On The Streets With Jesus

Missionary, Jason Hines in Quebec, interviews people on the street. It's in french, but please take the time to read the sub titles. It's really quite amazing that people say...and also quite sad. Bro. Heinz showed this video in our church as part of his presentation. His recent letter talked about 12 foot snow drifts that enabled his kids to climb right onto the roof of their house. He came from Florida...only God could get a man to do that!




Matthew 28:19a Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,

Boldly Come

My heart was heavy laden, with no relief in sight,
when I heard, “Come learn of Jesus, his yoke is easy, his burden light.”
They said he’s meek and lowly, and he would give me rest,
so I turned my heart to Jesus,

asked God’s forgiveness; my sins confessed.
Now I boldly come unto the throne of grace,

knowing Jesus will intercede.
There I find his mercy so great; his grace to help in time of need.
Oh, bring your heavy burden before the throne of grace.
Through the precious blood of Jesus,

you’ll find redemption; your sin debt paid.
A new life, he will give you; your sin, he’ll wash away,
When you turn your heart to Jesus,

receive forgiveness, then you’ll proclaim,
Now I boldly come unto the throne of grace,

knowing Jesus will intercede.
There I find his mercy so great; his grace to help in time of need.

How thankful I am that Jesus came and took my heavy burden of sin and that he is always there, ready to intercede on my behalf. As I continue on this journey, I pray that I will not forget the many people who cared enough to bring me the message of God’s forgiveness. May I not only come boldly before God’s throne of grace to plead for other lost souls, but may I speak boldly to them of Jesus’ mercy and grace as others did for me.

Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Romans 8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who maketh intercession for us.

Until The Break Of Day

Jesus promised that he would come again,
and with a shout he’ll call out every saint.
But before that day arrives we must give our hearts and lives,
until the shadows of the night give way to light.
Though the night watch may seem so very long,
and there are times it’s hard to carry on,
Jesus said that we must go that the lost may come to know,
that there is hope beyond the shadows here below.

And when the morning dawns we’ll rise to meet the Son.
We’ll fly beyond the clouds where shadows never come.
Forevermore we’ll gaze on Jesus precious face.
But now we watch and pray as we wait for that day.
There’s work for us to do until the break of day.

What a wonderful day it will be when time comes to an end, and we will be forevermore with our Lord! But until that day comes Jesus calls us to serve him with our whole heart, and to use the talents he has given us to reach the lost, to encourage the brethren, and to bring glory to him.

1 Thessalonians 4:16,17 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.
Luke 12:37a,38 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching:
And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.
Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

God Is In The Small Things

Several years ago we had a little boy of five stay in our home for one week. The day that Tommy was to move to a new foster home, our son, Gus, asked me if he could give him his little New Testament. Since Gus now had a new Bible, he no longer needed his worn little new Testament, so we tucked it in Tommy’s small bag of belongings.
A week or so later, I was talking to Tommy’s new foster mom. She told me Tommy carried that Bible everywhere. She said he would pretend to read it, or sometimes just hold it and sing. He wouldn’t let her two boys near it, so they had started carrying a Reader’s Digest, and calling it their Bible!
While Tommy was with us, he attended one Sunday School class, perhaps for the first time in his life. He also sat through two services, during which time he had a very hard time being still! But in that short time he learned to treasure the gift of a Bible, and to sing from his heart!
What a blessing to see God use one small gesture of a child, and what a lesson! We never know what an impact one Sunday School class, one service, one friendly gesture, or one conversation may have on the lives of those we come in contact with!

Luke 16:10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.
Acts 26:22a Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great,

Thanks for joining me! ~~~Deb

Scented Geraniums

These are beautiful flowers, but they're not scented geraniums!

My dad loves to grow plants and flowers of all kinds, but one of his favorites is a type of geranium. Unlike the regular geraniums, this variety isn’t known for it’s flowers. They’re called scented geraniums, and the many different scents are what gives these plants their appeal. If you saw one in a nursery, you would probably pass it by, seeing nothing special about it. But if you were to brush your hand across it or pinch one of it’s leaves, you would soon notice an aroma emanating from within the plant. The fragrances are many and varied, ranging from coconut to lemon, even nutmeg, almond and many, many more.
How similar we are to these plants. There is really nothing special about us until we are touched by the hand of God. Like the scented geranium, we too have our own unique scent that is pleasing to the Lord; one that grows stronger when we walk in obedience to his will. Sometimes God sends a soft breeze wafting across our ‘leaves,’ just enough to gently bend us in the direction he is blowing. Other times he sends a strong blast, bruising leaves and breaking stems, causing those fragrant spices to flow out.
Walking through that nursery, people can’t miss the aroma of those scented geraniums when someone has brushed against them. The fragrance is powerful and causes a reaction. While some are drawn to it, others will turn away. Our lives should have a similar affect on those around us, if we are bending and moving with the power of God’s hand. Some may not like the fragrance, but they can’t deny it’s existence.

This is one of Dad's scented geraniums....not much to look at, but what a lovely scent it has!

Song of Solomon 4:16 Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits. Song of Solomon 6:2 My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
2 Corinthians 2:15 For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish.
Philippians 4:18 But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God.

Thanks for joining me! ~~~Deb

Sitting In The Window

He’s sitting in the window, checking out the view;
wondering which way he should go, questioning what is true.
He’s sitting with one foot in, leaning further out.
Feeling the tug of some sin, he’s giving in to his doubts.
She’s sitting in the window, seeing things so new;
Feeling so very alone, desiring what is true.
She’s peaking in from the world, edging further in.
Feeling the tug of the Lord, she’s longing for peace within.
Someone’s sitting in the window, choosing for eternity.
A view of the Saviour is their heart’s greatest need.
To see his grace and love shine through you and me,
May pull them through that window to faith that sets them free.

So many kids who grow up in church go through a period of questioning and doubting. Some of them feel like they are missing out, and are drawn to the world. They’re in church, but they’re on the verge of walking away. Saved or lost, these kids are about to make a decision that will have lasting consequences. On the other hand, there are kids who have not been raised in church, and know very little, if anything about God or Christ. Some have experienced pain and rejection, even abuse, or perhaps they just have the feeling that something is missing in their life. Sometimes those kids have an opportunity to visit church, or to spend time with a Christian family. Whether they are looking out, or peaking in from the world, these kids all have the same need; Jesus Christ! They need to see that the love of Christ is real. Seeing the Lord at work in our lives may be what makes the difference in which way they choose to go.

Acts 20:9a And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus,

Thanks for joining me! ~~~Deb

Are You A Good Person?

Last night I clicked on a button that asked the question, "Are you a good person?" It turned out to be part of a website created by Kirk Cameron, of "Growing Pains" and "Left Behind" fame, as well as Ray Comfort, who I didn't recognize. While I had heard of this website before, I had never taken the time to check it out. I spent over an hour browsing through the information they offered, and for the most part, it was quite good. The goal of their site is to train Christians to properly present the gospel....something that the local church should be doing, but many are not! Kirk and Ray are very clear that the methods used by many churches today are not scriptural, and lead to a false profession of faith. The lost are encouraged to accept Jesus as their Saviour, as a way to make their life better, (often in a quick little 'repeat after me' type of prayer) and when all of their problems don't suddenly disappear, they become disillusioned with Christ and Christianity as a whole! But Jesus didn't die and shed his blood to give us a better life here on earth; he died to take the payment for our sin, that we might have eternal life, and escape the judgement for our sin. The problem is, most people don't see their need for a Saviour, or for repentance on their part. They think they're ok, and that the god they believe in would never judge their sin.....but their god doesn't exist! Until they see that they are guilty before a Holy God, they cannot possibly understand their need for salvation through Jesus Christ.
As I watched some examples of Kirk and Ray witnessing on the street, I realized that I had recently seen a similar presentation. A missionary visiting our church, had shown a dvd of his street witnessing, in which he used this same method of asking people questions about their knowledge of the ten commandments. Most had a hard time naming more than one or two, and didn't want to admit to having broken any. Some would begin to look uncomfortable when faced with the fact that they were guilty before God, but many still felt that God would forgive them, because, after all he's a God of love! He then pointed out that a defense like that would never hold up in an earthly courtroom, because any judge who let a guilty criminal off the hook would be seen as a corrupt judge! God is Holy and righteous; he must punish sin.....but he is also merciful, and that is why he provided a payment for our sin.....his Son, Jesus Christ.

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: Galatians 3:13a

I've just given a quick overview of some of what I found on "The Way Of the Master" website, and I'm curious to know what others think. I will point out that I'm aware that it's non-denominational and they use what they call 'easy read' kjv....removing the thees and thous etc. so please don't jump on me for that! (I was actually surprised to find they use kjv in any form!) I was more interested in the method, their testimonies, and the stand they take on certain issues. For example...they have a list of all the Hollywood movies that take the Lord's name in vain...I'm sure that made Kirk popular as an actor!

This has not been my typical kind of post, but......

Thanks for joining me!~~~Deb

The Depth Of God's Love

In the Christian film I watched the night before I was saved, I heard a story that seemed to answer all of my questions about the person of Jesus Christ. At the time I was hearing conflicting opinions and beliefs about who Jesus really was. This story was so simple that even a child could understand it, and at the time that’s what I needed, not some deep theological argument about whether Jesus was God, or whether he was merely a created being who came into existence at the time of the virgin birth. I needed something concrete that I could wrap my mind around.
In this story, a father and son are walking along, when they step on an ant hill. Many of the ants died from being stepped on, and others were wounded. The rest were scrambling to rebuild their home. The father says to his little boy, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could go down there and tell the ants we didn’t mean to hurt them? We could even help them rebuild their home.” The little boy thought it would be a good idea, but said, “We’re too big, and they’re too little.” His father replied, “You’re right, and that’s what God thought when he looked down at the world he had made, and saw all the people who were lost and away from him. How could the mighty God of heaven communicate with these people?” then he continued, “Wouldn’t it be great if we could just become an ant and go down there and help them?” His son agreed that it would. The man telling the story went on to explain that this is exactly what God did. God loved us so much that he became a man, and that is who Jesus Christ is –the God-man; fully God and fully man. Suddenly it all made sense!
The thought that God loves me so much that he came to earth in the form of a baby, still leaves me in awe, and I will never fully comprehend all that he does for me, but put in a context such as the story of the ants, even a child can understand the gospel message. Sometimes we need to be reminded to just keep it simple!

The Depth Of God's Love

I stand in awe of a love that’s so great; a love so strong and true;
a love that offered this sinner grace; a love that makes my heart new.
I marvel at a love that’s so pure; a love so good and just;
a love that gives me the strength to stand; a love that I can trust.
How can I measure a love with no boundaries?
How can I weigh Christ’s sacrifice?
How can I comprehend the depth of God’s love?
How can I thank him for giving me life?

Philippians 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Thanks for joining me!~~~Deb