FOR HE IS SO PRECIOUS!

FOR HE IS SO PRECIOUS!

Today, in our area, is another day of rain and wind, and dark clouds in the sky.  That is how this past week has been in my life as I walk this path with my Lord.  There have been times of tears, of fear, and times of weariness.  I know many of you have times such as these.  There are nights of darkness as we walk in the valley of despair. 

I know of so many right now that are walking a dark valley of sickness and pain.  And it is like there is “no light at the end of the tunnel.” And sometimes we feel so very alone and discouraged.  But we are not alone, even though it seems that Jesus is so far away.  But in this walk of faith, I have come to know that He has never left me.  I don’t understand entirely why we have to go through a lot of things, but God knows. 

But today I realize afresh how very precious is Jesus! He comes to us in the midst of our doubts and fears with His precious love and abiding presence.  It is time to look on the other side of my struggle and know afresh this Wonderful Savior, who died for me and His promise of eternal life with Him.  I look out my window and see those clouds and realize that my God created those clouds, My God brings the rain and My God controls the wind.  And in my life, He is control of those winds, that rain, and those storms that pound on me along this path to heaven. 

And it is in these times, as I go into His Word, especially the Psalms and feel His comforting arms around me.  He is my strength and my song!  And as I ponder on His marvelous grace, He becomes so precious and I wonder how I could have every doubted Him.  I know it is hard in the midst of night seasons when the tears flow.  But He is in indeed so precious! 

So my friends, if you are in the midst of a dark valley of pain and trial right now, be reminded that this precious Savior loves you so much.  And there will be a time when you will again be on the mountain top of blessings and you will look back on that valley that you walked through and see His footprints all the way as He carried you through that valley onto the mountain top again, for He is so precious!

 HE IS SO PRECIOUS TO ME

“So precious is Jesus, My Saviour, my King, His praise all the day long with rapture I sing; to Him in my weakness for strength I can cling, for He is so precious to me.

CHORUS:  For He is so precious to me, for He is so precious to me; ‘tis heaven below my Redeemer to know, for He is so precious to me.

He stood at my heart’s door ‘mid sunshine and rain, and patiently waited an entrance to gain; what shame that so long He entreated in vain, for He is so precious to me.

I stand on the mountain of blessing at last, no clouds in the heavens a shadow to cast; His smile is upon me, the valley is past, for He is so precious to me.

I praise Him because He appointed a place, where someday, thro’ faith in His wonderful grace, I know I shall see Him, shall look on His face, for He is so precious to me.” (Charles H. Gabriel)

And He calls us to praise Him because He is indeed our strength.  We are weak but our Precious Jesus is strong.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling” Psalm 46:1-3.

And there He is, our Precious Lord, calling us not to fear even though we feel like our “whole world” is crashing down around us.  And we can hide in Him, our “refuge and our strength.”

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him and He with me” Revelation 3:20.

And sometimes in the storm, our hearts are so fearful and our eyes dimmed by tears, that we don’t hear Him calling us to let Him come in and calm our hearts and bring us peace.  He is patient and He waits for us to cry out to Him.  We have to open the door to Him.  And then He comes bringing us His Wonderful peace and calls us to take Him as our “Bread of Life.”

He also is calling if you do not know this Precious Jesus as your Savior and Lord.  He stands at your heart’s door waiting for you, my friend.  And He invites you to open your heart and let Him come in and be your Lord and your King.

“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.  And everyone who has this hope in purifies himself, just as He is pure” I John 3:2-3.

Yes, He has appointed us a place, because we are His children, who have made Him their Lord and Savior.  He promises us that He is building us a mansion in John 14:1-3.  What a precious promise and hope we have in Him!  And we try to imagine what it will be like to see Him face to face.  We just know according to His Word in I Corinthians 15:50-53, that when Jesus comes, we will be changed from this old body of flesh into a body like His glorious body.  We shall see Him face to face just as He is.

“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.  Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known” I Corinthians 13:12.

For right now, until Jesus comes, glimpses of eternity and His Wonderful face are veiled, but someday, oh, Praise the Lord, we shall finally see Him face to face!

Let His Word dwell in you and bring encouragement to your heart today.  And when we have these precious promises, we are filled with hope.  We have that “Blessed hope” ((Titus 2:13), and we can look forward to eternity with our Precious Lord!  And as we think on these things, He becomes more precious everyday as we walk along this pathway with Him.

In Jesus’ Name,

Pastor Sharon

SINGING THE WONDERFUL STORY

SINGING THE WONDERFUL STORY

It is wonderful to know that in the midst of trials and the struggles we all go through, God gives a song.  It seems like music just comes out of the depths of my heart at times.  I grew up with hymns, and they are always with me.  They encourage me in times of discouragement and in times of joy. 

Hymns tell the story of the love of Jesus, His Mighty Power and His salvation at the cross. We sing hymns of His birth at Christmas and hymns of His mighty resurrection at Easter.  Songs of Heaven make us want to shout for joy and long for His soon return and our eternal home. Some magnify our Mighty King and call us to worship.   I could go on and on, as hymns have blessed the church for hundreds of years.  And hymns become personal to each one in given situations.

 A hymn may bring back a memory of an event that happened long ago, or it may bring comfort in time of sorrow.  I remember in times of pain or distress when the Lord has brought a hymn to my mind.  Sometimes I have not heard that song for many years nor have heard it sung in recent years. Here is one we sang in our church when I was a child, and I found it in an old hymnbook.  Many of you will remember the tune to this precious hymn that I have included here.  And truly our Salvation causes us to sing of Jesus, our Wonderful Lord and His great love for us!

I WILL SING THE WONDROUS STORY

“I will sing the wondrous story of the Christ who died for me – how He left His home in glory for the cross of Calvary.

Yes, I’ll sing the wondrous story of the Christ who died for me, sing it with the saints in glory, gathered by the crystal sea.

I was lost but Jesus found me – found the sheep that went astray, threw His loving arms around me, drew me back into His way.

Days of darkness still come o’er me, sorrow’s paths I often tread; but the Savior still is with me – by His hand I’m safely led.

He will keep me till the river rolls its waters at my feet’ then He’ll bear me safely over where the loved ones I shall meet.”

Yes, I’ll sing the wondrous story of the Christ who died for me, sing it with the saints in glory, gathered by the crystal sea. (Francis Harold Rowley (1854-1943)

Yes, how wonderful it is to sing about our Jesus, who came to this earth, God in the flesh, as a little baby, with one goal in mind, to die on that cross for you and for me, to bring us forgiveness of sins by His shed blood.  And we sing of His glorious resurrection from the tomb and the wonderful promise of eternal life with Him!

“What man of you having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? “And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. “And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance” Luke 15:4-7.

Think of that, my friends.  Are you one of His lost sheep?  I too was a lost sheep, but my Jesus found me when I was but a child and drew me into His loving arms.  And He wants to draw you back into His arms if you have wondered away from Him.  He is the Good Shepherd who goes after His precious sheep.  And think of the rejoicing in Heaven when one of His lost sheep is found!  I try to imagine what the angel chorus must be like when another sinner enters the fold!  The angels must have a “party” continuously!

We all have our dark days and we all experience sorrow.  We stumble and fall as we walk this path with Jesus.  Some days we don’t see the “Son.”  But He is there behind those dark clouds of fear and tears.  The day may be foggy and the storm howling around us, but Jesus is there and leading us by the hand through that storm.  Oh, Praise the Lord!  I have been through some stormy times lately and know of others who are going through some storms right now.  But we know that He promises to never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).  Here is a simple chorus we used to sing and it speaks of those clouds that come into our lives and Jesus is the only one we can look to in those times.

“Jesus is the one, yes, He’s the only one.  Let Him have His way until the day is done.  When He speaks you know the clouds will have to go, just because He loves you so.”

And He promises to keep us until that day, when we cross the last mile of the way, when all those storms come no more, we can enter Heaven’s glory with a song in our heart forever singing with the angel chorus of the love that that He has shown us along the way as we walked with Him.  Forever we will sing the wonderful story of His love. 

Think of that, my friends, being with wonderful Savior forever and ever.  And I trust you can claim Him as your Savior and look forward to an eternity of joy everlasting, singing around the throne with all the saints gathered there.  What a reunion we look forward to, loved ones, friends and those gone on ahead of us!  Let us keep a song in our heart, as we remember our Precious Lord this day and the victories that have been won.  Praise His Holy Name!

Pastor Sharon

IF YOU THIRST, JUST COME!

IF YOU THIRST, JUST COME!

As summer is winding down, and we look forward to cooler, fall weather, we still have hot weather here, and a person can get very thirsty and dry.  The garden withers in the heat of the day longing for a cool watering.  We can’t seem to get enough water in the heat, as we carry our bottles or containers of water.

And as I look at people out there in the stores, in the shops, I sense a spiritual dryness in the people around me.  Even believers have times of dryness, when the sky seems like brass, and we don’t feel those “showers of blessings” that we have had in the past.  And oh, how we long for the skies to open and pour out His presence upon us!

Are you thirsty today?  Has the things of the world not satisfied the longings in your heart.  You buy, you store up treasures for yourself and your family and you still have a deep longing for something and you can’t quite define that emptiness inside.  Jesus is calling you to just “come.”  Come just as you are, or whatever circumstance you find yourself in this day.

FOR THOSE TEARS I DIED

“You said you’d come and share all my sorrows.  You said you’d be there for all my tomorrows.  I came so close to sending you away.  But just like you promised, You came here to stay.  I just had to pray.

And Jesus said, “Come to the water, stand by my side.  I know you are thirsty, you won’t be denied.  I felt every tear drop, when in darkness you cried.  And I strove to remind you it’s for those dears I died.”

Your goodness so great, I can’t understand it.  And Dear Lord, I know now that all this was planned.  I know You’re here now and always will be.  Your love loosened my chains, and in You I’m free.  But Jesus, why me?

Jesus, I give You my heart and my soul.  I know now without God, I’ll never be whole.  Savior, You opened all the right doors.  And I thank You and praise You from earth’s humble shores.  Take me, I’m Yours!  (As sung by Marsha J and Russ Stevens)

This song is such a testimony of God’s mercy and grace.  He came, He walked this earth as a man, and gave His life and promises to share all our grief and pain.  And He promises in His Word to never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:8). And sometimes in the midst of all our struggles, we stumble and fall, but there He is to pick us up and put us back on our feet.

When we depend on Him, He indeed opens doors, answers prayer, and makes us whole, Oh Praise the Lord!  And He sees those tears you cry.  I ran across a beautiful promise in Psalms yesterday: “You have collected all my tears in your bottle.  You have recorded each one in your book” Psalm 56:8. (NLT)

All those tears you have shed in your dark times, He sees them and puts them in His bottle, and has recorded each one in His book.  He took all your sorrows on the cross, and He deeply feels your pain and your tears. How can we comprehend such love that He has for His children?

“Ho, every one that thirsteth , come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.  Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread?  And your labour for that which satisfieth not?  Hearken diligently unto Me, and yet ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness” Isaiah 55:1-2.

So He is calling us to just come and drink freely of the water of life, life which satisfies.  All the worldly goods we may purchase will not satisfy.  The price has been paid on Calvary.  He is the Bread of Life, and He is the Life that satisfies that deepest longing.  And it all because of the cross and His sacrifice there!

“But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” John 4:14.

In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” John 7:37:38.

The water that He gives is like a well and it springs forth in our lives bringing peace and joy, and satisfies that inner longing.  It springs up giving abundant life in Christ Jesus as we walk with Him.  And it springs up bring us eternal or everlasting life with Him forever.

So if you are thirsty today, come to Jesus.  He promises by the Power of the Holy Spirit to overflow your life.  And that living water will so overflow your life that others will also see the life of Jesus in you, and come into new life with Him.  You will be able to witness of the power of the Mighty God that you serve!

This world can be a dry place, but with Jesus flowing in our lives, we can walk an abundant life with Him, and it is all because of the cross.  So we can thank Him and praise Him from “earth’s humble shores, and say, “Jesus, take me I’m yours!”

In the Name of Jesus,

Pastor Sharon

JESUS, SOVEREIGN OF THE SEA

JESUS, SOVEREIGN OF THE SEA

We are home from our travels on the east coast.  We had wonderful visits with children and grandchildren and took note of the life that they live in busy and crowded cities.  It is fun to get away on vacation but always wonderful to walk in the front door of your own home.  We had a long day of air travel, so getting back into town was special.

I watched people, sat in vehicle in stalled traffic, and hit the shops and tourists areas.  I always wonder about the crowds around me.  How many know Jesus as their personal Savior?  How many spent time in prayer that day and read their Bible?  I saw sad faces, happy faces, and people in a hurry to get places.  And I again realized that people need the Lord.  We live in troubled times, and I wonder how people can walk through great struggles without Him.  Do they know that He calms the raging storms?  Do they know He quiets the waves of sorrow?  Oh, to be able to tell the world about my Jesus!

And then there was the sea, the great Atlantic Ocean, just within walking distance of the house we were staying in.  Some days it was sunny, other days the waves were choppy, and the wind was blowing.  But the waves rolled in upon the shore.  And there were the people under their umbrellas in their chairs enjoying the sea breezes.  One day, just out past the waves the dolphins were running and we could just view their tails as they swam.

But as I recall our ocean visit, I compare it to our walk, as we journey through life and especially as we journey with Jesus, as we travel onward towards “Home.”  Life gets rough.  Sometimes the waves will threaten to drown us in our pain.  But read the words of this old hymn and realize that Jesus is the “Mighty Sovereign of the Sea.”

JESUS, SAVIOUR, PILOT ME

Jesus, Saviour, pilot me over life’s tempestuous sea; unknown waves before me roll, hiding rock and treach’rous shoal; chart and compass come from Thee:  Jesus, Saviour, pilot me.

As a mother stills her child, Thou canst hush the ocean wild; boist’rous waves obey Thy will when Thou say’st to them, “be still”; Wondrous Sov’reign of the sea, Jesus, Saviour, pilot me.

When at last I near the shore, and the fearful breakers roar ‘twist me and peaceful rest, then, while leaning on Thy breast, may I hear Thee say to me, “Fear not, I will pilot thee.”  (Edward Hopper /John E. Gould)

There are many of you in great trials right now.  The waves roll, and there are treacherous days before you.  But direction comes from Jesus, as He pilots our ship.  When the waves roll in, and I feel like I am drowning, I want Him at the helm of my ship.  I know some who are experiencing “troubled seas” right now.  We have a very dear loved one who continues to battle brain struggles after brain cancer and surgery.  Oh, she loves Jesus, but she knows who pilots her ship!  Oh, Praise the Lord!

I know of another person with cancer, who the doctors say that she will be gone by Christmas.  I don’t know the spiritual condition of this lady, and only God knows her heart.  All I can do is pray that Jesus is her pilot on the troubled sea she is traveling right now.

I am reminded of when Jesus walked on this earth, and His disciples experienced the boisterous waves and the “Mighty Sovereign of the Sea.”

“Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him.  And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves.  But He was asleep.  Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”  But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?”  Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.  So the men marveled saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” Matthew 8:23.

We see the disciples frantic with fear as their boat was covered with waves, and Great Creator Himself, the One who created the sea and those waves is asleep.  He was in total control of the situation, but He questioned their faith.  But all He had to do was rebuke the winds and the sea and everything was calm, and the disciples were amazed and filled with awe.

This is our Wonderful Lord who calms the wind blowing out on the sea of life, and the great waves become calm.  We don’t understand the “whys?” of situations that blow across our path, but Jesus is there to bring peace and calmness in the midst of the storms.

I was reminded of our Mighty Sovereign of the Sea as we were walking on the boardwalk along the ocean.  There we came to a huge grey statue called “Neptune, god of the sea.”  There is only one God of the sea, as I shared with my husband.  Our God not only calms the wind and the waves, but our God walked on the water in Matthew 14:24-33.  Our God is alive and well, not a mythical god and not a god carved into a stone statue!

And someday, as we near the shore, He will be there to meet us, and take us into eternal glory with Him.  I am so glad the “Mighty Sovereign of the Sea” is the pilot of my ship, and I can depend on Him when my ship is rocking and the wind is boisterous.  And we, as His children, don’t have to fear when death comes, because He will be there to bring peace forever.  Oh, Praise His Holy Name!

I do pray that He will pilot your ship through life.  He died on the cross for you, and is waiting to take you into His arms and hold you through the storms that come.  Oh, let Him be your pilot today!

In Jesus’ Name,

Pastor Sharon