has already happened in our separation from God, the rest flows consequential to that. Christ's atonement (at-one-ment) mends the rift and opens heaven.
We were in Matthew 14 for family worship this morning. We gather in with Padi: although he does not give much evidence of taking part he asked ages ago for us to just go ahead regardless each time. The subject of this passage includes Jesus walking on the water and Peter asking to join him on the sea. Peter begins to sink when alarmed by the tempest. With hindsight, he should have trusted his first instinct of implicit, childlike faith in God's Son.
We sang, "Lead us Heavenly Father lead us, o'r the world's tempestuous sea. Guard us, guide us, keep us, feed us, for we have no help but Thee. Yet possessing every blessing if our God our Father be." This verse was sung as a closing prayer at every one of my high-school assemblies.
Faith's Cheque Book for July 11: Never Separated from God
And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believeth thou this? (John 11:26)
Yes, Lord, we believe it; we shall never die. Our soul may be separated from our body, and this is death of a kind; but our soul shall never be separated from God, which is the true death—the death which was threatened to sin—the death penalty which is the worst that can happen. We believe this most assuredly, for who shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord? We are members of the Body of Christ; will Christ lose parts of His Body?


We are married to Jesus; will He be bereaved and widowed? It is not possible. There is a life within us which is not capable of being divided from God: yea, and the Holy Spirit dwells within us, and how then can we die? Jesus, Himself, is our life, and therefore there is no dying for us, for He cannot die again, In Him we died unto sin once, and the capital sentence cannot a second time be executed. Now we live, and live forever. The reward of righteousness is life everlasting, and we have nothingless than the righteousness of God, and therefore can claim the very highest reward.
Living and believing, we believe that we shall live and enjoy. Wherefore we press forward with full assurance that our life is secure in our living Head.