IN HIS HANDS

Several years ago I attended a writer's conference in Little Rock, Arkansas.  There I had the privilege of meeting a beautiful young wife and mother, Kim Dillard.  Kim's story captivated me.

Her husband, Steve, had been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and basically was given a "death sentence".  However, God had other plans.  By His amazing grace and mercy, He directed them to one of the top 3 brain surgeons in the world who practiced....where else but Little Rock, Arkansas.  Dr. Yasargil performed the delicate surgery and Steve made a remarkable recovery.

I "friended" Kim on Facebook some time ago and today I saw a post from her that indicated that Steve was once again undergoing chemotherapy.  I went to his Caring Bridge website and began to read of his latest journey which began in April of 2010.
Steve has once again had a brain tumor to develop in the exact spot of the previous one.  Surgery and treatment have followed.

When I first met Kim she was beginning a ministry of encouragement and her theme was HOPE.  We lost touch after a while and only re-connected through Facebook.  As I ran across her post today and went to the CB site, I began to read her posts from the time of Steve's diagnosis in April.  I am only into May so far, but I have been SO blessed by what I've read that I just HAD to post it and share it with you today. 

I know SO many who are hurting, struggling and wondering what in the world God is up to in their lives.  Maybe you are one of them.  If not, you probably know someone who is and, if so, I pray that you will share this with them.  I pray that Kim's words will be an encouragement to you.  And Kim...if you read this...I thank you for allowing God to speak through your pain.  God bless you!


"[God] gives good gifts and perfect gifts. Can we accept the blessings that come from God and refuse to embrace the times of pain and suffering that teach us lessons about His character and ours?



Psalms 16:5 says, "Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup. You have made my lot, secure."



I have meditated on that verse a lot this week. Our cup and our portion is our life, our circumstances, our relationships, our dreams, it is all that is going on in our lives right now. The verse says that it was assigned by the Lord. Personally chosen. Hand picked. Divinely assigned! That means that whatever I am going through has come straight from God's heart to mine. He has chosen what is in my cup based on what is best for me. I have 2 choices. I can fling the cup to the ground and reject the path God has allowed or I can offer the cup to Him, trusting He knows what is best. When Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane, 3 times, he begged and he pleaded for the Father to "let this cup, pass from me." Then in complete surrender of His own plans and agenda, he cried, "not my will, but yours be done." God did not remove the cup of Christ's suffering. God knew the ultimate goal and plan. It was the only way of purchasing redemption for mankind. Heart wrenching? YES! Painful? Extremely! Worth it? Absolutely!

The end of the verse says, "you (God) have made my lot, secure."


"lot" as defined by Webster is: over all circumstances and conditions in life, including every thing that happens to you.



WOW! That is my "lot" and that is what Christ has made secure.


So let's think of this verse in light of these definitions.



Lord, you have carefully picked and chosen for me,(my cup and my portion) my life, my circumstances, my relationships, and my dreams and all the events taking place in my life, right now. You have made my (lot) circumstances and conditions in life, including every thing that happens to me to be secure.


One more thought--  God did not take away Christ's suffering even though, He asked.  But....God did send angels to minister to Him during his darkest and most difficult hours."

 

OPEN THE BOOK

Noelle could tell that Jackie seemed uncomfortable when she first invited her to Bible study.  Jackie quickly changed the subject and Noelle could tell that she was hoping that she would not push it.

Her reaction made Noelle very sad.  She loves the Lord so much and wanted her sweet friend to share in the joy of her relationship with Him.  Yet she also knew that Jackie did not attend church nor had she ever heard her mention the Lord.  But it was not as if she were an atheist either.  On the contrary, Noelle knew that Jackie had grown up going to church, her family still attended church, and she had certainly never heard her say anything negative about church or God.

Noelle couldn't help but wonder if her friend ever read the Bible.  Did she own one?   It was not a question she had ever asked before. 

As the two friends continued chatting over lunch, Noelle found herself wondering how Jackie had gone all these years without a relationship with the Lord.  He was such a huge part of her own life, she could not imagine how anyone could truly have a life without Him.  Yet obviously her friend did.  How could she make her see what she was missing, Noelle silently wondered. 

Are their any "Jackie's" in your life?  Or maybe you are a Jackie. 

God is not really on your priority list and you feel like life is OK without Him.   It's not that you do not believe in God. You do.  You also believe in the Bible.  You believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross.  You have nothing against those who go to church on a regular basis.  Somehow you just never have gotten around to that or when you tried to find a church, you just never felt comfortable there.  You think it's great that people like Noelle love to study the Bible, but it's not something you are really interested in.  You aren't really sure WHY people choose to study it to be quite honest.  Maybe it seems like a stuffy book to you or one that is too hard to comprehend.  Maybe you feel like it's a book about people who lived thousands of years ago and has nothing to say to you in 2010. 

May I share with you that the Bible is way, way more than that!!  It is by far the most interesting, compelling book to ever be written.  It has stood the test of time and has remained on the best seller list for hundreds of years despite those who would have destroyed it if they could.  They cannot because it is God's Word...literally.  It is the holy, inspired Word of God.  God breathed.  God ordained.  God designed. 

John 1:1 says "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word WAS God!"  God IS the Living Word.  It is the only book in the world like it.  When you choose to read and study the Word, God blesses you.  You are "ingesting" Him and His words become a part of you. 

The Bible reveals the character of God.  You cannot have a relationship with Him until you recognize WHO He is.  His word reveals that.  Just in the book of Psalms alone there are hundreds of definitions for WHO HE IS.

Strong high tower

Refuge

Rock

Redeemer

Lifter up of our head

Mighty

Holy

Righteous

Buckler

Defender

Just to name a few.  From Genesis to Revelation He is revealed.  You begin in Genesis at his feet and wind up in Revelation looking Him in the eye. 

There is no other book that will so change your life as the Word of God. 

It doesn't matter if you have never read it before, or studied it or even know the books of the Bible.  You just have to start somewhere.  There are numerous translations to choose from, too, so that you can find one that makes it easier to understand.  I personally like the old King James version because that is what I've grown up on, but next to that I also like the Holman translation, the NIV (New International Version), and the New King James.  

Bible studies are not for "intellectual types", as obviously Jackie seemed to think.  Quite the contrary.  They are a place where anyone can go and begin to learn.  They usually focus on a book of the Bible or a topic and are a great way to get introduced to the Word if you have never had much exposure in the past. 

The important thing is to start.   So if you have not opened a Bible in a while, I encourage you to pick up one today.  You have nothing to lose and whole lot to gain.  If you need a recommendation for a Bible study, I'd be happy to give you a list. 

"Blessed are they that keep his testimonies and that seek Him with their whole heart." Psalm 119: 2

"Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee." Psalm 119: 11

"Open my eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy word." Psalm 119: 18

WORSHIP WITH ME

Today is Sunday, the day we traditionally attend church to worship God. 

In the past 20 years, worship styles have caused more division in church than probably any other single issue in the history of the church.   Many feel that you must wear a coat and tie, sing only Hymns, have a robed choir accompanied by only a piano and/or organ.  Others feel more comfortable coming to worship in tee shirts, jeans and flip flops, singing praises to the Lord as they are led in worship by a band then followed by a sermon by a preacher dressed in jeans and an untucked shirt.   So what does it REALLY mean to worship?

Webster defines worship as "reverence offered a divine being or supernatural power; extravagant respect or admiration for or devotion to an object of esteem".

When King David finally brought the Ark of the Lord into Jerusalem he "danced before the Lord with all his might....and as the Ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal Saul's daughter looked through a window and saw King David leaping  and dancing before the Lord" II Sam. 6: 14, 15  Was he worshipping?

"I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in  my mouth."  Psalm 34: 1.   Is this worship?

"Praise the Lord with harp; sing unto him with psaltery and an instrument of 10 strings, sing unto him a new song; play skillfully with a loud noise" Psalm 33: 1-3.  Is this worship?

"And I behld and I heard the voice of many angels round  about  the throne and the beasts and the elders and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands; saying with a loud voice

       Worthy is the Lamb that was slain

to receive power, and riches, and wisdom

and strength and honor and glory and blessing

Is that worship? 

"O magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together."  Psalm 34:2

If there is any verse in the Bible which defines worship, I think that is it.  My reason?  Simple.  To magnify is "to cause to be held in greater esteem or respect" or "to enlarge in fact or appearance" - Merriam Webster.  I shall choose the latter.

You see I read a statement this week that has totally re-defined my definition of worship.  Although all of the above examples are certainly applicable, this statement to me is truly what worship is to be all about. 

In his book FASTING, Jentezen Franklin wrote "When you worship you magnify God.  Your enemies or circumstances may seem to be so large and so powerful that they are all you can see.  But...when you worship, you not only magnify God but you also reduce the size and power of everything else around you." 

When we worship we are to MAGNIFY God.  As many times as I've read the Psalm 34 verse, I never saw magnify in the context of 'make larger'...like a magnifying glass.  But as I read this statement by Franklin this week, it hit me.  We are to MAGNIFY God....we are to exalt Him above all others, above EVERYTHING else in our lives.  We are to recognize Him as

 King of Kings and Lord of Lords,

the Alpha and Omega,

the Beginning and the End,

 our Savior,

 our strong high tower,

 our deliverer,

 our refuge,

our rock,

our fortress,

the Lover of our Souls,

the Lifter up of our heads.......

The list is endless.  Just go to the book of Psalms and begin to underline every word that describes Him and you will have all you need to MAGNIFY Him.

Today, won't you worship with me.  Won't you fall on your knees and MAGNIFY the Lord with me?  When you do, all of your problems and worries and concerns will diminish in the light of His glory and His power and His mighty love for you. 

ARE YOU A CHRISTIAN?

I've noticed quite a few people posting things on FACEBOOK lately regarding Jesus Christ or God.  If you believe 'this', post LIKE.  Things like "If you believe Jesus died on the cross" or "With God all things are possible" .  I dare say any of my FACEBOOK friends would not agree with those statements.  Yet the question that comes to my mind is, how many are truly believers?

If I were to ask "Are you are Christian?" I would imagine the majority of people would answer "YES".  But if you were to answer YES to that question, my next question I would ask is "What is your definition of a Christian?"

You see today many churches across this land will be filled with people who THINK they are Christians or who call themselves Christians.  Many more will NOT be in church and have not been to church in a very long time, yet they still refer to themselves as Christians. 

So I am asking the question for each of you who reads this to ponder and answer.  Are YOU a Christian and if so, what are you basing that response on?

Is it because you are the member of a church?  Being a member of a church is definitely important for God says that we are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together.  But....having your name on a church roll is not enough unless it is ALSO written in the Lamb's Book of Life.  "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God and the books were opened....and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."  Rev. 20: 12, 15

Is it because you have lived a good life...you are a good person?  No matter how good you are by man's standards, it's God's standards that count in the end.   He says "For ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23.  It doesn' t matter how many good deeds you do, you will still fall short.  You still have a sin debt and according to God "the wages [or price] of sin is death" Romans 6:23

Is it because you believe in God?  So do the devils!  "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well, the devils also believe and tremble."  James 2: 19

You see, my Friend, there is only one way that you can be a genuine Christian and that is by placing your faith and trust in Jesus Christ.  That doesn't mean having a HEAD knowlege or acknowledging that there IS a God.  It means recognizing that you are a sinner who has fallen short of God's standards and that you are in need of a Savior. 

Maybe you know all this but you've thought "I'm not ready yet to make this decision.  I want to live like I want to for a little while longer".   Maybe you've thought "When I get a little older and I'm ready to settle down".  If that has been your thinking, let me tell you about 2 of my neighbors.  One was a beautiful young woman, 38, with 2 small children who would appear to have her whole life ahead of her.   But in the blink of an eye it was all over when a tractor trailer collided with the car in which she was riding.  Our other neighbor, an older gentleman, was out cutting his grass in his front yard one day and a couple of days later was gone...dying of a massive heart attack.  You see none of us know the number of our days.  We know one thing for sure and that is ALL of us have an appointment with DEATH.  Your appointment COULD be today.

Maybe the reason you've never made this decision was that you've done some things in your life that you are ashamed of.  Maybe you feel like that God couldn't possibly want you.  Oh my friend, you are SO wrong!  God loves you.  "But God commended His love to us,  in that while we were YET sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 Did you catch that?  Christ died for you while you were YET a sinner!  He does not say 'get cleaned up first'.  You can't get clean enough to come to Christ.  If that were the case, none of us would ever come.  He says come as you are with all your faults, all your failures, all your scars.  He loves you just the way you are.  His love is unconditional.  There is nothing you can do to cause Him to love you more.  And, there is nothing you can do to cause Him to love you less. 

I hope that if you have continued reading to this point and you realize that you've carried the label "CHRISTIAN" for many years but without foundation, you will read just a few more lines....

Or if you KNOW that you are not and have thought "one day" or maybe you've even said "never", I pray you will continue to read one just a little more......

TODAY, my Friend, you can come to Christ.  You can become a CHRISTIAN.  John 3:16 says "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son that WHOSOEVER [that's YOU] believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

Right now, wherever you are reading this...you can bow your head and talk to the Lord.  Acknowledge you are a sinner.  Repent and turn from your sin, turn TO Christ, believing that He died for YOUR sin on the cross and rose from the grave.  "If you shall confess with the mouth the Lord Jesus and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved.  For with the heart man believes unto righteouness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation...for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10: 9-10, 13.  Ask Him to forgive you of your sins.  Ask Him to come into your heart and be your Savior.  Then thank Him for His salvation. 

Your prayer might sound something like this :

Lord Jesus....I know that I am a sinner and I cannot save myself.  I need your forgiveness.  I believe that you died on the cross to pay for my sins.  You paid a debt I could not pay even though it was a debt you did not owe.  I want to turn from my sin and turn to follow you instead.  I ask you to forgive me and to come into my heart and life.  I ask you to be my Savior.  Thank you Lord for saving me.  In Jesus' name...Amen

You see salvation is a FREE gift.  You cannot earn it by good works; you cannot buy it; you cannot get it by osmosis (just because your parents were Christians you do not automatically become one).  The only way to receive God's salvation is to receive it from the One who purchased it for you....JESUS CHRIST.  He's holding out His hand to you today..........won't you receive His gift?

If you do, the next thing you need to do is to tell someone....your pastor, your Christian friend, your parents or ME!!:)  Then find a church if you are not currently attending one.  Be sure it is a Bible believing church.  Then get a Bible if you do not have one and begin reading it.  Maybe you could start by finding the passages I've given you here.  Read them and underline them.  Begin reading the book of John.  That is a good place to start.  And finally pray.  Just talk to God like you would talk to your best friend.  He IS your best friend, you just didn't know it til now.

I can promise you the decision to follow Christ will be the greatest decision you ever make.  He promises to never leave you or forsake you.  He will walk with you every moment of every day and one day He will take you to Heaven to live with  Him forever. 

If you prayed that prayer or if you have questions, I hope that you will contact me through the comment section below or via email on FACEBOOK.  I would love to know that every one of my FACEBOOK friends is genuinely a CHRISTIAN, knowing the Lord Jesus personally!!  I will be praying to that end today............

THANK GOD FOR THE DIDN'TS

BIBLE MEDITATION:


2 Samuel 22:50 - “Therefore I will give thanks unto Thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto Thy name.”



DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT FROM ADRIAN ROGERS:


If we get in an automobile accident and come out alive, we typically thank God for sparing our lives. But do you ever just thank God for saving your life as you drove home from work and didn’t have an accident? Isn’t that even better? I heard a story that poignantly illustrates this. There was a family who heard that a person in their church gave a significant love offering to the memory of their son who died on the battlefield. On the way home, the wife asked her husband, “Why don’t we give an offering for our son?” He said, “Why? Our son wasn’t killed.” She said, “Don’t you think that’s a good reason?”

What things have you thanked God for lately that DIDN'T happen?

You DIDN'T get hit by a car on the way home?

You DIDN'T get a "pink slip" at work?

You DIDN'T get a call from the police that your child was in jail?

You DIDN'T find out your spouse was having an affair?

You DIDN'T get a bad diagnosis from the doctor.

You DIDN'T get a call from the bank saying your house was being foreclosed on?

You DIDN'T find out termites were devouring your house?

You DIDN'T find out your vehicle needed major, expensive repairs?

You DIDN'T find out your child had flunked out of school?

Today take time to thank God for all the things that DIDN'T happen as well as thank Him for the good things that DID! 

MAYBE TODAY?

Shortly after we arrived home Sunday evening a neighbor called to tell me that another neighbor, a young mother of 2 little boys, had been tragically killed in an automobile accident while on vacation in Colorado. It struck me like a ton of bricks.

I had just begun to get to know this young woman as we played Bunco together once a month. She was a working mom and had a lot on her plate. Her little boys are about 7 and 2.

The dad and the 7 year old were en route to Colorado, too, but they were driving towing their boat. This was to be a fishing trip with extended family. The mother and his parents had flown to Denver and were taking a rental car to the vacation location in Wyoming where they were all to eventually meet. The 2 year old remained at home with a nanny.

I'm sure months of planning had gone into this trip and the anticipation had probably been building and building. I can just imagine little Jimmy's excitement as he and his dad hooked up the boat Sunday morning and began their cross country journey together...father and son. What special times together.

Certainly Ashlea and Jim's parents were also relieved to have landed in Denver and be making their way through what had to be some beautiful country as they neared Wyoming. Their destination was almost in sight and Jim and Jimmy would be joining them soon.

None of them had tragedy on their radar. I'm sure when Jim and Ashlea kissed each other goodbye and when she kissed little Jimmy goodbye, none of them ever dreamed that it would be the last time they would see her alive. But....God knew. The clock was ticking and soon the last second of her life would be heard in Heaven and then the curtain would close on her life.

Today we each have our plans for the day. Maybe it's work as usual. Maybe we have a TO DO list a mile long that we are dreading, kids are back at school, lots to get done. Maybe you are planning a trip or anticipating a big event in your life like Ashlea and Jim were. None of us know when that last second on our clock will chime....but God does.

Psalm 31:15 says "My times are in thy hands..." Only God knows our appointed time of death. "It is appointed unto man once to die, and then the judgment." Heb. 9:27. It is a certainty that we will all face that day at some point. We just do not know when.

It could be today.

If today were to be YOUR day, are you ready? Do you know if you died today that you would spend eternity in Heaven with God?

A TIP OF THE HAT

How often does Jesus come to your mind in a given week?

Do you converse with Him throughout your day or do you occasionally yell for help when something goes wrong?

Many people believe in God....they give mental assent to the fact of His existence. They would even admit to the occasional prayer. They might own a Bible which they carry to church from time to time. But James says "You believe there is one God? You do well...the devils also believe, and tremble." James 2: 19

I know many people who profess to be Christians who have not opened their Bible in years EXCEPT on Sunday mornings, who only pray when they are in trouble and who rarely think of Jesus except on Sundays or when they or someone they know use His name in vain.

In essence, they tip their hat to Jesus and say "Thanks for dying for me on that cross. Appreciate the ticket to Heaven. See ya up there one day!" and go about their merry way. Does that describe YOU?

What does Jesus REALLY mean to you? Do you REALLY know Him at all? Do you have a RELATIONSHIP with Him? You can and I assure you that it will change your life.

Everyone must make a decision regarding Jesus. EVERYONE.

You can choose to reject Him.

You can choose to tip your hat to Him.

You can choose to call Him Savior and Lord and have a one-on-one relationship, up close and personal.

It is your choice, but it will impact you for all eternity and for every day til then.