Richard’s Special Day

/ pastorpete51 / 8 Comments 
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 ESV

Just as I walked up, the front door opened, and one of the staff wheeled my friend out onto the front patio. “Do you want me to bring you further?” the lady asked.

It was one of those rare fall days in Florida, when the humidity has finally fled back to the tropics, and the temps hover in the low seventies. Richard looked out admiring the beauty of the moment and replied “No, I think I’ll just, work my own way along from here.” He answered smiling.

“Hi Richard” I called out, as the nurse turned to go back inside. “Isn’t this a beautiful day?!”

Richard looked up at me smiling, then began quietly singing, “This is the day, this is the day…” Sensing this was something special, I joined in and together we went on, “I will rejoice! I will rejoice and be glad in it and be glad in it!”

When we had finished, Richard looked up into the sky, and with the rock-solid certainty of his faith, said, “One day Jesus is going to come back on those clouds, and every eye will see Him. What a day that will be!”

In the nursing home ministry that I am involved in most days are actually pretty ordinary. A small number of us meet in a dining room, we sing some songs, and talk about a Bible story, but nothing spectacular happens. But there are those moments, when it seems that Jesus cracks open a window, and the sweetness of Heaven’s atmosphere comes to us on a puff of wind. It is as if He is saying, “What you can see here isn’t all there is. The aging, the aches and pains, the loneliness, and the tears one day will be left behind. There is so much more that I have waiting for you. Be patient. Be faithful.”

I am so grateful for my friend Richard and all the others like him. God has put them in my path to remind me of the things that really matter. Though they don’t realize it, God has chosen them as His ambassadors, and if we spend a little time with them, on special days, Jesus will open Heaven’s window and pour His blessing out because, “This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us be glad and rejoice in it!”

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Let’s Get With It!

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When we hear the name, “Isaac Watts” we think of some of the most biblically based, if slightly stodgy hymns. But I laughed when I read the background of how Isaac got started. It all began one day when as a teenager he complained to his father about the terribly boring music at church. His father wanting to challenge rather than correct Isaac, replied, “Give us something better young man!” Isaac’s attitude reminds me of some of the worship leaders we had in churches we attended early in our faith journey. On Sundays when our singing bordered on being lackadaisical, they would stop us mid-song and say something along the lines of, “God deserves better! Let’s get with it and really start praising Him!”

We sang this song in our Sunday afternoon meeting at Discovery Villages and though few of the folks were familiar with the hymn, they really enjoyed singing it. Maybe from where they sit, they have a clearer vision of the Zion which we are marching towards and sense the joy of the worship there as something far more real than anything here on earth. So, however you praise God, whether with contemporary worship or with the hymns, let’s get with it! Give Him your best and praise Him with a joyful heart, because after all, “We’re marching upward to Zion, the beautiful City of God!”

I’m Rita! Get off My Land!

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And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Ephesians 3:19 KJV

“Private property”, read the sign by the edge of the pond. “No hunting fishing or trespassing. Violators will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law!” But just feet away from that sign, a stranger sat, fishing pole in hand on the little dock. As the farmer’s wife approached, she smiled and asked, “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, I always fish here.” The man responded with a shrug. “I have permission from, Rita”

“Really?” she responded with a quiet chuckle. “Well, I’m Rita. I don’t know you – so get off my land!” This true story which happened just up the road from us, reminded me of today’s verse. Just like that guy, most of us often explain our faith by saying something about God’s love. “Jesus loves you.” Or “God is love.” These phrases roll easily off our lips, but in our daily lives sometimes we are a lot like that guy fishing in someone else’s pond. We know about God’s love, have heard there are some amazing benefits in it, but we have never actually met the owner! Paul tells us that the love of Christ is something that is far beyond our understanding, but the good news is that God wants us to experience it. He has seen us fishing in His pond, has come down to talk with us, but unlike our neighbor, He didn’t come to throw us off His land. God came to earth as a man, so that we could meet Him, and so that His love could be lived out in ordinary circumstances of our lives. He is not only here to throw us off the property, but rather to give us a fishing license if we will put our faith in Him. We might be trespassing on His property, but He isn’t looking to prosecute us to the fullest extent of the law. Instead, God is fishing for our hearts, and He invites us to come to know Him today!

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