Praise the Lord for the advent of sweet summer.
The Lord blessed us with some beautiful pillars of clouds. It was
pleasant and invigorating. I drove down to the Triple Cities to
visit my siblings yesterday. All of them have big gardens.
They have started harvesting the early crops. I went to examine some
of the fruit trees we have planted through the years. The pears,
cherries, peaches, and plums are abundant. I was pleasantly
surprised that all trees are bearing fruit. Thank you Jesus.
My nephew and his bride, who live in
Grand Junction, Colorado, came for dinner last evening. The Lord
blessed us with a beautiful evening with them. Alice and I flew to Grand
Junction, Colorado last October so that I could officiate in their
wedding. My nephew, who is a law Enforcement Officer, and his wife,
who is a Public School Teacher, They both love the Lord and are
involved in large Vineyard church. They both are out door zealots.
They love hiking in some of the National parks hiking over 20 miles. They
are planning to spend some of their summer in Yellowstone National
Park. We had a beautiful time of visiting and a sweet time of
prayer.
May Jesus draw all of us closer to Himself
this summer season in our going out and in our coming in. May we all
pause and ponder. May we all take time to drink from the cup of His
blessings. May we take time to dwell in His presence, surrounded by His
glory. May we take time sing, "How Great Thou Art".
- “I heard a story of a man who was riding on a subway. It was quite crowded and he had to stand with his face to the door. He was prone to motion sickness and he began to get quite sick. The train raced into the station, the door opened, and the man became violently ill. The doors closed and the train sped on into the night. There happened to be a man standing on the platform waiting to get on the train at this particular door. In utter dismay he turned to the man behind him in line and said, "Why me?" I think that is often the way we feel. "Why me, Lord?’ But we shouldn’t be surprised. Suffering is no accident. It is the normal experience of every believer.” [David Roper. “Suffering Successfully.” It is written, "Blessed is the man who endures trials, because having been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”
Malcolm
Muggeridge, one of my favorite theologians and authors, an
atheist who became committed believer, once said, “Contrary to what might be
expected, I look back on experiences that at the time seemed especially
desolating and painful with particular satisfactions. Indeed, I can say
with complete truthfulness that everything I have learned in seventy-five years
in this world, everything that has truly enhanced and enlightened my existence,
has been through affliction and not happiness. In other words, if it were
to be possible to eliminate affliction from our earthly existence…. the result
would not be to make life delectable, but to make it too dull (banal) and
trivial to be endurable.” [Malcolm Muggeridge. A 20th Century Testimony.
As quoted by Charles Swindoll. The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart and 1501
Other Stories. (Nashville: Word, 1998) p. 582]
Again, it is
written, "Blessed is the man that endures trials."
This is a declaration of the blessedness for one who
passes the test. “Blessed” means happy. Better yet, it means
satisfied. Better yet, it means fulfilled with inner joy. In fact,
in chapter 5 of James and verse 11, he says the same thing, "Behold, we
count them happy who endure." Let it be understood that this is
not happiness due to freedom from trial, but rather due to victory over
trial. This is a Big difference. It’s not the ordinary happiness of
someone who never knew conflict, but rather the exhilaration of one
who fought and won. Not the happiness of the spectator, it
is the happiness of the participant. Happy, satisfied, and
fulfilled with an inner state of joy is the man who endures testing. The
person who claims to be a Christian and who goes through trials and comes out a
winner which means he never gives up his faith, and he never abandons
God. He is shown to be the genuine Christian, who will receive the crown
of life which the Lord will give to those that love Him.
We all experience
trials, but the Lord of the victory, has something great in His purposes and
plans for us, and we are invited to explore and discover it. We walk
through the valleys of darkness, dismay, distresses disease and even
death, knowing that Jesus has overcome this world, overwhelmed
death and the grave, and is with us. In Him and through Him we are more
than conquerors. He prepares a banqueting table before us in the presence
of our enemies.
In Christ,
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