faith

The Lord is at Hand

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The Lord is at hand: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:5b-7 ESV

If you are seeking God’s direction yet feeling as if you are at a dead end, you are in good company. It is totally normal to sometimes face difficulty, crisis, or discouragement. But at those moments, we need to recall that in the Gospels, Jesus specialized in showing up for his disciples exactly for times like those. Jesus often appeared unexpectedly, in the middle of storms, inside locked rooms and at gravesides. And when Jesus came, he always began with same message. “It is I. Don’t be afraid! In today’s passage Paul begins by reminding us that our reason for confidence and faith in our prayers begins with one fact. “The Lord is at hand.” No matter that 2,000 years have passed, that no one else is praying and in spite of our weaknesses and failures, Jesus is still so close, that we can reach out and touch Him. So, as you go about your journey this morning, don’t be anxious, instead, rest your faith on these three simple truths. The Lord is at hand, He is listening, and He has promised to answer. May God bless us as we rest secure in knowing that He is within our hand’s reach, He listens to our prayers, and He will calm every fear with this message. “Do not be afraid. I am standing near!”

Message in a Sundial

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You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Isaiah 26:3 NIV

“Every joy or trial, falleth from above: Traced upon our dial, by the sun of love.” When I sing those lines from, Like a River Glorious, I often picture the old sundial that sat at the end of my Great-grandmother’s garden. I remember that garden distinctly because I spent so many hours weeding it! My great-grandmother is now no longer here to see her garden, but the lessons about how the sundial tells time remind me of this hymn. The shadows of the trials as well as the joys that ebb and flow each day, tell the story of the time we are at in our lives. As believers in our Lord Jesus, we know that we belong to Him, we are bought with a price, and nothing touches our lives that He has not allowed. Though some days are bitter, and filled with trials, Jesus leads us through and the shadow that they cast on our hearts, tell us also that the sun of His love is shining. He is still in control, no matter what is happening. He knows the depth of our difficulties as well as the height of our joys. Do not despair, because at the end of the day, we can find as He promised, His perfect peace and rest!

Running to the Finish Line

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I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 1 Timothy 4:7

Sharing this message at Life Care Center last week was a moving experience for me, both as I watched the faces of the residents and thought back over the years of God’s grace and faithfulness in my own race. In long-term care, we have so very few minutes to share the message of Jesus. Each minute matters. Run your race, not someone else’s, and be patient with the other runners. Run with all your strength. There is not another life in which you can give your best. Today is the day of salvation, healing and deliverance, and another day on this planet is not promised. Last of all, we are not running to the finish line. We are running to Jesus who waits beyond the end of our race. He is calling out, “Don’t give up! Don’t turn back! You can do it!” And He waits with the crown of righteousness, not only for those we consider, “The Saints”, but as Paul says, in 2 Timothy 4:8 “For all those who love His appearing.” I pray that the seven short minutes of this video will be an encouragement, a challenge and a blessing. Have a great week everybody!