Encouragement
After I retired from the active pastorate and 10 Interim pastorates, I decided to write my memoirs. Yes, the thought came to me that 'only famous people do that'.
But then I took my eyes (and heart) off of me and put them on God and said,
"Hey! thirteen people in the Hall of Faith (Heb.11) are mentioned by name...
but several verses are given to 'un-named followers."
There will be more of them in Heaven than famous people.
I have written a lot of pages, but won't bore you with those.
However, I do want to share some testimony, for Psalms 107:1-2 says:
"Oh give thanks unto the Lord for He is good, for His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy."
Then in verses 8-9: "O that people would praise the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works. For He satisfies the longing souls and fills the hungry soul with goodness."
I owe the two titles above to one of my favorite authors, Catherine Marshall.
She endured a lot, including the death of her 46 yr. old husband Peter.
But through her faith, she grew stronger in God's grace.
Next to Jesus, my favorite subject in the Bible is Faith.
(FAITH = Forsaking All I Take Him....For All I Trust Him)
While pastoring in Cheyenne, Wyoming in 1959, we were writing our biographies for appointment as missionaries to Korea by the International Mission Board. I guess I used the word 'wonderful' several times....and they wondered 'how' anyone's life could be so wonderful.
My life HAS been wonderful. Even in the midst of 32 radiation treatments for vocal chord cancer, God gave me a special thought that I call 'God's Serendipities' (unexpected helps in time of need).
I reflected back to when we were unable to return to Korea as missionaries.
When the letter came informing us that we could not return, the chapter that I was reading that very night was' The Prayer of Relinquishment' in Catherine Marshall's book, 'Beyond Ourselves'.
This we have tried to do and for 56 yrs. and God has not disappointed us and thankfully He has continued to use us for His Glory!
We like she, have found that 'God can make a difference in every human situation.'
I agree with Catherine Marshall who said, "I have found that the best times when I sought to meet God at every turn, had NOT been on the easy 'straight-aways', but on the 'turns' when I least expected the realization of His presence. Many of these times we had to go forward on faith alone, that Jesus was with us, leading all the way!"
Following are 4 truths that La Moyne and I have found in our pilgrimage of marriage and family:
~GOD'S POWER has not diminished. (I John 4:1-4)
Before leaving for Korea, we taught our 3 and 5 yr. old sons, a song to sing in the churches where we spoke - 'All Power is Given Unto Me, All Power is given unto Me, Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel and Lo, I am with you always!" (28:18-20)
Our small sons (our 3rd son was born while we lived in Seoul, Korea) were good missionaries! Sometimes it seemed that they were learning the Korean language faster than La Moyne and I (even though we studied 7 hrs. each day at the Yon Sei University Language School in Seoul for 2 yrs.)
~GOD'S PROMISES have not ceased.
(Titus 1:2) God Who promises can not lie! J.O. Sanders in his book, 'Power Unlimited' wrote: "God's promises cover the whole range of human need. There will be no conceivable circumstance of life for which there is not an appropriate promise, waiting to be claimed. Promises are 'keys' that open every lock, for they cover the whole realm of human experience."
We MUST know the promises....claim the promises....and trust the Promisor.
~GOD'S PROGRAM has not changed. His Program is wrapped up in the 2 Great Commandments:
"Love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength" and....
"To love our neighbor as ourselves" (Luke 10: 27-28)
Then Jesus told the story of the good Samaritan, emphasizing Christ-like love is 'active love', able to see needs and willing to help.
So HIS program has as it's keys:
~Love
~Evangelism
~Missions
~Ministry
GOD'S PROVISIONS have not lessened. (Phil. 4:19)
"For my God shall supply all of my needs, according to His riches in Glory by Christ Jesus."
In response to these 4 truths, the following must happen in our lives:
1) What God claims, I yield. (Romans 6:13)
2) What I yield, God accepts. 'All to Jesus, I surrender...all to Him, I freely give'
3) What God accepts, He fills. (Eph. 5:18 following)
4) What He fills, He uses. (See Fruits of the Holy Spirits in Gal. 5:22-23)
5) What He uses, He blesses.
We may not can hold much, but we can overflow a lot.
We are blessed to be a blessing!
Vitamin C is good for our physical health, but best of all, are the Vitamin C's for our spiritual health:
~God Calls
~God Cares
~God Controls
A children's song, says, "My best friend is Jesus, Love Him-Serve Him-Praise Him" but none of these happen unless we "Crown Him."
When God tests you, it is a good time for you to test Him, by proving His promises, claiming from Him just as much as your trials have rendered necessary.
~Malachi 3:8-9 God says, "Prove me now"
~Colossians 3:23 gives the key, "Shut up to faith"
~Romans 10:17 says "Let your faith grow by the Word of God."
You can always have faith, but it must be applied to the situation.
It is a lifestyle....and we call it, 'Redeeming Every Situation'.
Let's think about this for a moment.
If we don't do this, what are the alternatives?
The main one is 'failure in relationships' (short-term or long-term).
In fact, long-term relationships depend on 'redeeming every situation' in the short-term.
Jesus is our prime Example of redeeming every situation (even the Cross)....
and our situations won't ever be as difficult.
The past 2 yrs. have been a very difficult time for La Moyne... beginning last Aug. when she fell off our front porch, tearing her rotator cuff.
She said that many times when the pain is almost unbearable, she tries to focus on the pain Jesus must have felt while hanging on The Cross.
Then when her adrenal gland stopped functioning and she was too weak to sit up in the hospital bed, she said her thoughts again turned to Christ on the Cross. Both of her heart attacks (as well as 2 more falls) have taken a physical/mental toll on her.
When the fall last month fractured her spine, she has cried out in pain many times, but keeps reminding herself that all of this does not even come close to what Jesus went through for us!
Though the body brace is so uncomfortable, she looks forward to the end of the 6 wks. and prays that the x-ray then will show that it has healed.
You carry a heavy load? He carried a heavier one....sin!
You are lonely? He was more lonely! (Matt. 26:36-46)
You suffer? Consider the depth and length of His suffering.....
rejected by most (whom He loved so much).
We pray that you will meet God at every turn in YOUR life.
May God mightily bless you this week!
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com. This is especially true with articles that
deal with personal healthcare and prophecy. We encourage the reader to make their own decision in consultation with God, His Word, and others as needed.
This article has been read 1791 times < Previous | Next >
Read more articles by Travis Wiginton or search for other articles by topic below.
This article has been read 1791 times < Previous | Next >
Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)
Read more by clicking on a link:Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.
You are lonely? He was more lonely! (Matt. 26:36-46)
You suffer? Consider the depth and length of His suffering.....
rejected by most (whom He loved so much)." Wow....
When I really stop and do consider how much He suffered for me, I cannot imagine how He could do it or why He even did it. I do not deserve such a Saviour! None of us do...but He loves us anyway. Knowing that He loved us so much to die for us and then being called by Him to come to know Him personally is just the most wonderful thing, isn't it? It took a miracle :) I love yall,
Julia