I FEEL LIKE TRAVELING ONWARD

I FEEL LIKE TRAVELING ONWARD

We have been on long journey back to see our children in the east, and what a journey it was.  We visited, laughed together, and visited many places and met new people, and even met a new great grandson.  But I am reflecting back on that journey and my experiences watching people, sitting in long lines, making it to the next gate to catch a connecting flight.

I saw a world that needs Jesus, people in great darkness, and it grieves my heart.  My life is so secluded from that world that the Lord has to remind me that there is another world out there.  It is a pleasure seeking world, a world who does not know or care that there is a God who loves them, and He sent His Son to die for them and that the Lord is reaching out His arms to a lost world!  It is a world on the verge of judgment, for the Lord will soon return.

I know many of you travel with the airlines, and picture sitting in a plane on the runway for five hours, as communication problems grounded the plane and then a thunderstorm sat overhead with pouring rain.  And I was reminded that “I feel like Traveling on.”  I felt like traveling on physically and spiritually.  I longed for my earthly home again, and even more so, my heavenly home.  And the Lord brought to my mind this old song written in 1838.  And I am sure that this gentleman was not stuck in a plane on a runway, but he may have had circumstances in his life that made him long for heaven no matter what was in his life. Those times were certainly different from the times we live in but our ancestors had their own set of trials and struggles.  Read the words of this song and reflect on your heavenly home, just over the next hill, or around the next bend.

I FEEL LIKE TRAVELING ON

My heav’nly home is bright and fair,

I feel like traveling on;

Nor pain nor death can enter there,

I feel like traveling on.

REFRAIN:

Yes, I feel like traveling on;

I feel like traveling on;

My heav’nly home is bright and fair,

I feel like traveling on.

Its glitt’ring tow’rs the sun outshine,

I feel like traveling on;

That heav’nly mansion shall be mine,

I feel like traveling on.

Let other seek a home below,

I feel like traveling on;

Which flames devour, or waves o’erflow,

I feel like traveling on.

The Lord has been so good to me,

I feel like traveling on;

Until that blessed home I see,

I feel like traveling on.

(William Hunter)

Sitting in that plane reminded me of my walked with the Lord.  And I wonder why things are not moving in my life, I am at a stand still, it seems, and my communication with Him seems lost.  But there He is working out difficult situations in my life, and in His time, I can travel on again, down the path He has prepared for me, for He knows what is ahead.

And many times storm are raging overhead and the rains and winds come stopping me on my path, and I can’t see what is ahead, but my Tender Shepherd has traveled those paths and knows the dangers ahead and I have to just wait patiently until the rain stops, the clouds part and the sun shines again.  It was beautiful looking out the plane window and to see the clouds part and the sun shine again and we were on our way home.

We toured a beautiful mansion with many rooms and acres of lovely gardens.  During its time there were servants, butlers, maids and luxury.  But now it is a tourist attraction, its residents and all their riches are gone.  It was grand indeed with its nine stories and grand halls.  But it cannot compare to the mansions our Lord has gone to prepare for each one of us who love Him.  Our minds cannot comprehend the beauty and the glory of our heavenly home. 

These big mansions will indeed burn someday, but we have a mansion forever. Oh, Praise the Lord!  We toured the museum and viewed the treasures that were left behind.  Those things were once of great value to the residents, but I realized they did not take anything with them.

Most of us do not live in such mansions here on earth, and my earthly home would probably fit in one corner of one floor!  But I think of my heavenly home, where no death can enter or no more pain, and I am filled with joy and anticipation.  I think of one of our dear sisters in the Lord, who recently entered her heavenly home, and what a welcome she received!

Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.  “In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.  “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” John 14:1-3.

On my journey east there were many sights and experiences I could share and their comparisons to our walk with the Lord.  I do pray that you are traveling that road with Jesus, and that your eyes are ever looking heavenward, looking for the day when Christ returns or He calls you home.  “What a Day that Will Be When My Jesus I Shall See.” 

So travel on, my friends and keep your eyes on the goal, heaven is just ahead.

In Jesus’ Name,

Pastor Sharon

TAKE HIS PRECIOUS NAME WITH YOU!

TAKE HIS PRECIOUS NAME

WITH YOU!

As I am sitting here today, my heart is so heavy.  It has been such a trying week.  We have seen our precious loved one go from straight and tall to almost completely bedridden with pain and disease.  As I sit by her bedside, my heart is grieved.  I remember the days together and the joy we shared.  And I don’t ask “why?”  I know that my God is in control and He brings peace in the midst of our stormy times and He is aware of my tears.

I know that many of you out there are in similar situations with loved ones right now.  I can imagine you sitting at bedsides as we have done this week, wishing and praying for relief from their pain and not knowing what the future holds for that loved one.

As I was praying and wondering what to share with you today, a lovely song came to me.  It is a lovely song in praise to our Precious Jesus and His Wonderful Name.  Oh, what peace to sit before Him and just speak the name “Jesus.”  He calls us to take His name wherever we go and in whatever situation we find ourselves in, and just to slowly and prayerfully whisper how very precious is that name, the name of Jesus!  So take His name into every hospital room, every bedside, everywhere there is pain and suffering and times of grief.  This is a precious hymn written by a lady of great faith in great times of sickness.  Be blessed as you read the story of this hymn: “Take the Name of Jesus with You.”

“Although Lydia Baxter was a bedridden invalid for much of her life, people who were depressed came to visit her in order to have their spirits lifted.  Christian leaders often met in her home for prayer and Bible study.

Lydia loved to study the Bible and had a special joy in learning the meaning of scriptural names.  But the Name above all names to her was Jesus.

When she was asked how she could remain so cheerful, she responded, “I have a very special armor.  I have the name of Jesus.  When the tempter tries to make me blue or despondent, I mention the name of Jesus, and he can’t get through to me anymore.  When I feel badly and wonder if I will ever enjoy a good night’s sleep again, I take the name of Jesus and ask Him to give me the soothing balm of His presence.  He does, and soon I drop off to sleep.”

When Lydia was sixty-one years old, she wrote this testimony of her life: “Take the Name of Jesus with You.”

TAKE THE NAME OF JESUS WITH YOU

Take the name of Jesus with you, child of sorrow and of woe; it will joy and comfort give you, take it, then, where’er you go.

Precious Name, O how sweet!  Hope of earth and joy of Heavn’n, Precious name, O how sweet!...hope of earth and joy of Heav’n.

Take the name of Jesus ever, as a shield from ev’ry snare; if temptations round you gather, breathe that holy name in prayer.

O the precious name of Jesus!  How it thrills our souls with joy, when His loving arms receive us, and His songs our tongues employ!

At the name of Jesus bowing, falling prostrate at His feet, King of kings in Heav’n we’ll crown Him, when our journey is complete.  (Lydia Baxter 1809-1874)

If you have felt, as I have, this past week like a “child of sorrow and woe”, take that Name, that Precious Name into worship, into your private time, let Him comfort you and then you can take it out into your world with His joy and comfort.

And if temptations come, temptations to doubt His loving care, to feel like He really doesn’t care, just breathe that Name in prayer, “Jesus”.

And someday, we will bow at His feet, seeing Him face to face at last.  When at last our journey is over and we cross that swelling tide, the Name of Jesus will be on our lips, and we will join the heavenly choir, ever thankful for the Name of Jesus and that He was there in all the struggles we had on this earth, and now we will be with Him for eternity and breathe His Name forever in His Presence.

“So today I bring all those who are grieving for precious loved ones or friends, sitting there by bedsides and sometimes the tears are flowing, to wrap your loving arms around them, let them feel Your Presence as they breathe Your holy Name in prayer, “Jesus.”  Thank you, Jesus, for being our Comforter and for the Power of Your Precious Name!  In Jesus’ Name, Amen”

Pastor Sharon

SAFE IN HIS ARMS

SAFE IN HIS ARMS

As I am writing this it is the morning of July 4, Independence Day, as we remember the blessings of freedom here in this land of America.  And I ask myself what am I feeling today?  What does the Lord want me to share with you that would bless and encourage you this day?  Many, today, in spite of picnics, fireworks and celebrations are deep in pain and discouragement.  The battle rages around them, and there is seemingly no answer.

 I myself, feel that I am in a battle right now with a physical problem which is taking my nights at times.  But those times during those hours often turn into times of praise and worship to my Precious Lord, and often He will bring to my mind reminders of those who need a touch from Him at that very moment.  There are those who are in grief over a lost loved one, one who left this life too soon.  She loved the Lord and we know that she is “safe in His arms.”  Another precious saint is taking her last breaths at this moment, and I expect a call soon that she too is “safe in His arms.”

Fanny Crosby wrote around 8,000 hymns, and many are familiar to us and we sing them in praise to our God.  “There are few people who have not been instantly moved, many to tears, by the tender, graceful stanzas of “Safe in the Arms of Jesus.”  I think it would be impossible to express in better words than Fanny Crosby’s the rest of the soul that trusts in Jesus.  Mother live is exquisitely gentle, but is stronger than death.  Sound doctrine is undoubtedly a rampart and a refuge for the harassed soul.  But a soul needs mothering as well as safety, not only the babes, but those of riper years.  This is well expressed by Isaiah 46:4: “And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you; I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.”

“The hymn was written in remarkable circumstances.  Dr. W.H. Doane, a distinguished composer of sacred music, called on the blind poetess one day, and said, “I am in a hurry.  I have a tune to which I want appropriate words.”  He went to the piano and played the music.  Several times he played it, while Fanny Crosby listened intently.  She retired to another room, and in about half an hour came back with the now well-known words, and said “they seemed to come to me without any effort.”  It only required Mr. Sankey to sing the lovely words at his meetings, and they went round the world to comfort and save unnumbered souls, and their mission is not yet finished.” (author unknown).

SAFE IN THE ARMS OF JESUS

Safe in the arms of Jesus, safe on His gentle breast, there by His love o’er shaded, sweetly my soul shall rest.  Hark!  ‘Tis the voice of angels, borne in a song to me, over the fields of glory, over the jasper sea.

CHORUS:  Safe in the arms of Jesus, safe on His gentle breast, there by His love o’er-shaded, sweetly my soul shall rest.

Safe in the arms of Jesus, safe from corroding care, safe from the world’s temptations sin cannot harm me there.   Free from the blight of sorrow, free from its doubts and fears, only a few more trials, only a few more tears.

CHORUS –

Jesus, my heart’s dear refuge, Jesus has died for me, firm on the rock of ages ever my trust shall be.  Here let me wait with patience, wait till the night is o’er, wait till I see the morning break on the golden shore.  (Fanny Crosby).

Oh, my friends, in this hour we need to be reminded of God’s comfort and our blessed hope in Jesus.  I am thinking of the young lady who recently went home to Jesus, and this song was such a comfort to her mother, knowing that her daughter was indeed “safe at last in the arms of Jesus.”  She had just recently come to know Jesus as her Savior, and had traveled a hard road in her life.  But in the end, due to her Mother’s fervent prayers, she found her safety in Jesus.  What a testimony her passing was to all who came to share with her mother and hear the amazing testimony of God’s salvation.

Where are you today, my friend?  Are you “safe in the arms of Jesus?”  We never know what a day will hold, eternity could call and would you be ready?  And oh, the comfort of His arms!  And the absolute assurance that He has prepared a place, a home in His heaven, and we can’t even begin to describe the glory that awaits each one of His children.

“The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms” Deuteronomy 33:27.

Not only are we safe in His arms at death, but we are safe from all those temptations that come, and we are safe in those trials and even the ones that seemingly come in the night hours.  He is there.  He is there in our deep times of grief, our doubts and our fears.  And as the song promises, “only a few more trials, only a few more tears” and our journey will be complete.  We, in our senior years, especially see the road ahead getting shorter, and there seems to be a glow ahead over the hills beyond.  Yes, we have our struggles, but we journey on with the goal in sight just ahead.

“But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love” I Corinthians 2:9.

So stand firm on the Rock, Christ Jesus.  And He tells us to wait with patience until this night is over and we see that day come at last.  And we all will be gathered there on that shore, Oh  Praise the Lord!  I said my goodbyes to my precious friend the other day, and told her I would meet her around the throne, and know that that day will come soon in all its glory. 

“He who testifies to things things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.”  Amen.  Even so, come Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.  Amen. “ Revelation 22:20

Pastor Sharon

JUST KEEP ME NEAR THE CROSS

JUST KEEP ME NEAR THE CROSS

What a lovely day this is!  The sky is filled with fluffy clouds, and the wind is blowing and it is a cool day weather wise.  We can enjoy this day before the summer season and its heat begins.  I have been thinking about all that is going on in the world today, its tragic stories, violence in the land, and people are in pain emotionally, physically and spiritually, and this world needs Jesus and to know that they have a Heavenly Father who loves them.

And yesterday was Father’s Day, honoring our fathers and our husbands who have been such wonderful fathers to their children.  I am blessed to be married to a wonderful husband who has been such a good father to our three daughters, who has raised them to love the Lord.  He is to be honored.  But most of all it is his faith in His God that is to be honored.  And on this Father’s Day we honored our Heavenly Father most of all.  Our Precious Heavenly Father gave His only begotten Son so that we would have salvation and eternal life.  Our Heavenly Father created those clouds out there in that blue sky, and what we know of Him and His Mighty works is only a whisper of who God is. (Job  26:14).

As I look at the world around me, my heart goes back to the cross.  That is where it all begins, our salvation.  The cross stands in the midst of history, its arms reaching back to the Old Testament, where the signs in the various sacrifices pointed to the cross and to a coming Savior.  And it pointed to Calvary, where our Lord gave His life to redeem man.  I woke up with a song in my heart. 

And God promises in His Word to give us songs in the night. “I call to remembrance my song in the night; I meditate within my heart, and my spirit makes diligent search” Psalm 77:6.  So I called to remembrance the following  hymn, and wondered what the Lord was trying to say to my heart, and I knew that He had a message for you and it was all about the cross.  We need to be reminded constantly about the cross and what it means in our lives.  Everything we do, our whole lives as His children resolve around the mighty cross and what it stands for.  And my prayer for you and for me is to keep us “Near the Cross”, even as the world seems to fall apart around us.

And I quote from the book “Then Sings My Soul” by Robert J. Morgan, the story of Fanny Crosby’s writing of this grand old hymn, “Near the Cross.”

“On November 20, 1850, as the altar call was given, Fanny went forward and found Christ as her Savior.  The congregation was singing Isaac Watts’ great hymn about the cross: At the Cross.  Shortly thereafter, Fanny turned her poetic skills to hymn writing, and many of her songs focused on the theme of the cross, and this one, “Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross.”  It was composed after Cincinnati businessman William Doane gave her a melody he had written.  Fanny, listening to it, felt is said “Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross,” and she promptly wrote the words.”

“Fanny Crosby wrote approximately 8,000 hymns.  We aren’t surprised, then, to discover that many of her later hymns were little more than rewritten versions of earlier ones.”

NEAR THE CROSS

Jesus, keep me near the cross, there a precious fountain, free to all a healing stream, flows from Calvary’s mountain.

In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever, ‘til my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river.

Near the cross, a trembling soul, love and mercy found me, there the bright and Morning Star shed its beams around me.

Near the cross, O Lamb of God, bring its scenes before me, help me walk from day to day, with its shadows o’er me.

Near the cross I’ll watch and wait, hoping trusting ever, ‘til I reach the golden strand just beyond the river.  (Fanny Crosby/William H. Doane)

And our prayer should daily be for Him to keep us near the cross.  There is a cleansing there by the blood of Jesus and its free to all who are willing to accept this precious gift and have all our sins washed away, and all our guilt, and we are clean, and made ready for eternal life, and made ready to walk with Him and serve Him.

And we are reminded to remember the cross, remember the suffering that He went through.  He calls us to go back into His Word, read the story of the Crucifixion in the Gospels, relive that day, not just on Easter, but often.  See His suffering in the Garden, see the soldiers come and His disciples scatter in fear.  See Him taken before the High Priest and Pilot.  See Him flogged, and beaten and mocked;  the crown of thorns pushed into his head, and see Him as He tries to carry His cross to Calvary.  See Him there on the cross, hear His final cry, as He suffers there, “It is Finished!”  God’s plan of redemption is finished, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world has been sacrificed, the victory has been won!  Oh, Praise the Lord!  And then remember He did not stay on that cross.  He arose a victor from the tomb on the third day, and is alive and well at the right hand of His Father in heaven, but He sent the Holy Spirit, who lives and dwells among us.

And then, with the cross ever before us, we watch and we wait for His return, or when He calls us home, to that land “just beyond the river.”  The place of eternal rest, and forever with our Lord and Savior, is waiting there for each one of us who love the Lord.

So, my friends out there, stay near the cross no matter what each day may bring.  And if you don’t know Jesus as your personal Savior, look to the cross and its “healing stream.”  He promises to cleanse you from all your sins and make you whole, just ask Him into your heart and life.  And O what joy awaits each one who bows the knee to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

In the Name of Jesus,

Pastor Sharon

LIFE IS LIKE.............

LIFE IS LIKE ……..

As I continue my journey on life’s pathway I ponder what life is really like.  What can I compare my travels as a pilgrim to?  Life is moving too fast.  It seems only yesterday that I was young and carefree, no worries or concern about the years ahead.  The future stretched out before me with its goals and challenges, but my senior years were never in my thoughts as they were many years down the road.  Now I find that I will become a great grandmother this summer.  I thought my grandparents were so old, and in looking back at pictures I find they were younger than I am now in many of those family pictures.  What is life like?

I love trains, although I have never taken a long journey on one, only a short day trip a few years back.  I remember trains as a child visiting a farm that was apparently along a railroad track.  I remember the passenger trains going by and the faces in the windows.  I remember the sounds of the train whistles in the night as I fell asleep.  I remember my cousins who had train sets and could spend hours playing there.  My dream has always been to take a long trip by train.  Maybe a train trip through the Canadian Rockies, sleeping and eating in the fancy dining car would be nice.

So what is life like?  Life is like a mountain railroad, speeding through the years.  A person could stand maybe in the last car and watch the tracks behind them as the miles go by.  I could not find any history on this wonderful old hymn.  The origin of this song is murky.  Charles D. Tillman may have written the original lyrics, with M. E. Abbey (a Baptist minister in Georgia in the 1890s).

LIFE IS LIKE A MOUNTAIN RAILROAD

Life is like a mountain railroad with an engineer that’s brave; we must make the run successful from the cradle to the grave.  Watch the curves, the fills, the tunnels, never falter quail; keep your hand upon the throttle and your eye upon the rail.

Refrain:

Bless’d Savior, Thou will guide us, till we reach that blissful shore; where the angels wait to join us in Thy praise forevermore.

You will roll up grades of trial, you will cross the bridge of strife; see that Christ is your Conductor on this lightning train of life; always mindful of obstructions, do your duty, never fail; keep your hand upon the throttle and your eye upon the rail.

Refrain:

You will often find obstructions; look for storms of wind and rain; on a fill, or curve, or trestle, they will almost ditch your train; put your trust alone in Jesus; never falter, never fail; keep your hand upon the throttle, and your eyes upon the rail.

Refrain:

As you roll across the trestle, spanning Jordan’s swelling tide, you behold the Union Depot into which your train will glide; there you’ll meet the Superintendent, God the Father, God the Son, with the hearty, joyous, plaudit, “Weary pilgrim, welcome home!”

So what is life like?  Life is like that train upon there on the mountain, going around those mountain curves, with drops down the mountain on one side.  And as your walk with Jesus, always watch those curves ahead, and maybe there is a dark tunnel you must go through up ahead on the mountain.  But never take your eyes off your Conductor, Jesus Christ.  And keep your hands busy for Jesus.

Yes, there are going to be those steep grades of trials, and I find them coming more frequent now in my senior years.  But, oh coming down the other side into the valley with Jesus is so precious!  And there are going to be obstructions, rocks and strife may try and trip you up.  And there will be days when you feel like just giving up as the storms of wind and rain continue to pound upon you. 

Keep your trust in Jesus, put on your armor every day by faith: “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” Ephesians 6:10-11.  Keep close to Jesus in prayer and in His Word.

And someday, we who love Jesus will finally roll across that final trestle, spanning the Jordan, and there you will see the “Union Depot” and your train will finally glide right into God’s heaven.  I think of loved ones and friends who recently have finally finished their journey and what a welcome they must have received as they rolled to a final stop.  I think of a precious Pastor who recently completed his journey home, and what a welcome he must have received!  I can almost hear the angels singing, and I remember him as he played the piano and sang and I think of the song, “When all God’s Singers Get Home!”  And I think of him and all the memories we shared.  But someday, we will all be there and we will be welcomed home and finally meet our Father and see our Precious Lord face to face.

So keep your eyes straight ahead, whatever the future holes.  Watch those curves and those mountain storms that might be coming ahead, and someday your journey will end, and God calls us to be faithful, do our duty, tell others about Jesus.  I pray you are on the right “train.”  I pray you are on the “mountain railroad” that leads to eternity.  Don’t put off another day, as we never know what a day or night will bring.  Time is so short, and eternity has only two choices, which is your choice?

In Jesus’ Name,

Pastor Sharon

HE GIVES MORE GRACE

HE GIVES MORE GRACE

As I sit here at my computer wondering what the Lord wants to say to you out there this day.  Many of you are going through sickness in your body and you wonder when this trial will ever end.  I know of several who are suffering with cancer right now, and some are just waiting to go “home.” 

I talked with a lady this past week and she has gone over the time they predicted she would die from her ailments.  I told her that maybe I would see her next week.  She said, “Oh, no as I won’t be here next week.  I am going “home” to heaven and she pointed up.  I told her that someday we would meet again around the Throne!  Then there will be no sickness, tears, or sorrow and no more death, live eternally with our Lord Jesus Christ.

As I was looking at songs and their stories that would bless you in these times, I found the song “He Giveth More Grace.” As we watch a dear loved one go through multiple procedures to halt the cancer in his body, and take prayer requests of others who are in great pain, I am reminded of His grace in these times when it seems like there are no earthly answers to our pain, we learn that “He giveth more grace when the burden grows greater.”

HE GIVETH MORE GRACE

“Annie Flint, the author of this hymn, understood something of God’s grace.  Her mother died in childbirth, and her father died shortly afterwards from an incurable disease.  Before his death, Annie’s father left her and her baby sister with a childless Christian couple, the Flints, who adopted them.

Annie wanted to become a teacher, but in her second year of teaching, she began experiencing the symptoms of arthritis.  The disease grew worse until she could hardly walk.  Then the death of both adoptive parents left Annie and her sister alone again.  Annie went to a sanatorium, but the doctors said there was nothing they could do for her.

She began writing from experience.  Her fingers were bent, her joints were swollen, and often she could only write a few lines at a time.  But she continued writing, praying that others might be helped through her experience.  Her poems were published in magazines across the country.  Sometimes the publisher would mention Annie’s physical condition, and readers would donate funds to help her.

Annie learned what the apostle Paul had learned when God told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV). 

He giveth more grace when the burden grows greater; He sendeth more strength when the labors increase.  To added affliction He addeth His mercy; To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.

His love has no limit; His grace has no measure; His pow’r has no boundary known unto men.  For out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again!

When we have exhausted our store of endurance, when our strength has failed ere the day is half done, when we reach the end of our hoarded resources, our Father’s full giving is only begun.” (Annie Flint, 1866-1932).

Many of us can relate to this song and Annie’s experience.  Oh, we may not suffer as she did, but we do have our various trials, and they are just as big to us in our lives.  And sometimes the burden is simply unbearable, but He promises:

“Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” Matthew 11:28-30.

My heart goes out to so many people whose burden of grief is great today.  I know of three deaths recently, two of those were beloved Pastors.  The one we learned of today was a shock to everyone who knew him.  He had been ill, but was again in His pulpit preaching, but God called Him Home.  I think of the loved ones, his small congregation, his wife and children and so on.  But God promises His mercy, and His multiplied peace! Praise the Lord!

And I, myself, have experienced the loss of my endurance when the day is only half over.  There are days when I don’t feel like I can accomplish the next task before me.  I have no more resources left in me, and I am sure there are many out there who experience those moments.  We have no more resources to give, and then we realize our Father’s resources never give out, and He gives and He gives and He gives.  We can reach out and receive His strength for the moment and beyond.  Aren’t we glad we serve such a Wonderful Lord who never tires or runs out of His love for His children?

Yes, He gives more grace no matter what the trial, the pain, the sorrow or whatever the situation may be.  And to those who have recently faced surgery and may be in pain at this moment, He is there with His Wonderful grace and His mercy.  His arms reach out to you, just let Him take you in His gentle arms, and He will give you rest, in Jesus’ Name!

“Father, I know of so many today who suffer with cancer, who have lost loved ones, and those who are just waiting for Jesus to call them “Home.” There, Lord, they will be free from pain at last!  And we, left here, cannot even comprehend the joys you have prepared for these loved ones.  I think of the two pastors, and the crown they have won for their faithful service to You.  So, Father, comfort the families today, bring strength to those who remain and Your peace, which you give and give and give.  And we thank You, Father, that Your resources are unlimited.  And we give you great praise this day.”

In the Name of Jesus,

Pastor Sharon

JESUS, MY SAVIOR DEAR

JESUS, MY SAVIOR DEAR

Spring has finally arrived, the sun is shining brightly and the air is warm.  It is so refreshing after such a long cold winter.  Just a few weeks ago we celebrated the Easter season and we turned our eyes to the events that marked the last week in our Lord’s earthly life.  We turned our eyes to Palm Sunday as He made His entrance into Jerusalem.  The people thought He was going to proclaim Himself an earthly king.  But our Lord was on His way to the cross to die for you and for me.  But “Sunday was coming” and His glorious resurrection, and because He lives we shall live also.  Oh, Praise the Lord!  And someday He will come back as our Conquering King, bringing peace at last to this world.

How can we not love our Savior dear?  He has brought us salvation, forgiven our sins.  What words can describe our Glorious Lord, our Savior dear. 

“But to you who fear My name, the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings: and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves” Malachi 4:2.

Here is another wonderful hymn story.  Oh, how I love these stories and am able to share with others the stories of the hymns.  Our old hymns each have a message and I long to impart these stories to you that you may be blessed in your walk with the Lord.  I was recently able to share hymn stories at a retreat in fellowship around the table and also at a volunteer breakfast.  This one is called “Sun of My Soul, Thou Savior Dear.”

“When someone asked Alfred, Lord Tennyson what Jesus Christ meant to him, he pointed to an open flower and responded, “What the sun is to that flower, Jesus Christ is to my soul.  He is the Sun of my soul.”  The prophet Malachi called the Messiah the Sun of Righteousness, who would rise with healing in His wings.

So John Keble was using a familiar title for Jesus when He wrote this poem.  Keble first published “Sun of my Soul, Thou Savior Dear” in a book called “The Christian Year, which included poems to be used by believers for worship throughout the church year.  An extremely modest man, Keble published this book anonymously.  He used the proceeds from the sale of his book to maintain the small village church near Oxford in which he served for more than three decades.

Throughout his ministry, Keble was known as an outstanding preacher and a careful Bible scholar.  This hymn was inspired by Luke 24:29, where two disciples on their way to Emmaus were met by Jesus.  They begged him to say with them because it was getting late.  Maybe it was getting late, but if the “Sun of my soul” was with them, it would never get dark.

SUN OF MY SOUL, THOU SAVIOR DEAR

Sun of my soul, Thou Savior dear, it is not night if Thou be near; O may no earthborn cloud arise to hide Thee from Thy servant’s eyes.

When the soft dews of kindly sleep my wearied eyelids gently steep, be my last thought, how sweet to rest forever on my Savior’s breast.

Abide with me from morn till eve, for without Thee I cannot live; abide with me when night is nigh, for without Thee I dare not die.

Come near and bless us when we wake, ere through the world our way we take; till, in the ocean of Thy love, we lose ourselves in heaven above.  (John Keble, 1792-1866)

Oh, what a message the Lord has for us this day.  The sun is shining, the skies are blue and we rejoice in another day to serve Him.  And the prayer is that nothing in this world, no trial, no sorrow or tears will hide our Blessed Lord from our eyes.  No matter what comes our way, may we always keep our eyes on Jesus.  And it is hard sometimes as we feel we just can’t go on, but He is our “Savior Dear.”

And my our last thoughts at night before we close our eyes in sleep is the promise that someday we will be able to rest forever on our Savior’s breast.  I know of several  people right now who are ready to take that final rest with Jesus.

And I praise Him that He never leaves me, and that I don’t know how I could live without Him.  And if you don’t know Jesus, don’t live another day without Him.  We don’t know what the night will hold, or the next day or even the next hour.  You dare not die without Him!  As I have said before, “Life has many choices, but eternity has only two choices.”  When you close your eyes in sleep tonight, search your heart and ask yourself if you are ready to meet Jesus.

So as we walk through our days in this world of ours, we long to lose ourselves in His love.  His love is like an ocean, rolling and rolling over us, guiding and protecting us until that day when we walk into eternity with Jesus forever!  He is indeed, “Jesus, My Savior Dear.”

In His Precious Name,

Pastor Sharon