THERE'S STILL ROOM FOR YOU

 

 

 

 

 

 

THERE’S STILL ROOM FOR YOU!

As we are midweek until Easter Sunday, it is time to refocus on what the Lord Jesus has done for us and His great love.  Can you imagine, as He went through this final week, His thoughts? 

He had entered Jerusalem on the first day of the week, we call Palm Sunday.  The crowds had gathered, many people in the city for Passover and its celebrations.  The crowds must have been enormous.  Jesus comes down the Mount of Olives to enter the city on the colt of a donkey.  And our Lord and Savior was weeping! He looked out over the city and looked into the future and saw its destruction. "

 

 For you see, they rejected the very Messiah they were waiting for.  They thought Jesus was coming to overthrow the Romans and set up an earthly kingdom, but he came to offer His life as the supreme sacrifice, The Lamb of God!  “He came to His own and His own received Him not” John 1:11.

There along the pathway, they threw down their cloaks and waved palm branches to welcome their king, and His heart must have been so heavy!  And these same crowds would crucify Him just a few days later.  He came on a lowly colt of a donkey, but kings who come to conquer come on their horses. 

But someday, my friend, our King will come back, not meekly riding the foal of a donkey, but He will come back as “The Conquering King!  Oh, what a day that will be!

On Thursday, we traditionally celebrate “The Lord’s Supper.”  There He gathered one last time with His disciples to share the Passover meal and His love for them, and then they would go out and it was night.  There He would face the ordeal in the Garden before His arrest.

I think of the cross and what it stands for.  We wear them around our necks, bedeck them in precious jewels, put them up on our churches.  But the cross was the place of execution, of mockery, of horror!

The cross beams of the cross stand pointing in two directions:  One points back into history and all the hundreds of prophecies pointing to the coming Messiah.  The other one points to the day Christ died, where the price had been paid once and for all by the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!  The cross divides history in two.  And the beam of the cross points upward, up into the heavens, where He has gone to prepare a place for you, for me.

And at the foot of the cross is where the blood of Jesus dripped down.  At the foot of the cross is where we kneel and our sins are forgiven.  And millions and millions of people down through the ages have knelt there and received the salvation offered by The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  And my friend, there is still room for you there.

 Room at the Cross for You

“The cross upon which Jesus died is a shelter in which we can hide.  And its grace so free is sufficient for me, and deep is its fountain, as wide as the sea.

There’s room at the cross for you, there’s room at the cross for you.  Tho’ millions have come, there is still room for one.  Yes, there’s room at the cross for you.

Tho’ millions have found Him a friend and have turn’d from their sins they have sinned.  The Savior still waits to open the gates, and welcome a sinner before it’s too late.

The hand of my Savior is strong, and the love of my Savior is long.  Through sunshine or rain, through loss or in gain, the blood flows from Calv’ry to cleanse every stain.  (Ira stanphill)

My friends out there, where are you today?  Do you feel like you have committed so many sins, and feel so lost that there is no longer any hope for you eternally?  There is still room at that cross for you. 

There Jesus stands, His arms outstretched, waiting for you.  And as we look around our world and the events taking place, I would not want to be without Jesus!  And you do not know what tomorrow may hold for you.  It is a scary world without Jesus.  I just heard of a man my husband was acquainted with through work.  He suddenly died in His sleep, and He did not know Jesus.  And recently, we learned of a young nephew who died in His sleep suddenly, and oh, he did love and serve Jesus, and what glory He must be experiencing.  Which path are you on?

The Lord is patient and not willing any should perish. (2 Peter 3:9)  And no matter what the weather, what storms are going on in your life right now, the blood of Jesus is still flowing to cleanse your heart from sin and to give you peace and eternal life.

So, my friends, if you don’t know Jesus as your own personal Savior, take time this Easter week and give your heart to Jesus.  And what a wonderful Resurrection Sunday you will experience!  Your life will be changed, new life with Jesus now and forever.

Blessings in Jesus’ Name,

Pastor Sharon

 

 

 

 

 

 

HE DOES KEEP ME SINGING

 

 

 

 

 

HE DOES KEEP ME SINGING!

What a wonderful Lord we serve!  In spite of trials and turmoil around us, He is faithful.  And He always gives a song in the midst of the darkest night, as I have shared before.  But sometimes in the midst of a busy day, all of a sudden He will drop the following song in my heart to remind me “fear not I am with thee, peace, be still.”  And He has done that in various places and times of my life, and it is usually this song that I am going to share it with you.  It is an old song.  I remember it from my childhood.  In those days, we always had Sunday Night services and usually they were evangelistic and joyful.  And this was one of those songs I remember from those days.

But first let me tell you a story of a precious lady I encountered in the nursing home several years back, as I was making my rounds.  I was working with the hospital as a volunteer chaplain, and the nursing home was part of that work at that time.  Now my work there as chaplain is through the ministry of our local church.

I walked into a room, and there sat a lady with snow white hair, beautiful blue eyes.  And I noticed on her nameplate that she was “Irene.”  I walked over to her and began to introduce myself and my work, and she looked up at me and smiled, and in a thick German accent she began to sing to me:

“There’s within my heart a melody, Jesus whispers sweet and low, fear not I am with thee, peace, be still, in all of life’s ebb and flow.”

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, sweetest name I know, fills my ev’ry longing, keeps me singing as I go.

I hadn’t even given any details of my visit to her or my name.  Her heart was so full of joy, and seeing the joy of the Lord in my heart, she began to sing to me.  That is what we would call a “Divine Moment.”  So I began to sing along with her the verses we both could remember:

“Feasting on the riches of His grace, resting ‘neath His sheltering wing, always looking on His smiling face, that is why I shout and sing.

Tho’ sometimes He leads thro’ waters deep, trials fall across the way, tho’ sometimes the path seems rough and steep, see His footprints all the way.

Soon He’s coming back to welcome me far beyond the starry sky; I shall wing my flight to worlds unknown, I shall reign with Him on high” (He Keeps Me Singing, Luther B. Bridgers)

How could we as believers, walking with our Lord, resting  beneath the shadow of His wings (Psalm 91:1, 4, looking upon His face, keeping our eyes on Him, how could we not just want to shout and sing?

The man who wrote this song in the last century was a Pastor/Evangelist, Luther B. Bridgers,  out preaching the Word, when he learned his wife and children had all died in a tragic fire.  In the midst of his grief, he realized the only thing he could still hold on to was “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, and the song emerged.  What a testimony!

And as Pastor Bridgers realized sometimes the Lord does lead through waters deep, and many trials come out way, and sometimes we don’t understand “why?”  As I was pondering the thought of the way being rough and steep, and I thought that in the midst of our trials sometimes we cannot see Him through the fog of our tears, or through the storm raging around us, I was reminded that if I look ahead, it might be foggy, but there in the fog, on that pathway are His footprints, assuring us that He is still there leading us on.  We may feel like we are alone, but His footprints are there, those nail scarred feet, walking and leading us on.  Oh, Praise the Lord!

And then someday soon, He is coming back to welcome all of us home.  And Pastor Bridgers had that hope, that someday he would wing His flight home and be reunited with His Lord and his family again.  Oh, friends, keep that thought in your heart this evening no matter what you may be walking through right now.  I know of many with cancer, some terminal, and Oh, the song that the Lord gives.  The Psalmist must have felt this way as he walked through a trial:

“Deep call to deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; all Your waves and billows have gone over me.  The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me-a prayer to the God of my life” Psalm 42:7-8.

He must have felt like we do at times, waves and billows are going over us, waves of pain and sorrow and deep trials.  But all day long He shows us His Wonderful love and on into the night He gives us a song, and that song will become a prayer to the Wonderful God of my life and your life. Oh, Praise His Holy Name Forever!

In the Wonderful Name of Jesus,

Pastor Sharon

 

 

 

 

 

 

IT WILL BE WORTH IT ALL!

 

 

 

IT WILL BE WORTH IT ALL!

On some days like today I am sure many of you feel like I do.  It is Friday, the skies are sunny with lovely clouds, like sometimes I feel I just can’t go on, and I couldn’t go on without Jesus in my life, holding my hand, speaking encouraging words to my heart, and to just take one step at a time with Him this day.  And yet, I see many folks out there confined to beds, seemingly in hopeless situations.  But our God has promised that someday through the trials and struggles we go through, we will look back and say “It was worth it all.”

 WHEN WE SEE CHRIST

“Oft times the day seems long, our trials hard to bear; we’re tempted to complain to murmur and despair, but Christ will soon appear, to catch His bride away.  All tears forever over, in God’s eternal day.

It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus; life’s trials will seem so small, when we see Christ; one glimpse of His dear face, all sorrow will erase, so bravely run the race till we see Christ.

Sometimes the sky looks dark, with not a ray of light, we’re tossed and driven on, no human help in sight; but there is one in heav’n who knows our deepest care, let Jesus solve your problem, just go to Him in prayer.

Life’s day will soon be o’er, all storms forever past; we’ll cross the great divide to glory safe at last; we’ll share the joys of heav’n. a harp, a home, a crown; the tempter will be banished, we’ll lay our burden down.  (Esther Kerr Rusthoi)

And yes, sometimes those days are long, and we can be tempted to murmur and be in despair, but I meet those confined to bed, just waiting  for the day when Christ comes to take them home, but they are full of joy and excitement just in the knowing that someday soon they would be with Him. 

I, myself, sometimes am tempted to murmur about upcoming medical tests, more chemotherapy and what those effects will be, and then I remember a precious friend who has reached her reward, and her preparation in that time was one of glory.  We sang songs of heaven together, we planned her service.  It was if she had packed her “bags” and was traveling on.  It was such a blessed time in my life to see such peace and joy knowing that death was just around the corner, but her home was waiting over there.

I will share about another precious one who had just learned from the doctors that she would be on hospice care, and I asked her how long the doctors were giving her  to live.  And she said, “They told me six months, and I can hardly wait, I am going to see His face.”  For both these ladies, their tears are over, and are living on God’s eternal day, and what a reunion we will have someday!  I can hardly wait!

And sometimes the sky does turn dark, and we think that we are alone, that no one cares.  But we have our Jesus who knows all our cares and woes.  And as I stated in my last blog, when that fear comes in, one receives a bad medical report, we run to Christian brothers and sisters and cry “Help.” And they surround us in prayer, laying hands on, speaking in the Name of Jesus, and I can say that God answers prayer. 

That fearful call that I had received concerning a medical test, the Lord answered marvelously, as when the doctor’s call came through with results, there was no reason for concern, all was well, and we praised the Lord for the answer.

So how can we be joyful on such days, when they are so long and filled with pain and discouragement?

“Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.  My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me” Psalm 63:7-8.

Oh, what joy when the Lord drops a song into my heart and I can sing in the shadow of His wings!  Listen to the small sweet voice in your spirit in those times and He will give you  a song or a psalm, something to remind you to cling tightly to his hand as He upholds you.

“Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations.  Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith  bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience” James 1:2-3 (AMP).

Yes, my friends, our day will soon be over,  no more storms, no more pain, tears or crying.  And we will enter that wonderful place of glory, and there will lay down the burdens that we have had to carry here.  Oh, what a day that will be!

But meanwhile we carry on, looking forward to seeing His blessed face, but continuing the work of winning more souls to Jesus, ministering to the sick and hopeless, and seeking Him in continual prayer in our prayer closets and receiving the strength we need for each day and the power from the Holy Spirit to continue the work He has called us to do.

In the Name of Jesus,
Pastor Sharon