For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. Isaiah 41:13.
The sun shone brilliantly on the dazzling snow of one of the highest mountains of the Alps, as a traveler followed his guide along the narrow path…. He had confidence in his guide, and followed fearlessly in his footsteps, though the track was entirely new to him. Suddenly he hesitated; for the bold mountaineer stepped across a narrow but very deep chasm, and then, holding out his hand, asked … [him] to take it, and step across. Still the traveler hesitated, but the guide encouraged him to obey, saying reassuringly, “Take my hand; that hand never lets go.”
Dear young friends, One greater than any human guide calls upon you to follow Him over the heights of patience and self-sacrifice. The path is not an easy one…. All the way along, Satan has prepared pitfalls for the feet of the unwary. But following our Guide, we may walk with perfect security; for the path is consecrated by His footsteps. It may be steep and rugged, but He has traveled it; His feet have pressed down the thorns to make the way easier for us. Every burden we are called upon to bear, He Himself has borne. Personal contact with Him brings light and hope and power. Of those who follow Him, He says, “They shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” John 10:28.
We are to live only one day at a time. We do not have to do the work of a lifetime in a few hours. We need not look into the future with anxiety; for God has made it possible for us to be overcomers every day.
By the exercise of living faith today, we are to conquer the enemy. We must today seek God, and be determined that we will not rest satisfied without His presence. We should watch and work and pray as though this were the last day that would be granted us.
If you are right with God today, you are ready if Christ should come today.
The Faith I Live By p. 249
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for my cousin Jennifer, Chris, and their four children. They have decided to get a divorce. J
—-Please pray that my niece will receive salvation. I believe she is on the verge right now. Jean
—-Vince is having hip replacement Friday and his wife asked if we would pray for it to be safe and healing. In a lot of pain at the moment. Michael
—-I have a prayer request. Last week I fell at home. I fell on my right knee and now have to just take it easy. I’m having a hard time doing that. I feel awful about burdening everyone. They don’t seem to mind, but I do. Anyway, I have a million things I need done before the holiday. I have an appointment with the orthopedic Dr. in two weeks and I have to get X-rays before then. I’m a so stressed just sitting here. Please if you could pray for my knee to heal and pray I didn’t rupture my tendon. Heather
—-My Aunt Carol is currently in surgery to remove the heart/lung machine please pray for her! Pamela
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Dear Friends,
Before we had children, I worked at an extended care facility in the physical therapy department. My job was to go to the patients’ rooms and do passive or resistive exercises as well as gait training for those who were able. One day, my patient had gone to the sun room for a little socialization. When I got there, we visited a bit before going back to her room for the exercises.
As we visited about her children and her hopes that she would soon be well enough to return home, she noticed that I was watching a rather strange-looking woman on the other side of the room. The poor lady was bent almost double and obviously had the mind of a child. Yet, she was pleasant and helpful to all.
Seeing my interest in this little lady, my patient told me what she knew about her. She had once been perfectly normal, full of life, full of fun. On her graduation night, she and her friends went out to celebrate. They got into a terrible accident and some were killed. She was in a coma for months and had injured her spine. When she woke up, she was no longer the vivacious, fun-loving girl. She had the mind of an eight year old. Her spine had become twisted and bent through poor medical care. She eventually learned to walk in that position and throughout the decades that followed never improved either phyically or mentally. When her parents died, she had to be institutionalized. How much that celebrating cost her.
Just as that little woman’s life had forever changed because of that one “joyride,” so one cherished sin can change the course of our life. One cherished sin can cause us to step off from the path that leads to that Heavenly Land. As we toy with our “darling” sin, feed it, hold on to it, refuse to let it go, it eventually takes over our life until we find ourselves crippled by it, spiritually retarded. Isaiah warns, “Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” Isa 59:1, 2 We become as Jesus lamented, “For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.” Matt 13:15 James adds, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.” James 2:10-12
Praise God! He does not leave us retarded and crippled by sin. When Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, they not only had to bear the consequences but set in motion the downward course of this planet. Yet, our Great Creator did not leave them without hope. He promised, “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Gen 3:15 So He offers us a way of escape from the evil that binds us. Our Loving Redeemer calls, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die?” Isa 45:22; Eze 33:11 Praise God! We do not have to die! “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” “Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” 2 Cor 5:21;
Heb 7:25
May we put away all sin from our life, no matter how dear it may seem to us. May we declare as did Paul, “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” 2 Tim 1:12 “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.” Jude 24
Rose

The Hand that Never Lets Go