We often hold the hymn writers in such high esteem that we forget that these giants of faith had feet of clay. Though being trained under the ministry of John Newton, William Cowper spent long periods of his life struggling with depression and thoughts of suicide. Those dark places are not what God wants for us, but it was from the depths of despair HIs words sprung:
There is a fountain filled with blood Drawn from Immanuel’s veins And sinners, plunged beneath that flood, Lose all their guilty stains Lose all their guilty stains Lose all their guilty stains Lose all their guilty stains!
This week we opened the service at Discovery Villages with “There is a Fountain,” and talked about the dying thief who was promised paradise, in verse two of Cowper’s hymn. After we finished, I imagined a conversation between the thief and Abraham, with Abraham asking, “How long did you know Jesus?” and the thief answering, “About five minutes!” Just like that thief, our salvation doesn’t depend on the length of our walk with God or the number of things we have done in His name. Everything we will ever need we have only in one thing – the Cross of Christ! So, when we get to heaven, there will be no finger pointing! No shame! No more guilty stains! May you each have a blessed week. If you are considering volunteering at a nursing home in your community, remember that we have Mother’s Day right around the corner. Why not buy some inexpensive cards or even make your own and then pass them out to the ladies there. Your small act of kindness will be a blessing far beyond anything you can imagine!
The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 1 Timothy 1:5 NKJV
This past Wednesday, I had what the medical profession refers to as “minor” surgery”. Of course, in my experience, the “minor” part has mostly to do with who is receiving it. Thankfully all went “Nominally” for the hernia repair but suffice it to say that most of this week has passed like a blur. Besides the obvious discomfort and subsequent difficulty readjusting to performing minor activities, (Like walking), the biggest issue was rescheduling all the various nursing home meeting for the week. I am very thankful for other volunteers who have stepped in and carried two of the meetings and the third I was able to reschedule for the following week. In 1 Timothy, Paul was facing on a far grander scale some of the same issues as he asks Timothy to deal with at Ephesus in order to correct the doctrinal drift of the church. When Paul first preached in Ephesus, a great revival had broken out and he had remained there about 1 1/2 years. However, just as he had feared, in his absence false teachers had slipped into the church along with some local leaders who had turned back to their traditional Judaism, and both were bringing in confusion about the entire point of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Now, my circumstances are quite different than Paul’s, but some of his same challenges face all of us who do nursing home ministry.
Each week there sits in front of us a mixture of Presbyterians, Baptists, Lutherans and Catholics, along with Pentecostals and many garden variety, non-churchgoers. How are we to preach Jesus? What is the point of our ministry? As I came across today’s verse in a devotional plan that I am following with a friend, I thought, “This is it!” When we are sharing the good news of salvation through the cross and the love of God, there is no great goal than seeing people respond with a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith. Does this mean dancing around biblical doctrines, excusing sin or altering the foundation of salvation through Jesus? Absolutely not! But it does mean that we have no time to quibble about different backgrounds, various traditions or minor differences. There is precious little time left in the lives of our members and every moment that God gives us with them counts. The thing I missed most this past week was the butterfly release at Life Care. I was told that each person was given a tiny box with a living butterfly and in memory of those who have passed away this past year, everyone opened their container and released their butterfly. I thought how much that act was like sharing Christ at the nursing homes has been over these last thirty-five years. I have to the best of my ability given to them the love of Christ in both message as well as in friendship. I am also reminded that just like those butterflies, we all will soon fly off to Heaven or Hell. But in the meantime, I know that God, for His own reasons has entrusted me and many, many others with the responsibility of preaching Jesus Christ to anyone who will listen in places most of the world has forgotten and to pray that as their own box opens, that they have learned to love God with pure hearts, forgive and ask forgiveness from others with a clean conscience and trust in Jesus with all their hearts.
This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it! Psalm 118:24 NKJV
Those who only observe nursing home ministry from a distance, may think that we pass our time as in the words of the hymn, “Softly and tenderly,” And yes, that would be accurate for that small part of each service when we slow down and come humbly into God’s presence. But were we to plan the entire song service with only the slow and hushed hymns, half our residents would be sound asleep! So, here is one of our opening songs at Friday’s church service at Life Care. We sang a Sunday school song about a happy day, when I am “livin’ it for my Lord!” I do hope you will listen carefully for their voices and ask yourself if God might be calling you to also consider volunteering for nursing home ministry in your own community. After all, it’s a happy day when, “I’m living each day on the promises in God’s word!”
It's a happy day, and I thank God for the weather It's a happy day, when I'm livin' it for my Lord It's a happy day, and things are gonna get better When I'm livin' each day on the promises in God's word!
BUT It's a grumpy day and I don't like the weather It's a grumpy day, when I'm livin' it for myself It's a grumpy day And nothin's gettin' any better Cause I'm livin' today With my Bible on the shelf
BUT It's a happy day, when I'm livin' it for my Lord It's a happy day, when I'm livin' it for my Lord It's a happy day, and things are gonna get better When I'm livin' each day on the promises in God's word!
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