Life is a Gift

 

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Your eyes saw my unformed body.

    all the days ordained for me were written in your book

    before one of them came to be.

 

As we go through our lives, we learn how precious life is. We don’t realize it when we are growing up. It is only as adults who know the LORD that we learn this.

Inside the gift of life, we are given a certain number of days. Each of those days is also a gift. We must thank God for each day He gives us.  We should do this for even the trying days that life brings.

I personally know of four families who have lost loved ones in the past two weeks. All four families have a connection to our church. Our pastor had two of the funerals on the same day.  The other families’ loved ones had their own church and pastors.

I remember a saying I heard many years ago. “Our lives are God’s gift to us. What we do with our lives is our gift to Him.” I found this graphic that says it best. 

Personally, I wonder how many days I have wasted. Now, when I thank Him for the day, I ask Him to not let me waste it. But even then, I believe I fail to do His will on some days.   

 

I once heard the line: “Only what’s done for Christ will last. “ I discovered it is a poem by C.T. Studd. Here is the whole poem.

 Only One Life By: C.T. Studd

 

Two little lines I heard one day,

Traveling along life’s busy way;

 

Bringing conviction to my heart,

And from my mind would not depart;

Only one life, ’twill soon be past,

Only what’s done for Christ will last.

 

 

 

Only one life, yes only one,

Soon will its fleeting hours be done;

Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet,

And stand before His Judgement seat;

Only one life,’ twill soon be past,

Only what’s done for Christ will last.

 

 

 

Only one life, the still small voice,

Gently pleads for a better choice

Bidding me selfish aims to leave,

And to God’s holy will to cleave;

Only one life, ’twill soon be past,

Only what’s done for Christ will last.

 

 

 

Only one life, a few brief years,

Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;

Each with its clays I must fulfill,

living for self or in His will;

Only one life, ’twill soon be past,

Only what’s done for Christ will last.

 

When this bright world would tempt me sore,

When Satan would a victory score;

When self would seek to have its way,

Then help me Lord with joy to say;

Only one life, ’twill soon be past,

Only what’s done for Christ will last.

 

Give me Father, a purpose deep,

In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;

Faithful and true what e’er the strife,

Pleasing Thee in my daily life;

Only one life, ’twill soon be past,

Only what’s done for Christ will last.

 

 

Oh let my love with fervor burn,

And from the world now let me turn;

Living for Thee, and Thee alone,

Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;

Only one life, ’twill soon be past,

Only what’s done for Christ will last.

 

 

Only one life, yes only one,

Now let me say, “Thy will be done”;

And when at last I’ll hear the call,

I know I’ll say “t’was worth it all”;

Only one life, ‘twill soon be past,

Only what’s done for Christ will last.

 

Book Review: Lead like Christ By A. W. Tozer

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This book is edited by James L. Snyder.

Dr. Snyder has compiled a series of sermons based on the New Testament book of Titus by A.W. Tozer.

 

Tozer aims his writings to “those with an incurable hunger and thirst for the deep things of God.”  [1]

 

This should be considered a workbook to raise up men and women to become the Christian leaders needed in our world today.

 

I found myself caught up by the concept of purpose. Some of today’s believers follow Christ but do not realize they have a purpose for following him. It can be a challenge for some Christ-followers to discover their purpose. I know it was mine. I found out just recently that our purpose can change as we advance in age and deterioration of our state of health.

 

I would recommend this book to anyone who is seriously searching for a closer walk with the LORD. Because of the shortness of each chapter, I believe it would make a good study book for a small group made up of such Christians. I would also recommend this to be in any pastor’s personal library. 

 

(1.) Lead like Christ, by A.W. Tozer and James Snyder, Bethany House, © (James Snyder), 2021, page 7.

 

 

 

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[1]

God Sees Me-Paul

 

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As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from

heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him,

“Saul, Saul why do you persecute me?” Acts 9:3-4 (NIV)                

Saul was on his way to Damascus. His mission was to round up those who belonged to The Way, the sect of Christians, and carry them back to Jerusalem. They would be his prisoners.

 

Something happened that changed his life forever. He met the LORD. God asked him a very pertinent question, “Why are you persecuting me?” Jesus identifies himself. Paul is told to go into Damascus, and he will be told what to do.

 

            The LORD instructed Saul in a one-on-one conversation. Those traveling with Saul did not see anything. How often do we hear a message from God that no one else hears?

 

God watched as Saul wreaked havoc among those who belonged to The Way, those who believed in Christ. God knew all the evil and nastiness in Saul’s heart. Yet, God chose to forgive Saul and direct him to work for Him.

 

For God to know Saul’s attributes, He had to watch as Saul went through his murderous ways. He saw Saul, forgave him, and used him for His glory.

 

As God sees us go through our lives, He takes note of our attributes and our weaknesses. Personally, I know He has taught me so much about myself. I now understand why I react the way I do when I have issues with my computer. It is due to my frustration. I know God can take care of that shortcoming if I allow Him to.

God Sees Me- Moses -2

 

                                           

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                So, now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out if Egypt.                                                                                    Exodus 3:10 (NIV)

 

Moses was in a field in Midian, tending the flock of his father-in-law. He sees something that catches his attention. A bush had caught fire but was not burn up. As he approaches this bush, he hears a voice calling from within the bush.

 

The voice is God’s voice. God tells Moses that He has seen the suffering of His people in Egypt and that it is time for Him to rescue the Hebrew people and He tasks Moses with convincing Pharaoh to allow the people to leave.

 

God continues to speak of the fact that Pharaoh will not let them go. He tells Moses that He will perform “wonders” that will get Pharaoh’s attention.

 

God saw the plight of the Hebrew people, His people, as they slaved for the Egyptians.

 

Does He not see us as we endure certain hardships? I believe He does.

 

Freedom: Carry His Word

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,

because the Lord has anointed me/

to bring good news to the poor;

he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted

to proclaim liberty to the captives,

and the opening of the prisoners to those who are bound.

Isaiah 61:1 (ESV)

The prophet Isaiah spoke these words. Isaiah was commissioned by God to prophesy to the people of Judah. They did not care for what he told them.

In our focus verse, two ideas come through. Isaiah speaks of his mission as a prophet and, yet, in another sense, this passage looks forward to the Messiah. Jesus quotes these words in Luke 4:18.

Jesus brought freedom (liberty) to each of his spiritual children. I once heard a guest preacher speak of those caught in sin as being in “bondage”. In today’s world, we see a lot of people entangled in sinful practices. Jesus mandates those who believe in Him to carry His Word to those who are poor, broken-hearted, incarcerated, and those who are in bondage.

As believers in Christ, we are commissioned to carry His Word to this fallen and hurting world.

Dear Father God: Please guide us as we go through our days. Help us to walk with you. Show us how You want us to present Your Word to our hurting fallen world. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen

       

                                             

Freedom: Freedom Leads to Sanctification

                For when you were slaves to sin, you were free in regard to (from the control of) righteousness. But now, that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads you to sanctification and its end eternal life.  Romans 6:20-22 (ESV)

Paul tells the believers at Rome and, by extension, us that when we have been set free from sin all we learn guides us to sanctification and eternal life. When a person is sanctified, he or she is set apart for God’s work.

We are all born with a sin nature. When we yield to that nature, we allow it to control us, we become its slave. When we receive Christ in our hearts, we allow His nature to override and destroy the sin nature in us.

When we allow God to rule our hearts and actions, we find ourselves being used of God for His purposes.

Devotion to Good Works

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Devotion:

                The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.

Titus 3:8, 14 (ESV)

These are instructions from Paul to Titus, Paul’s ‘son in the faith.’ Paul tells Titus how to guide people to build a strong church in Jesus Christ.

Paul speaks to us in today’s world as well. We who believe in Christ are to dedicate ourselves to do good works in our churches and in the world. We are to respond to the needs we see around us in helpful ways. Not to be stagnant but to produce good fruit for Christ.

We do this by putting feet to our prayers. Getting out and seeing where the need is greatest and working to fill that need.

A woman I an acquainted with got her picture in the newspaper because she went to a local Christian Center and served meals.

Another woman, a friend, also go written up by the newspaper for her efforts in assisting those families whose homes were lost due to a fire. She recently finished work on an associate degree.

One of the men at our church is a firefighter. One winter morning he and his crew received a call to extinguish a home fire that took the lives of two small children. He and a few others created Fire Rescue Houses for victims who went through losing their homes because of fire.

A faith-based organization that I worked in assisted children who had a parent who was incarcerated. The woman who founded that organization is an active member of our church.

God has a purpose for each of our lives. It may be working in our churches or working in our communities. It may be working with children or with senior citizens. We need to pray and ask Him to direct our lives in ways that please Him.

Has God ever led you to work for Him in your community or in your church? Did He equip you for that task beforehand or as you worked in that ministry?

Book Review: Awaken by Terry Nance

Subtitle: Letters of a Spiritual Father to This Generation

               Pastor Terry Nance has penned 13 letters to the generation who will very soon lead the church for the Lord. Although he speaks to younger Christians, I found the messages relevant to those of my generation who desire to serve God.

               I especially liked an observation Terry made; “If all you do is complain about your circumstances, then all you will have is more circumstances to complain about,” This touched me in my heart.

               Pastor Nance writes from his heart. In the preface, he says he is going to be very real in these letters. In them, he deals with such topics as what is the definition of leadership. God took him to Hebrews 11:32-38. He states that after he read it, “The Holy Spirit stopped me, and said, ‘You asked Me for My definition of leadership. There it is—men and women ‘of whom the world [is] not worthy.’” (Hebrews 11:38.

 

               Another feature of his book is the way he sets important points apart from the general text. When I saw the set-apart sections, I knew he had something important to tell his readers.

               I recommend this book to any mentoring pastor who has a congregant who believes God has called them to His service. I also recommend it to anyone who wants to grow closer to the LORD.

               I received this book free of charge from Whitaker House publishers through the Book Club Network. All they asked of me was that I give an unbiased review.

Time part 4

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“a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build.” Ecclesiastes 3:3 (NIV)

            I believe the first part of this verse belongs to God’s activity. It is His job to decide whether He heals a person and allows him or her to stay down here or takes that person home to be with Him. I just noticed in this section of the verse what we think is a negative action is mentioned first.

            In the second half, the negative again comes first. Yes, there is a time to tear down. Right across the street from our home sits a Community Garden spot. In March of 2014, the house that stood there caught fire and burned quite a while before anyone noticed it. As the weeks and months passed, it became an eyesore as the property owner went through the decision-making process about the future of the property. A neighbor lady finally received the property after she and her husband established a non-profit organization to oversee the grounds.

This neighbor worked on this project diligently. Last year, she faced serious illness and chose to run for elected office. The overabundance of rain last summer caused all gardens in the area, large and small to be ruined. This year, the community garden looks wonderful.

Our city has a program to raze old abandoned houses due to the danger they pose to the neighborhoods. Sometimes, a park will appear where a house once stood. Habitat for Humanity will receive empty lots and will work with certain families to construct new homes. These families cannot afford the cost of an expensive abode.

            God has the last say in all the options we have. We had what was once a garage removed from our backyard. This one act opened up our yard to some very interesting possibilities. Part of the area has become a flowerbed. Hubby planted wild flower seeds to attract butterflies to our yard. We never know what God can do with what we have to do to improve a circumstance.

Interview with Marja Verschoor Meijers.

Marja Verschoor-Meijers

We begin this month of June with getting to know more about author and blogger Marja Verschoor-Meijers. Those who read her blog, Fresh Insights On Ancient Truths, come away with greater thoughts on the issues she discusses.

Let's get started!

Thank you Marja for taking the time to answer some questions for us.

QS:   Please, tell us about yourself.

MVM:Well, I was born and raised in The Netherlands and a life of adventures and traveling took me all over the world; from Norway to Nepal, from Canada to Chile and from Singapore to Switzerland. For many years, we called Southern California our home, where my husband was a mechanic in off road racing and I started writing books.

QS: How long have you been writing?
MVM: As long as I remember, I enjoyed writing… anything, from poetry to short stories to articles and essays, but I started to write my first book back in 2004.

QS:  In what genre do you write?

MVM; Christian non-fiction. My books are mainly Bible studies and tools for spiritual growth.

QS:  Do you have a ‘day job?’

MVM: In the year I turned fifty I started my own business. I offer services in text writing, translation, administrative and project support. I work for various customers.

QS: What have you written before this?

MVM: Spirit of Truth is my sixth book in a series about the Ten Commandments in the 21^st century. I have also written several Bible study books in the Dutch language. Several of my books have been translated into German, Italian, Spanish, Polish, and Russian.

QS:  Do you write a blog? Please give us the address.

MVM: This past month I celebrated 10 years of blogging. It started with my blog Fresh Insights on Ancient Truths and later I added a Dutch blog, as well as a blog about our non-profit organization Traveling Light. We offer financial support, practical help and spiritual encouragement to ministries in need all over Europe (well, all the way to Kazakhstan) and the Mediterranean.

http://sacredsabbath.blogspot.com and http://janandmarja.blogspot.com

QS:  Tell us about your family. (Married or single,)

MVM: I have been together with my husband Jan for 30 years, we have no children, but enjoy a big (and growing) family on both sides.

QS: Thank you, Marja. On my next blog entry, I will share a review of Marja's latest book, Spirit of Truth,

Book Review: The Colson Way, by Owen Strachan

               Charles Colson, before he found Christ, was known as the hatchet man in Richard Nixon’s administration. He was “goal oriented”; He did whatever it took to reach the desired outcome seen by President Nixon.

              

               He was named, indicted, and sentenced for a political crime he had no knowledge of. He served his sentence in Alabama at one of the worst prisons in the Bureau of Prisons system.

              

               He told those who were there for lengthy sentences that he would do something to better their living conditions. Two years after he was released, he founded Prison Fellowship to do that very thing. This was a faith-based ministry, to help the inmates to find spiritual help through Bible studies and special services to introduce them to Jesus Christ.

               Chuck, as he was later called, took his work for Christ seriously. He devoted his time and resources to Prison Fellowship and the organizational parts that grew from it. He wrote several books in his lifetime, donating at least the majority of the royalties to the work

               Owen Strachan has written this book to introduce Chuck Colson and his philosophy about the Christian life to the Millennial Generation. He compared Colson’s make-up to the circus performer who spins several plates at the same time. He also reminds us that Chuck was a ‘type A’ personality—always active, always thinking, always busy.

               I enjoyed reading this book, having been an adult during the Nixon administration and remembering the political crime and the resulting trials. I read several of Chuck Colson’s books. What he said in them made sense and many of those predictions have recently happened.

                I found myself not only quoting a section from Owen Strachan’s book; I wrote an article on that section.

               I would recommend this book to anyone who feels called by God to the ministry or to anyone who considers working in a faith-based organization.

               I received a free copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through its BookLook Bloggers program. All they asked of me was to give an impartial, unbiased review.

Another Annoucement

As I write for God, I want to find different avenues to spread His word and His kingdom to a hurting world.
I'm blessed to announce that Following My King has been accepted for inclusion at the Fellowship of Devotional Bloggers.

The owner of the site,DevotionalChristian.com, also has a site dedicated to children's ministries,http://ministry-to-children.com/ The children's ministy site is 100% free.

Faith-based Ministries

Yesterday at church, our Missions Committee had a Missions Emphasis Sunday. The committee invited several faith-based ministry groups to attend, setting up information tables in our foyer. The second Tuesday of each month the church has focused on one ministry effort as a part of missions.

Sixteen faith-based ministries had displays for the congregation to study. Those in attendance were asked to consider signing a Faith-Promise pledge for 2009 for missions giving. The rationale behind this new plan is some of these groups have needs all year long and the wait until we have them scheduled can be very difficult.

With the economic picture as bleak as it is, this seems to be the best way to help those who are spreading the word of Christ. As a volunteer in a faith-based ministry, I am aware of the need of being able to address the issues of the focus group with some amount of ease.

This is a faith promise pledge. I have never done one. I am told it works like this: I make a promise based on faith, not really knowing how God will supply the funds for the pledge.