When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. Isaiah 43:2.
God has a church upon the earth, who are His chosen people, who keep His commandments. He is leading, not stray offshoots, not one here and one there, but a people.
There is no need to doubt, to be fearful that the work will not succeed. God is at the head of the work, and He will set everything in order. If matters need adjusting at the head of the work, God will attend to that, and work to right every wrong. Let us have faith that God is going to carry the noble ship which bears the people of God safely into port.
When I voyaged from Portland, Maine, to Boston, many years ago, a storm came upon us, and the great waves dashed us to and fro. The chandeliers fell, and the trunks were rolled from side to side, like balls. The passengers were frightened, and many were screaming, waiting in expectation of death.
After a while the pilot came on board. The captain stood near the pilot as he took the wheel, and expressed fear about the course in which the ship was directed. “Will you take the wheel?” asked the pilot. The captain was not ready to do that, for he knew that he lacked experience. Then some of the passengers grew uneasy, and said they feared the pilot would dash them upon the rocks. “Will you take the wheel?” asked the pilot; but they knew that they could not manage the wheel.
When you think that the work is in danger, pray, “Lord, stand at the wheel. Carry us through the perplexity. Bring us safely into port.” Have we not reason to believe that the Lord will bring us through triumphantly? . . .
You cannot with your finite minds understand the working of all the providences of God. Let God take care of His own work.
Maranatha p. 129
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Prayer Requests
—–Please pray for Leisa whose cancer has returned. Pray for the family as well.
—— Please keep my family in your prayers, as my daddy fell asleep in Jesus this 2nd day of December. Me, Linda and Gail have been so blessed to have called him daddy. Diane
——Please pray for Brian as he travels to Macau to preach for a week of prayer there. Rose
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Dear Friends,
A few years ago, Ron and I went camping at a nearby lake. Normally, whenever we go camping, we all go, but this particular time we decided to spend some quality time alone. We really didn’t do anything special. We spent a lot of time talking and reading and just gazing out over the water. As we were sitting on the shore, we noticed a boat attempting to pull a water-skier behind it. The child was about eight, so we concluded that this was her first time trying to ski. She had all the right equipment and the will to learn, but things just were not going too well. The little girl was doing everything right and was getting up fine, but she could not stay up.
It was not her fault, however. It was the person driving the boat who lacked the ability to drive with such a tiny skier behind. Each time this little girl got up, he would put the boat into full power. This caused her to become off balance. She did not have the strength to stay in the proper position against such a powerful motor. She hung on tightly until she would finally lose her grip. It reminded us of a flag flapping in the wind behind the boat.
Over and over again she tried, but eventually she gave up without success. What was said to her when she got into the boat, we could not tell; but we hoped that she was encouraged to try another day. We could only hope that she was not faulted for her inability. Yet, I’m sure that she felt like she was to blame.
Just as the man behind the wheel in that boat needed to find the right balance between too much and too little power, so we need that same balance in our interaction with all around us. How often we want to show others the truth that they need to know, but we try to show them too much too fast and it is overwhelming. All we accomplish is turning them away. Our motives are right, but our approach is all wrong. We do not naturally possess the wisdom to be “wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” Matt 10:16
How much we need the wisdom from Above. James tells us, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” James 1:5 Our Great Creator is the source of all power, all wisdom and He has promised to give us the amount we need. All we need to do is to ask and to believe that we receive. James continues, “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.” vs 6,7
God’s Word teaches us, “For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little. Isa 28:10 As we search and share God’s message to us, we are like a builder building continuously upon a firm foundation. We do not build all at once, but a little at a time. As we are building, we must build upon Jesus, the Cornerstone. Paul speaks of this: “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” Eph 2:19-22 Peter also writes, “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” 1 Peter 2:1-10
How easy it is for us sometimes to give doctrine alone. A head knowledge without a heart knowledge is useless. Jesus must be in all we teach, in all of our words, in all our actions, in all our thoughts. How can we find the balance we need? Only by God’s Holy Spirit working through us. Jesus has assured us that if we ask He will supply our need. “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” Luke 11:9-13 Our Dear Saviour longs to impart His Spirit to us that we may bring others to Him. All we have to do is ask and believe that we receive. What a wonderful Redeemer!
May we be faithful watchmen and sound the warning call in a balanced way, that those around us may learn and accept the Message for these last days. May we daily ask for the Holy Spirit that we may speak the Word “in season, out of season.” 2 Tim 4:2 May we plead each morning for that promised wisdom in order to bring others to the Chief Cornerstone is my prayer.
Rose