Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV
Rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks put the circumstances of our lives, both good and bad into God’s hands and help us see them through His eyes. Last night our beloved daughter-in-law Melinda slipped from this world into the presence of Jesus. And while we are overwhelmed with grief and shock, these words are promises to which we cling. Melinda has finished her race. Her battle with cancer is finished. And while that pernicious disease claimed her physical life, it could not touch her soul. That remained fully and exclusively in the hands of Jesus with whom she now lives. Nancy and I didn’t know how to process the news that came in three words. “She is gone.” Yet as sadness rolls over my heart I sense the message echo back from Heaven, ” She has arrived!”
And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?” Matthew 8:23-27 ESV
One blessing about ministering at nursing homes is that it is easy to find out if people are listening. The feedback is immediate and often I get interrupted with a question in the middle of a message or in between songs. That is a great incentive to keep things short, sweet and to the point. This almost nine-minute message was pushing the limits of my dear friends’ ability to focus, but it felt as if God was stirring at Life Care Center. Please continue to pray for us as there is a special sense of His moving and purpose this year. Have a blessed Sunday all. I hope you will be challenged and encouraged by hearing once again about Jesus in the storm!
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. Matthew 10:8 NIV
Jesus loved to teach with stories. When asked, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus answered with the story of the Good Samaritan. When teaching about God’s kingdom, He often recounted stories of fishermen and shepherds, merchants and farmers. One of my favorites is one about a merchant looking for pearls. He must have gotten up early each day and made his way to the docks in order to meet the fishermen as they came in with their catches. Among those who cast their nets for nice kosher fish, were others who dove to harvest shellfish to sell to the Gentiles. Every day there would be some would discover pearls of various sizes among their harvest and this astute businessman wanted to be the first to swoop up the best of the day. One day as he made his way among the unruly and smelly crowd of tired fishermen, he came across some men who had just begun unloading their catch and there in a small basket containing a few common looking pearls he spotted one whose size and luster took his breath away. “This must not be real,” he thought. So, he called out to those fellows and asked to have a closer look. On closer examination he could hardly believe his eyes. ” Trying not to show his excitement he asked as calmly as he could, “And how much for this one?”
The captain of the boat, with years of experience haggling with the merchants, smiled, knowingly. The rest of these you could purchase for a few denarii, but that beauty…he paused here for both effect and a quick calculation for how much he might get, that one will cost you one talent of silver!”
In shock the merchant drew a breath, and replied, “You must be joking. An entire talent! That is worth several years wages!” Who has that kind of money on these docks?” The captain smiled. and replied.
“Along these docks I have no doubt that you are right. But in Jerusalem, there are kings, generals and governors who could easily pay twice what I am asking today.”
The merchant paused, carefully calculated that he would have enough if he sold his entire inventory. He also realized that he could also make a handy profit in Jerusalem if he was willing to take the risk, and then quickly answered. “Done! I’ll be back in the morning!”
Though the price seems ridiculous, when we sellout for Jesus, it’s always a good deal!
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