Month: June 2021

Until That Day!

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For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day 2 Timothy 1:12 KJV

In this letter, Paul wrote to his dearest friend on earth, Timothy, while He was facing almost certain execution. Paul had been in and out of prisons for years and was growing old and maybe a little worn out. The false teachers trying to manipulate the church for financial gain, as well as the hypocritical religious leaders trying to have him killed finally seemed to have him where they wanted him. Yet Paul was able to say with confidence that no matter what, he was not going to be ashamed. Why? Because He knows Jesus and trusts that Jesus will take care both of him and of the things that Paul had been working to do. Isn’t it interesting how a few years earlier in Paul’s letter to the Philippian church, he said that He wanted to know Christ more. Now it appears that God has granted Paul his desire, and he could say, “I’m not worried any more. Jesus has got this! He will take care of me and He will take care of the church when I am gone. He will bring everything to pass that he has promised and I can rest in Him. I know Him and I also know that the day is coming when He will come and make everything right!”

 One day each of us will also face the end of our life. Though right at this moment we may wish we knew Christ better, we can draw courage from today’s verse that if we trust Him completely then on that day He will help us to know Him just as Paul did. Jesus will take over and keep everything we have put in His hands and then He will take our hand and lead us until that day!

We used to sing the hymn with these words and though the melody is old fashioned, the words never go out of style. I pray each of you to know Him fully and to trust Jesus until that day! Have a blessed week.!

Little Things

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Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it?  And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’  Luke 15:8-9 ESV

Sometimes we think that God is only interested in big things important events and milestones in our lives. But the wonderful thing about our big God who created the universe, is that He is also interested in even the tiniest detail of His creation. Those of you who have followed this blog may remember that my wife spent almost five months, 3,000 miles away in California caring for her sister Diane. Thankfully Diane is stable for now and is being cared for by home health aides in her own home. Her trip involved the big things of life and death but one of the little wrinkles was that Nancy lost a dental crown. The day it fell out she was busy taking care of medications, cooking and cleaning, and so she simply put it into a Zip lock bag and set it aside. When the day came that she could return home to Florida Nancy just tossed it into one of her suitcases and headed for the airport. But the next day when she unpacked; that crown was nowhere to be found! After the dentist informed her that a replacement would be over a thousand dollars she made the date for the work a month later so she could keep looking. Of course we prayed and asked our small group to pray also. All through the next four weeks, Nancy ransacked the bottom of her purse, went through her jewelry box and searched every nook and cranny of the suitcases – but still no crown! Today the fateful appointment for the dental work came and we resigned ourselves to the fact that God must have not been concerned about that detail of our lives – that is until 15 minutes before it was time to leave! As Nancy checked one more time in a little jar of odds and ends on her nightstand – BINGO! There was her crown! Immediately she called some of the ladies from our small group to tell them and everyone laughed for joy. God brought to Nancy’s mind the verse about the woman with the lost coin. Just like Nancy’s dental crown, most people in that lady’s town didn’t care about her coin. But it mattered to her, so she just kept looking, because it was precious to her. That’s when it hit me that every detail that matters to us matters to God. He cares about little things and He loves little people because in the big picture, we are all small. Isn’t it wonderful that God’s love is big enough to care for every one of us and the tiny details of our lives – even dental crowns?!

Photo by Anna Shvets on Pexels.com

The Greatest Miracle

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And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David. Matthew 20:30 KJV

The healing of these blind men is one of the best loved stories of answered prayer. We chuckle when we hear how these blind men shouted so loudly that people standing by told them to be quiet because we like to think of shouting our needs to God and find him listening. We love the fact that when Jesus stopped and called them to come, those same nay-sayers ended up saying, “Cheer up! He’s calling you!” Most of all we love the fact that when they got to Jesus He completely healed them. But we miss the second miracle that happened that afternoon because, for us once prayers it seems like it is time to move on. But Jesus is interested in far more than simply giving us what we ask, so let’s take a look at what happens next.

So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him. Matthew 20:30 KJV

Maybe this morning you are seeking God with an even more urgent request than healing. It could be you are devastated over a broken marriage, a drug addicted child, or the death of a loved one. Be encouraged that God is listening and don’t give up seeking him even if others tell you that it’s no use. But in the press of urgency for God’s help in crisis, we must remember that God has even more than healing, deliverance and comfort available. HIs greatest miracle of all is the grace of a transformed life that will follow Jesus on the road!