When I think back to being a small girl, I have the vision of being in a Sunday School room with Jesus standing beside me, holding my hand.
That image has remained with me all my 70+ years.
With that image, I've known that Christ was by my side, and it helped me to become the woman I am today.
When a teen, I was impressed during a youth meeting, to go upstairs with others to give my heart and life to Jesus.
Jesus then became dear to me, and I believe He helped me make decisions to seek Him in all that I did.
The 8 Benefits of Salvation (Michael Brooks, of The New
Pocket Testament League, www.ptl.org)
Benefit #1: We now have peace with God.
Benefit #2: Through Jesus we gain access to God.
Benefit #3: Our hope of glory is in Jesus.
Benefit #4: We achieve victory through suffering (suffering
leads to perseverance, perseverance to character,
and character results in hope).
Benefit #5: We experience the love of God.
Benefit #6: The Holy Spirit guides us.
Benefit #7: We are saved from God's wrath.
Benefit #8: We have Joy in God.
(From the list of 8 Benefits of Salvation by Michael Brooks, I will place each appropriate one throughout my message today.)
Benefit #1: (I) now have peace with God.
Benefit #2: Through Jesus (I) gain access to God.
Benefit #3: (My) hope of glory is in Jesus.
I was married to a handsome Air Force man in '55, and moved to Charleston, SC. We had a son named Bill, and the following year, were stationed at Ramey Air Force Base in Puerto Rico.
We had a set of twin boys, Dave and Steve, while in Puerto Rico. When they were 6 months old, we moved to Austin, TX, where we lived for 1 year. From there we moved on to Fort Walton Beach, FL. and then, to Hummelstown, PA.
As I had been seeking to know God more over the years, I had gone to several churches thinking, "There has to be more than this!"
Sometime after I found a Pentecostal church that drew my interest, my husband left me and our 8 yr. old twins, and Bill, who was 10.
Unfortunately, I hadn't receive biblical advice, or things may well
have been quite different.
My faith was tested through these trying times, for sure, but the
Lord became more and more Real to me, as I desperately sought
Him and His will for us.
When I received the Holy Ghost in '66, it drastically changed me,
and I began to realize that God was enabling me to grow in grace
and faith in Him daily, more than ever before.
The Baptism with the Holy Ghost (My blog post on the Holy Ghost)
Benefit #4: We achieve victory through suffering (suffering
leads to perseverance, perseverance to character,
and character results in hope).
Benefit #5: We experience(d) the love of God.
Benefit #6: The Holy Spirit guides (me).
Benefit #8: We have Joy in God.
I married again, and about a year and a half later, my husband left to go back to NY to live, so I became a "single mom" again. I had our son, John, after he left.
Sometime after my three older sons had left home, our marriage
was restored, and we eventually
moved to Vermont, where we
lived on 3 different homestead locations over 17 years.
Times were hard, interesting, and challenging. We have many
good memories there, growing gardens, canning, and scavenging
wild foods, like milk weed, (top tender leaves for canning), and
raised rabbits, chickens, goats, pigs, and a steer.
We had two cows too, which had to be milked, (by hand, until we
got a milking machine), even after evening working hours at the
Jay Peak Ski Resort! A generator became a large blessing, for sure!
We had two cows too, which had to be milked, (by hand, until we
got a milking machine), even after evening working hours at the
Jay Peak Ski Resort! A generator became a large blessing, for sure!
There came a time that I left Vermont, after John left, and lived with another son. As I walk now in obedience to our Heavenly Father, I'm assured that He guides me daily, and that He is pleased with me. I fully expect to meet Christ in glory someday, when I'm called home!
Benefit #7: We are saved from God's wrath.
My husband and I are becoming friends, so only the Lord knows what our future holds...
What Do People See, Lord?
Even if I face a crisis
Can my friends and family see
Your peace and joy and gentleness
Flowing out of me?
Do they notice that I trust in You
To guide and pull me through...
To guide and pull me through...
That no matter what is happening
I keep my eyes on You?
I hope my life will always be
A beacon of Your light,
So others, too, will trust in You
And walk by faith, not sight.
Frances Gregory Pasch
From Double Vision: Seeing God in Everyday Life through
Devotions and Poetry by Frances
Gregory Pasch published by Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. (pg. 52)
Used by permission.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
This song/video, my friend, will touch your heart, as maybe nothing else will...
This song/video, my friend, will touch your heart, as maybe nothing else will...
Father, we admit our need of Your guidance and help.
It is my desire to please You in all that I choose to do, so I'm asking for Your wisdom in the various decisions that are coming up, which involve me.
Open my eyes to what Your will and plan for me is, so I can be attentive to Your Voice within me, directing my life..
Fill me with Your Holy Spirit now, and baptize me with divine strength to live my life daily to Your honor and glory.
I ask this in the Holy Name of Your Son, Jesus. Amen.
Today’s Bible verse: Romans 5:11 "Not only is this so, but
we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through
whom we have now received reconciliation."
we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through
whom we have now received reconciliation."
Today’s quotes:
yes to God means making the choice to trust Him even when
you can’t understand why He requires some of the things He
does. It also means that once you’ve said yes to God, you
refuse to turn back even when things get hard.”
yes to God means making the choice to trust Him even when
you can’t understand why He requires some of the things He
does. It also means that once you’ve said yes to God, you
refuse to turn back even when things get hard.”
Paulo
Coelho – “Be brave. Take risks. Nothing can substitute
experience.
Billy Graham – “In my own life I have been privileged to know what some of the dying saints said before they went to heaven. My grandmother sat up in her bed, smiled, and said, “I see Jesus, and He has His hand outstretched to me. And there is Ben, and he has both of his eyes and both of his legs.” (Ben, my grandfather, had lost a leg and an eye at Gettysburg.) (This is taken from Billy Graham’s devotional, UNTO THE HILLS, for Jan. 26th, 2014).
experience.
Billy Graham – “In my own life I have been privileged to know what some of the dying saints said before they went to heaven. My grandmother sat up in her bed, smiled, and said, “I see Jesus, and He has His hand outstretched to me. And there is Ben, and he has both of his eyes and both of his legs.” (Ben, my grandfather, had lost a leg and an eye at Gettysburg.) (This is taken from Billy Graham’s devotional, UNTO THE HILLS, for Jan. 26th, 2014).
Some thoughts today: As Jesus is entirely irrelevant to the
world in general, we must help them know their need of a
Savior, namely, Jesus Christ.
world in general, we must help them know their need of a
Savior, namely, Jesus Christ.
- We need to share the Word of God, so we can speak to
the issues of our day.
the issues of our day.
- The book of Ephesians, found in the New Testament in the Bible,
is called "The Grand Canyon of Scripture". The first three chapters
reveal who we are, once saved, and the last three tell us how to
walk the Christian life successfully.
is called "The Grand Canyon of Scripture". The first three chapters
reveal who we are, once saved, and the last three tell us how to
walk the Christian life successfully.
4th- Tuesday’s post: #59 Three Types of Personal
Intercessors C. Peter Wagner
Intercessors C. Peter Wagner
6th- Thursday's post: #60 Gary Greenwald's Team C. Peter Wagner
8th- Saturday's post: Are You Afraid of Losing Your Salvation? Michael Brooks
9th- Sunday's post: When God is Silent Dr. Charles Stanley
A popular post:
smile in the face of the unknown and trust Him, follow Him
faithfully, we will honor our Father and give Him a moment of
joy and happiness.
smile in the face of the unknown and trust Him, follow Him
faithfully, we will honor our Father and give Him a moment of
joy and happiness.
 |
| Me, with my local family, Bill, Nancy, Ana, and Ben. |
If you've read my book, Granny's Guide to Marriage in Verse
Would you please check it out on Amazon to leave
a good report? Jean's book for review
Would you please check it out on Amazon to leave
a good report? Jean's book for review
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