Encouragement
Today's title is the theme of La Moyne's life and she uses it quite often.
Her other theme (which will be on her tombstone if I'm still around)
is 'Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
We both would like to say 'Thank you' to each of you who read our website articles!!
This is article #81 since Oct. 2004.
Some of you have been with us all the way and we're always grateful for new readers who 'climb onboard'. Your responses have been most encouraging, so we will 'keep on keeping on' as long as we live....or until Jesus comes!
Isaiah 58:11:
"The Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your soul in drought and strengthen you.
You will be like a well-watered garden whose source never fails."
Psalms 107 is a great accounting of how genuine and good God was to Israel.
Vs. 1-2: "O give thanks unto the Lord for He is good and His mercies will endure forever.
So, let the redeemed of the Lord say so whom He has redeemed."
Vs. 8-9: "O that we would praise the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works.
He truly satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry heart with goodness."
My favorite subject, next to Jesus (and my wife) is Faith.
Faith connotes an object in which we have faith.
There are more and more objects 'out there' to want and have faith in, but nothing nor no one can take the place of Jesus! If God can give you faith enough to be saved, He can give enough faith for lesser miracles and happenings.
True faith drops the letter in the post office box and lets go of it!
Right in the midst of our deepest distress and anxiety, Jesus is waiting for Resurrection!
The Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 3:10: "That I may know Him and the power of His Resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death."
Faith means 'Trust in....rely upon....and cling to'. Here is a brief study guide on Faith:
1) Saved by Faith (Eph. 2:8-9)
2) Live by Faith (Gal. 2:20)
3) Kept by Faith (I Peter 1:5)
4) Eternal Life by Faith (John 3:16)
5) Walk by Faith (II Cor. 5:7)
6) A 'fruit of the spirit' is Faith (Gal. 5:23)
7) Shield of Faith for armor (Eph. 6:16)
8) Resist satan by Faith (I Peter 5:8-9)
9) Impossible to please God without Faith (Heb. 11:6)
10) Faith comes by hearing/reading the Word of God (Rom. 10:17)
(Faith goes beyond reason, not against it!)
Just this week, I heard a preacher emphasize 'if you have faith, no matter how small, speak it and it will grow." (II Corinthians 4: 13-18)
The devotional in 'Streams in the Desert' for Dec. 15th is:
"Faith expresses more the 'act of the will'.
Belief and believe express the 'act of the mind and intellect'.
Trust is the longing of the heart for complete yielded-ness."
God gives enough faith for what...or who...we face.
Even the song is true: "Prayer is the key to Heaven, but Faith unlocks the door."
Jesus also said, "Ask, seek, knock!"
With a large family like our's (or for anyone) we must have FAITH for MORE THAN ENOUGH!
1) More than enough TO BELIEVE that 'with God, ALL things are possible!' (Matt. 19:26)
2) More than enough GRACE... to be gracious at all times, with all people!
3) More than enough HOPE to be hopeful....and not hopeless!
4) More than enough LOVE to be lovely, lovable, and loving!
5) More than enough JOY for the journey....and every turn in the road!
6) More than enough STRENGTH to stay strong to the end!
I was saved at 11 yrs. of age, married at 25, called into the pastoral ministry at 26 yrs. of age. Between then and now, I have seen how great and good God has 'Guided and Provided'.
La Moyne and I believe that Bible Study, Prayer and Promises are the keys to God's Leadership....along with Faith!
Here are a few examples that I call 'Happy Happenings':
1) During the time that we were both looking for our mate, God moved La Moyne's family from Hobart, Okla. to Colorado Springs, Colorado. Years later, I was drafted by the Army and sent from my home in Altus, Okla. to Ft. Carson, Colo. where La Moyne and I met in church.
Hobart is only 30 miles from Altus, but we had not met.....until it was God's Timing...
all those many miles away!
2) I was called to preach in the 1st year of our marriage, so we moved to Southwestern Seminary in Texas. While there we began to feel the call to Missions. In order to be appointed, I was going to need pastoral experience, so we were praying about that.
The day before I graduated from Seminary (7-19-57) I was asked to consider pastoring the First Southern Baptist Church in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
It became one of our most enjoyable and fruitful ministries.
3) We applied for Foreign Mission appointment and during the 'waiting period', we were leaning in the direction of Indonesia (mainly because we had friends who were serving there). However, we were advised to consider our backgrounds and personalities as to whether we needed to serve in a 'responsive field'. The countries of Bangladesh, Taiwan and Korea were mentioned.
God led us to Korea and it became a real joy and fulfilling experience for us and our 2 sons, Craig (5 yrs. old) and Kevin (3)
Our 3rd son, Kyle was born on July 4, 1961 while we were in language school in Seoul.
As we were leaving Severance Hospital there in Seoul, the Korean nurses told La Moyne
"You are a RICH person because you have all sons! NOW, you can have a daughter!"
(Which we did, as on Nov. 2, 1965 in Norman, Okla. our daughter, Kristin La Moyne was born!)
We have helped to start Korean churches in Norman, Oklahoma; Kona, Hawaii and helped to strengthen the Korean congregation at Wailuku Baptist Maui years ago (which is now called Valley Isle Fellowship).
God's delays can become our delight...so have patience my friend.
4) "California here we come....all 6 of us!"
I've shared before how we were unable to return to Korea after La Moyne injured her back in Korea and had to have surgery.
God opened the door for me to serve on the staff of First Baptist Church, Norman, Oklahoma (which had been my home church during my college days at OU).
I was asked to serve as Campus Minister for Baptist students at OU. During this time, the church sent 100 members to the southwest part of Norman to a Baptist Mission.
That was in 1963 and Bethel Baptist Church was started.
Many years later, I pastored Bethel for 11 yrs. and where we are still members.
We were praying that we would be able to return to Korea, but in late 1964, we learned that that would not be possible.
Soon after that, we were asked to consider the pastorate of Foothill Baptist Church, Los Altos, California. We were not thrilled about moving our 4 children to the San Francisco Bay Area (a long way from gr'parents!) However we went in 'view of a call' and the committee was to call on Tuesday for our answer. We needed a Promise!!
As we were reading our daily devotional for Oct. 18th in 'Streams in the Desert' God spoke to us in Genesis 15:13-14...
"He said unto Abraham, know of a surety that thy seed shall be strangers in a land that is not their's....they shall afflict them four hundred years.....and afterwards they shall come out with great substance!"
As we humans so often do (even AFTER God had given us a Promise) we were still hesitant about moving so far away.
Listen to the Promise that He gave us 'doubting Thomases' the next morning in our 'Streams' devotional.
"The ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them"!!! (Num. 10:33)
Couldn't be much more plain, huh?!
God gave us 5 great years at Foothill and fulfilled His promise as He always will.
We have SO many more experiences that we would love to share with you about the Promises that God has given our family, but maybe that needs to go into the book that La Moyne has wanted to write for so many years.
She has always said that she would entitle it, "How God Guided and Provided".
More later on God's Will, but for now, write down YOUR memories as the Holy Spirit guides you. Bill Gaither says,
"Memories are the fabric of 'who' we are."
"He Leadeth Me, O Blessed Thought
O words with Heavenly comfort fraught.
What ere' I do, where ere' I be,
Still 'tis God's Hand that leadeth me.
And when my task on earth is done,
When by Thy grace the victory's won.
Even death's cold wave, I will not flee
Since God through Jordan leadeth me."
CHORUS:
He leadeth me, He leadeth me, by His own hand, He leadeth me.
His faithful follower I would be, for by His hand, He leadeth me."
(Words by Joseph H. Gilmore)
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