Holding Hands

One day in 1932, pianist, singer, and songwriter Thomas A. Dorsey discovered his need for God’s comfort. He left his pregnant wife, Nettie at home while he drove to sing at a revival meeting. At the end of Dorsey’s performance, he received a telegram with the tragic news that Nettie had died in childbirth. Within hours, the baby boy also died. Filled with grief, Dorsey sought answers. A few nights after his wife’s death, Dorsey sat down at the piano and began to play. Finally sensing God’s peace and closeness, he began to sing some new words and play a new song:

Precious Lord, take my hand

Lead me on, let me stand;

I am tired, I am weak, I am worn;

Through the storm, through the night,

Lead me on to the light;

Take my hand, precious Lord,

Lead me hone.

When we put our hand in the hand of the Master, you’ll feel his arms around you. It is God who works in us, giving us the desire to obey Him and the power to do His will. Phil.2:13

Most roller coasters, no matter how high or how fast you go, you are kept snugly in place by a safety bar and a harness. So, also, we can be secure when God wraps His arms around us.

When we put ourselves in God’s hands we relinquish the burden of being responsible for those things beyond our control. God accepts the responsibility for our lives. So, by faith, we have the assurance that God has plans for us better than anything we can either desire or deserve.

Written by Dag Hammersjkold in his book ‘Markings.’ "He who places his hand in God’s Hand walks free.”

Put your hand in God’s and walk free,

For many this is hard to see.

Pray often to our God, and let us talk,

And know He does beside us walk.

Better still, a time of quiet,

To listen and be guided by it.

Wilhelmine

My Cup Runneth Over!

Generations have praised the works of our Lord. We live in a day when the pastors here at home and the missionaries around the world need the help of a variety of occupations in spreading the gospel. When the love of God burns strong enough , it compels us to a service that promotes the glory of God. No one discovers Jesus Christ alone.

As parents, our duty is to sow the seed in our children. Since God has no grandchildren , we are thankful that each family member has found their own faith., and carries out the great commission to bring the gospel to all people. We have a preacher, a director of Child Evangelism, a Biblical Counselor, a leader of ‘Young Life,’ Sunday School teachers and youth sponsors, and educators in the school system. Yes, our family is doing a good job of telling about His way of Truth, of Hope, of Love, and of Peace. My Cup Runneth Over!

We have had problems, health issues and financial crisis, we thought were insurmountable at the time. Yet, through it all everything turned out for good when we put our trust in the Lord . “ Nothing is too hard for God.” Jeremiah 32:17 ....."For With God All Things Are Possible." Mark 10:27

I praise the Lord for all the blessings that He has bestowed on our family. My gratitude knows no bounds for He has blessed us without measure.. We worship the same Triune God, knowing in our hearts that it is He who made us and it is He to whom we will return. His Grace and our gratitude go together to form a lasting relationship. My Cup Runneth over!

This Is The Day

This is the day the Lord has made,

To grace the life of you and me,

So let us live and love in ways,

That honor God as meant to be.

“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad it.” Ps. 118:24

Wisdom

The sermon today was about the paths to wisdom The laws in the first five books of the Bible teach us right from wrong. The Prophets admonished us to adhere to this scripture: “ Be still and know that I am God.” ( Ps.46:10) In Proverbs, we are told to search for wisdom as hidden treasures, and to realize that it is more valuable than silver, gold or rubies.

A grandson is soon to graduate from SMU with a Doctorate in Math. All of our children and grandchildren have college degrees. I believe in education but does this make them wise? Wisdom is called ‘a tree of life,’ which is a symbolic way of describing the blessings of being in a right relationship with God. You can gain knowledge on your own, but wisdom comes only from God.

I Cor. 2:12 ,13 tells us that the Spirit of God has taken up residence in us. God has ‘implanted’ the mind of Christ in those who have accepted His Son as their Savior. In some mysterious way we now have a capacity for divine wisdom that no scholarly degree or natural experience could ever provide. Having the mind of Christ enables us to see life increasingly from God’s perspective. This does not mean that we can think on God’s level and instruct Him, but it does mean that we have a new capacity to think and talk and act more and more like Christ.

Excerpts from “Our Daily Bread” devotional:

The thought that God is present everywhere is staggering, but to be aware of His presence in times of need brings comfort and hope.

The thought that God knows everything is mind-boggling, but to have the confidence that no detail of our lives escapes His attention is to enjoy a peace that endures through every trial.

The thought that God is all-powerful makes us marvel at His greatness, but to have Him actually work in, through, and for us encourages us to relax in His mighty arms.

The thought that God never changes is a reassuring truth, but to commit ourselves to the care of this never-changing One is to know the stability of His faithfulness.

The thought that God is love is wonderful to contemplate, but to know Him as a loving Redeemer through personal faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, brings the joy of sins forgiven.

In return for all that God has done for us what does the Lord require from us? He wants action (‘do justly’), affection (‘love mercy’), and association (‘walk humbly with your God’). Mic. 6:8

Wisdom
To understand wisdom

and what we can become

is centered in God’s faithfulness.

This knowledge we confess.

When we come to recognize

a life prayerful & wise

Will make our life whole

All’s well with our soul.

Friday is Here, But Sunday is Coming!

I thought this phrase was so catchy, I remembered it, but didn’t remember the author. Our preacher used the phrase in a sermon one Sunday and I thought it had a world of meaning
We all have aches & pains. Some more than others, particularly as we grow older. We all experience sorry when a loved one dies. We all experience troubles and hardships , but usually they are equaled out with the good & happy times. Rather than concentrating on the trials of life, we should fix our attention on our blessings!
You’ll never know when you’ll need the Lord’s comfort. When God’s care will be your only hope to face tomorrow, so let’s us not be deceived by our own accomplishments. We might be remarkable in the respect we earned from co-workers and acquaintance. We might attend church regularly and do many good works, but neither going to church or doing good works will earn us one second in Heaven.. As religious and well-loved as we may be, we won’t go to heaven unless we accept God’s free gift of eternal life, and ask Jesus Christ to forgive our sins.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 FRIDAY IS HERE, BUT SUNDAY IS COMING!

If the problem is too big for us to handle alone or the grief too great for us to bear; put your hand in the Lord’s hand and let the ‘God of all comfort’ lead you home. You will be secure in God’s loving everlasting arms.
Christ took our sins upon himself when He died on the cross that we might walk free with the assurance that we will have eternal life with Him in Heaven. We have only to believe!
The resurrection of Jesus Christ was life from the dead. As Jesus was changed into an infinitely more beautiful form so shall our resurrection be. Because Jesus rose from the grave, we can be confident that our bodies will be changed and fashioned to be like His glorious body. Yes, one day we will be like him.

FRIDAY IS PAST AND SUNDAY IS HERE. HALLELUJAH!

He Maketh No Mistake

My Father’s way may twist and turn,

My heart may throb and ache,

But in my soul I’m glad I know,

He maketh no mistake.

My cherished plans may go astray

My hopes may fade away,

But still I’ll trust my Lord to lead

For He doth know the way.

Tho’ night be dark and it may seem

That day will never break;

I’ll pin my faith, my all in Him,

He maketh no mistake.

There’s so much now I cannot see,

My eyesight’s far too dim;

But come what may, I’ll simply trust and leave it all to Him.

For by and by the mist will lift

And plain it all He’ll make,Through all the way, tho’ dark to me.

He made not one mistake. -A. M. Overton

Stress

We are studying the book of John in our Sunday School Class. The following verses tell about the anger of the Pharisees when Jesus infers He and God are one (John 7: 28-30.) This led us to a discussion on stress. When there is no outlet for anger, we are stressful. We assume rightly that anger causes tension and stress. The Bible says: “…the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Be not quick to anger, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools.” Eccl. &:8.9

Stress is no respecter of persons,. Anxiety and tension are essential functions of living, just as hunger and thirst are. They are our self-protective reactions when we are confronted by threats to our safety, well-being, happiness or self-esteem.

Moreover, some experts on the subject have concluded that even the common cold, and dozens of other illnesses can be triggered by tension. Extended stress can lead to stomach ulcers, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Two great emotions that cause the absence or presence of stress are love and hate. The Bible makes this point over and over again. The message is that if we don’t somehow modify our behavior, we arouse fear and hostility in other people--not a very favorable environment in which to exist!

How do we handle stress? There is nothing more stimulating and tension reducing as taking time to meditate on the word of God, reading the Bible daily ,and communicating with God in prayer . And don’t discount the value of exercise even is it is only a daily walk.. Try to learn to enjoy some kind of recreation. There is a big world of things to do…jogging, swimming, golf, all kinds of games or just watching TV. It takes time to change our practices, but we can gain self-satisfaction in the process of doing so.

Talk It Out With God
If your heart beats faint from struggling,

With the problems and the cares,

That confront us as we walk this mortal sod.

There is just one way to rally-

Just one way to win the day:

Find a quiet place and talk it out with God.

If your heart is sad and lonely,

Longing for companionship,

If you seek an outstretched hand, a cheery nod:

If you’d like an introduction,

To the greatest Friend of all,

You only need to talk it out with God.

For there is no sweeter solace,

No relief that can compare,

With the joy of winging where His feet have trod;

Trouble comes--and you can’t bear it?

All you have to do is share it,

On your bended knee--just talk it out with God!

--M. Kathleen Haley