PRAISE THE LORD! HE ABIDES!

PRAISE THE LORD! HE ABIDES!

The world outside my window is arrayed in glorious fall colors.  The weather is now chilly and frost in the air.  And people are celebrating Halloween.  To me, Halloween is a dark day, colors of black and orange and there is talk of spooky and haunting things.  The world seems to be so “dark” on this day.  When I was a child Halloween was so different.  It was a fun day and we were not aware of the “darkness” of Halloween.

But I want to turn my attention to my Wonderful Lord Jesus today.  I desire to praise Him, who made heaven and earth.  I want to bow down to my Savior, the One who died on Calvary for me, the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is Him I want to honor today.  He is the One who brings light to our darkness.  He is the One who brings peace and joy to our lives.  He is the one who constantly abides with me, and who will never leave me.  He is the One who is to be exalted on this day and every day!  So if you are out and about with your children tonight, just remember Jesus and that He is King of kings and Lord of lords, and His kingdom is forever, O Praise the Lord!

CONSTANTLY ABIDING

“There’s a peace in my heart that the world never gave, a peace it can not take away; tho’ the trials of life may surround like a cloud, I’ve a peace that has come there to stay!

Constantly abiding, Jesus is mine; constantly abiding, rapture divine; He never leaves me lonely, whispers O so kind: “I will never leave thee,” Jesus is mine.

All the world seemed to sing of a Savior and King, when peace sweetly came to my heart; troubles all fled away and my night turned to day, blessed Jesus, how glorious Thou art!

This treasure I have in a temple of clay, while here on His footstool I roam; but He’s coming to take me some glorious day, over there to my heavenly home!  (Anne S. Murphy).

In the midst of our days, sometimes we have trials that do surround like a cloud.  Even today I heard of several people who have great trials, and it seems that their lives are so complicated.  But it is Jesus who brings peace to even the darkest of trials.  My heart just breaks when I hear of the burdens that other people are carrying.  My trials seem so small sometimes.  Only Jesus is the answer to this world’s struggles.

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace.  In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” John 16:33.

As Jesus spoke to His disciples on this night, the night that he would be arrested, tried and crucified, He proclaims peace.  He tells His disciples to be cheerful, as He overcomes the world.  And He could only do that by going to the cross, the place of suffering and death.  But He would be victorious and rise from that tomb on the third day!  And when Jesus, who is the Prince of Peace, brings us peace, it is there to stay, no matter what trial may come into our lives.  Oh, I know that is hard sometimes, we take our eyes off of Jesus, but when we turn back to Him, He reminds us of His peace and we can walk in that peace.

I remember so well the night I asked Jesus into my heart as a child.  My night did turn to day, and everything looked different and brighter.  I was raised in a Christian home and my whole world was church, but I still was a sinner needing Jesus. And my trials were easier to bear all because of Jesus in my life.  I learned to pray and read my Bible.  I witnessed to my friends at school.  And in those days, I could carry my little New Testament to school.

And someday Jesus is coming back to take me home.  And I believe He is coming very soon. And He is waiting for men and women, boys and girls to come to Him.  His nail pierced hands are reaching out for men and women, boys and girls to come to Him and receive salvation and eternal life.  And then comes that wonderful peace that only He can bring.  We don’t know what tomorrow may hold, “now is the day of salvation, (II Corinthians 6:2).  There are only two choices, heaven or hell.  Which will you choose?

“For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  Wherefore comfort one another with these words” I Thessalonians 4:16-18.

So I bring comfort to you who love Jesus, the promise of His coming.  And I look forward to that day when He comes to take us home, what a day of rejoicing that will be.  And if you don’t know Jesus as your Savior, I pray that you will make that decision, and be there with the believers as they meet their Lord in the air.  I pray that if you should meet the Lord in death, you will be ready to be welcomed home by our Blessed Lord.  And Praise the Lord that He constantly abides and that His love is everlasting.

In the Name of Jesus,

Pastor Sharon

NO MORE TEARS!

NO MORE TEARS!

This is a most wonderful time of the year.  The autumn leaves are turning gold, red, and yellow on the trees as I look out my window.  The air is crisp now, but when the sun comes out it becomes a warm fall day.  I marvel at God’s creation and how He could create such marvelous colors all around as the seasons change.  We can enjoy the colors for a while and then winter will be here and all those lovely trees will be barren and then we will begin to look for spring time and new life again.

As I have entered the “autumn” years of my life, I remember the youthful days when I thought life would go on forever, and it never entered my mind that someday my senior years would come.  And I wonder where the years have gone!  It seems like only yesterday that our children were little and we were so young,  and even further back when I remember being a little girl and running and playing with the other children around.

My daughter and I were talking this past week about heaven.  It seems that when we were young we never thought much about it.  After all, we were young and heaven for us was many years down the road.  Now, in my senior years, heaven seems to be a part of my thinking.  As so many dear ones in my family, including our dear mother just a short time ago, have gone on to their eternal reward, heaven is very real.  As a Pastor, I have sat by bedsides of the dying and performed their memorial services, and again, sensing heaven.

Just this past week I visited with a precious lady in the nursing home and we shared the Word and heaven and I reminded her of her mansion which Jesus has gone to prepare for her.  I remember another dear lady who was nearing 103 and she would ask about heaven and how close it was for her.  We shared the Word together and since she had no legs due to amputation, she had the promise that someday she would walk on golden streets with brand new legs!  She had had a beautiful dream in which she saw a lovely golden fountain, and she wondered what that meant for her.  I took her to the 22^nd book of Revelation, which describes the beautiful  river flowing down from the throne of God. Oh, such precious hope we have from our Lord.

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” Revelation 21:4.

NO TEARS IN HEAVEN

No tears in heaven, no sorrows given,

All will be glory in that land;

There’ll be no sadness, all will be gladness,

When we shall join that happy band.

No tears in heaven, no tears up there,

Sorrow and pain will all have flown;

No tears no tears, no tears up there,

No tears in heaven will be known.

Glory is waiting, waiting up yonder,

Where we shall spend an endless day;

There with our Saviour, we’ll be forever,

Where no more sorrow can dismay.

Some morning yonder, we’ll cease to ponder

O’er things this life has bro’t to view;

All will be clearer, loved ones be dearer,

In Heav’n where all will be made new.

Robert S. Arnold

Yes, we can look forward to that land of endless joy as we keep our eyes on Jesus as we walk this journey home.  As we continue to walk, we will have storms and rocks in our path, but we continue to look upward and remember that we are just pilgrims passing through. 

My husband and I just celebrated 52 years of marriage.  When we were married we never considered the years ahead and never wondered what it would be like for us 50 years in the future.  We lived our lives as if we would live forever, it seems.  In looking at family pictures now, I realize that in some of those pictures my grandparents were younger than I am now and I thought they were so old! 

And on that wonderful day when we see our Savior face to face,  all the trials of life will seem so dim, when we stand in the light of His presence at last.  We will fall at His feet in grateful praise to finally have arrived in our heavenly home.  And there we will be forever and ever in His presence.

This past weekend we traveled to family which we had not seen for a year, and it is so hard to part and wonder when we shall meet again or what the year will hold for each one of us.  But we love the Lord, and know that someday there won’t be any more “goodbyes.”  We will be all together forever.  Can you imagine with me what that will be like?  We will be with mom again and dad and grandparents and on and on with loved ones and friends forever.

I do pray that you know Jesus Christ as your own personal Savior and you are looking upward towards that grand day when you reach your heavenly home.  If you have not accepted Him or have strayed away, please call on Him today.  He is waiting for you and you too will live eternally in our wonderful home and there will be no more tears!  Praise the Lord!

In Jesus’ Wonderful Name,

Pastor Sharon

JESUS IS ALL WE NEED

JESUS IS ALL WE NEED

On this lovely fall day, I am reminded of all the blessings that I have, and how the Lord has provided all my needs.  I think of the world outside my window, the cars passing by.  I wonder about the people in those cars.  How many of the people in those cars know the Lord Jesus as their Savior, and are walking with Him daily?  All the pleasures and things of this world will not satisfy empty hearts. 

In my own life I ponder how much Jesus means to me.  Am I willing to give up everything for Jesus?  Can you and I honestly say, “Jesus is all we need?”  Can I honestly come to that place in my life where I am totally sold out to Jesus?  Are you able to come to a place in your walk with the Lord that Jesus absolutely means everything to you?  Are we willing to count the cost of totally letting Him be the Lord of our lives?

In the following testimony we learn of a man, Will Thompson, who loved His Lord so much that He gave up a prosperous, successful songwriting career, to preach the gospel to the lost.  This is the place that I long to be.  To be able to know in my heart that Jesus Is All the World to Me.”

“Newspapers called Will Thompson the “millionaire songwriter.”  In his home state he was called the “Bard of Ohio.”  He had gone to New York and had made it big; his secular songs were selling like hotcakes.

But Will really didn’t care about his secular success.  He cared about Jesus Christ, so he began writing gospel songs.  He realized that a major evangelist such as Dwight L. Moody would never get to smaller towns, so he loaded an upright piano onto a two-horse wagon and took the gospel into the Ohio countryside.

He was in his fifties when he wrote “Jesus Is All the World to Me,” his lifetime testimony.  He would rather introduce Jesus Christ to a small hamlet in Ohio than to be known as a major songwriter in New York City.” (“HYMNS” by Petersen)

JESUS IS ALL THE WORLD TO ME

“Jesus is all the world to me, my life, my joy, my all; He is my strength from day to day, without Him I would fall; when I am sad, to Him I go, no other one can cheer me so; when I am sad He makes me glad, He’s my friend.

Jesus is all the world to me, my friend in trials sore; I go to Him for blessings, and He gives them o’er and o’er; He sends the sunshine and the rain, He sends the harvest’s golden grain’ sunshine and rain, harvest of grain, He’s my friend.

Jesus is all the world to me, and true to Him I’ll be; oh, how could I this friend deny, when He’s go true to me?  Following Him I know I’m right, He watches o’er me day and night; following Him by day and night, He’s my friend.

Jesus is all the world to me, I want no better friend, I trust Him now, I’ll trust Him with life’s fleeting days shall end; beautiful life with such a friend, beautiful life that has no end; eternal life, eternal joy, He’s my friend.” (Will L. Thompson, 1847-1909)

When I think of my walk with the Lord and look back over the years, I see how much He has been my very life.  I accepted Jesus as a child, raised in a Christian home and married into a Christian family.  So Jesus was been my joy almost all my life.  In trials, such as walking through cancer twice, how much He has been my very strength for each day.  And as I grow older, I depend on Him more and more.   And I have many dear brothers and sisters in the Lord and loving family, but no one can cheer me when I am sad but Jesus.

How about you, my friends?  Are you walking through a great trial right now?  Are you grieving the loss of a dear loved one?  Is your body failing because of sickness, and the road seems so long ahead.  Jesus wants to be your very dearest friend, with His strength and His joy and peace.  Sometimes, it seems, that we become so weary as we travel along. 

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.  He gives power to the weak and to those who have no might He increases strength.  Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” Isaiah 40:28-31.

Here is a wonderful promise:  Our Precious Lord never faints or gets weary.  If you are weak today, He will give you the power to move on, and He will increase or renew your strength.  And He calls us to wait for Him, and we can soar over our problems like an eagle soars in the sky.  Oh, what a beautiful picture of our walk with the Lord!

And oh, how He has blessed us!  In this time of the year we remember the harvest, and the abundance of sunshine and rain that He sends upon us.  I think of our own garden and the abundance that He provides.  And even in our grocery stores we see the abundance that He provides for us.  It is a time of Thanksgiving for all that He provides.

What a beautiful life with Jesus.  And someday this “fleeting” life shall end, and we can trust Him to guide us into our eternal dwelling with Him.  We shall enter “the joy of our Lord.”  There will be no more tears or sorrow, joy everlasting with the Friend who has walked with us down through the years through all kinds of trials, but has never left our side.  He is our Friend who has saved us, kept us and answered many prayers down through the years.

 And what a joy it will be to finally see this “Friend” face to face at last!  Yes, Jesus is truly all the world to me, and I pray that He is the same in your life.  In joy or sorrow, He is my Friend and I pray that He is yours also.  He is waiting just for you if you do not know this Wonderful Friend as your own personal Savior.  Ask Him into your heart today, and know that you are His for eternity.

In Jesus’ Name,

Pastor Sharon