THE GIFT THAT TRULY KEEPS ON GIVING
THE
GIFT THAT TRULY KEEPS ON GIVING
SEE: http://newswithviews.com/Nelson/kelleigh380.htm;
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational, and research purposes:
By Kelleigh Nelson
December 25, 2016
NewsWithViews.com
December 25, 2016
NewsWithViews.com
But
let all who take refuge in You be glad, let them ever sing for joy; And
may You shelter them, that those who love Your name may exult in You.
—Psalm 5:11
let all who take refuge in You be glad, let them ever sing for joy; And
may You shelter them, that those who love Your name may exult in You.
—Psalm 5:11
Glory
in His holy name; Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad.
—Psalm 105:3
in His holy name; Let the heart of those who seek the LORD be glad.
—Psalm 105:3
When
they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. —Matthew
2:10
they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. —Matthew
2:10
Our
Fallen Human Nature
Fallen Human Nature
There
is no chicken little (the sky is falling) when you have Jesus. We rejoice
because no matter our circumstances, the Lord is with us. Philippians
4:4.
is no chicken little (the sky is falling) when you have Jesus. We rejoice
because no matter our circumstances, the Lord is with us. Philippians
4:4.
As I
write this, our newly elected president has not yet even taken his oath
of office and people are deciding he’s not “draining the swamp”
the way they expected him to do. There is no patience, no waiting on God,
there is an immediate rush to judgment.
write this, our newly elected president has not yet even taken his oath
of office and people are deciding he’s not “draining the swamp”
the way they expected him to do. There is no patience, no waiting on God,
there is an immediate rush to judgment.
Stop
it! Wait on the Lord! We believed our new president, now let’s see
what he can do. Realize that he may make some mistakes! Haven’t
we all!
it! Wait on the Lord! We believed our new president, now let’s see
what he can do. Realize that he may make some mistakes! Haven’t
we all!
Why
is it that our fallen human nature immediately runs to negativity? Why
is it that we immediately want to destroy any hope or promise God has
given us? It’s our nature…that old sinful nature. And the
Lord knows just exactly how we are! We so often fail to rest in HIM!
is it that our fallen human nature immediately runs to negativity? Why
is it that we immediately want to destroy any hope or promise God has
given us? It’s our nature…that old sinful nature. And the
Lord knows just exactly how we are! We so often fail to rest in HIM!
Remember
Abraham and Sarah? The story starts in Genesis 11:30. The promise of God
to Abraham would take twenty-five years to come to fulfillment. Of course,
Abraham would never have known that it would take that long. He trusted
God and knew that He would keep His word, and until then he must wait
on the Lord. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to wait. Sometimes waiting
for an answer to prayer is often part of the answer. We are far too impatient
and want answers now, yet God in His gracious plan and purpose allows
us to wait until His time.
Abraham and Sarah? The story starts in Genesis 11:30. The promise of God
to Abraham would take twenty-five years to come to fulfillment. Of course,
Abraham would never have known that it would take that long. He trusted
God and knew that He would keep His word, and until then he must wait
on the Lord. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to wait. Sometimes waiting
for an answer to prayer is often part of the answer. We are far too impatient
and want answers now, yet God in His gracious plan and purpose allows
us to wait until His time.
Sadly,
Abraham listened to his wife Sarah rather than waiting on God to do what
He said he would do. Sarah thought she needed to help God, not understanding
fully that with Him, all things are possible, and His promises are forever.
Believers know the rest of this story.
Abraham listened to his wife Sarah rather than waiting on God to do what
He said he would do. Sarah thought she needed to help God, not understanding
fully that with Him, all things are possible, and His promises are forever.
Believers know the rest of this story.
Wait
on the Lord, and wait on Him in prayer.
on the Lord, and wait on Him in prayer.
Rejoicing
in Adversity
in Adversity
True
joy comes from knowing the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and His Son,
Messiah Jesus. Here is the true story of a Chinese
pastor who was imprisoned for 18 years by the Communists because of his
faith. Day after day, year after year, he was assigned to work in
the prison camp’s cesspool.
Every morning he had to wade into that stinking hole and spend his day
scooping out the human waste. He was given this job as a special punishment
because he kept holding tenaciously to his faith.
joy comes from knowing the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and His Son,
Messiah Jesus. Here is the true story of a Chinese
pastor who was imprisoned for 18 years by the Communists because of his
faith. Day after day, year after year, he was assigned to work in
the prison camp’s cesspool.
Every morning he had to wade into that stinking hole and spend his day
scooping out the human waste. He was given this job as a special punishment
because he kept holding tenaciously to his faith.
Thepastor was grateful for the assignment because of the solitude he had.
The stench was so bad that even the guards stayed far away. So, the pastor
had the freedom to pray aloud, sing hymns to the Lord, and recite Scripture.
The cesspool had become a garden of communion with God. And what did he
sing? In the Garden, by Charles A. Miles, a 1913 hymn.
I
come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses,
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.Refrain:And
He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.He
speaks, and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing.
I’d stay in the garden with Him,
Though the night around me be falling,
But He bids me go; through the voice of woe
His voice to me is calling.
Out
of the hardest of circumstances and worst of situations this man’s
experience is a testimony of how God is in control no matter how horrible
the situation might be.
of the hardest of circumstances and worst of situations this man’s
experience is a testimony of how God is in control no matter how horrible
the situation might be.
If Pastor
George Chen was willing to do all this to stand for his faith under such
adversity; how can we even complain about the small adversities in our
daily life?
George Chen was willing to do all this to stand for his faith under such
adversity; how can we even complain about the small adversities in our
daily life?
Fireand Loss in East Tennessee
Drought
struck our area this summer, with high temperatures and no rain. Our Smoky
Mountains were timber waiting to burn. The fires started, caused from
arson by two underage teens, burning 17,000 acres of the Smoky Mountains.
In the tourist area of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, thousands of homes
and businesses burned to the ground; the latest count is 14 dead. I’ve
never seen a summer here so very hot and dry, not in the nearly 30 years
we’ve lived here.
struck our area this summer, with high temperatures and no rain. Our Smoky
Mountains were timber waiting to burn. The fires started, caused from
arson by two underage teens, burning 17,000 acres of the Smoky Mountains.
In the tourist area of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, thousands of homes
and businesses burned to the ground; the latest count is 14 dead. I’ve
never seen a summer here so very hot and dry, not in the nearly 30 years
we’ve lived here.
Tennessee
is the Volunteer State, and rebuilding will take place, but the loss to
so many is heartbreaking and devastating. The Fire Chief lost his own
home while helping others. The Mayor of Gatlinburg lost his home as well
as his resort which was extra income. Yet, their worries were all for
their own people, and prayers for rain, which we received the next day.
We rejoiced, and praised the Lord for His mercy.
is the Volunteer State, and rebuilding will take place, but the loss to
so many is heartbreaking and devastating. The Fire Chief lost his own
home while helping others. The Mayor of Gatlinburg lost his home as well
as his resort which was extra income. Yet, their worries were all for
their own people, and prayers for rain, which we received the next day.
We rejoiced, and praised the Lord for His mercy.
Now
comes the cleanup and the much-needed help. Dolly Parton is giving $1,000
a month to every family who lost their homes. This will go on for six
months. She has also donated $1 million to help rebuild, and she has even
bigger plans.
comes the cleanup and the much-needed help. Dolly Parton is giving $1,000
a month to every family who lost their homes. This will go on for six
months. She has also donated $1 million to help rebuild, and she has even
bigger plans.
This
is the buckle of the Bible belt, and the majority of people know the Lord,
and trust in Him, even through tears and loss. One man lost his wife and
two daughters, and has written a letter of forgiveness to the two teens,
stating that this is what Jesus would have him do.
is the buckle of the Bible belt, and the majority of people know the Lord,
and trust in Him, even through tears and loss. One man lost his wife and
two daughters, and has written a letter of forgiveness to the two teens,
stating that this is what Jesus would have him do.
Decemberis a huge tourist month for Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge. They’re back
open, and beautifully decorated for the season, won’t you please
come!
Corrie
Ten Boom
Ten Boom
Corrie
was a Christian who, along with her father and other family members, helped
many Jews escape the Nazi Holocaust during World War II. She was imprisoned
for her actions. She watched her sister, Betsy, die in Ravensbruck concentration
camp.
was a Christian who, along with her father and other family members, helped
many Jews escape the Nazi Holocaust during World War II. She was imprisoned
for her actions. She watched her sister, Betsy, die in Ravensbruck concentration
camp.
In 1947
she had come from Holland to defeated Germany to give a talk about forgiveness.
Everyone filed out in silence after her speech, and then a man walked
up to her and asked her if she really meant what she said about
forgiveness.
She saw the man as he had been, a guard at Ravensbruck who had watched
her and her sister march by him naked as their clothes and shoes lay strewn
in a pile on the floor.
she had come from Holland to defeated Germany to give a talk about forgiveness.
Everyone filed out in silence after her speech, and then a man walked
up to her and asked her if she really meant what she said about
forgiveness.She saw the man as he had been, a guard at Ravensbruck who had watched
her and her sister march by him naked as their clothes and shoes lay strewn
in a pile on the floor.
She
saw him and memories flashed in her mind. Her natural hatred and revulsion
made her stiffen and she fumbled in her pocketbook. The former guard told
her he had become a Christian and he reached out his hand to her. Corrie
said that her arm felt like lead, and that she didn’t know if she
could lift it.
saw him and memories flashed in her mind. Her natural hatred and revulsion
made her stiffen and she fumbled in her pocketbook. The former guard told
her he had become a Christian and he reached out his hand to her. Corrie
said that her arm felt like lead, and that she didn’t know if she
could lift it.
She
had told the audience of Germans, “When we confess our sins, God
casts them into the deepest ocean, gone forever.”
had told the audience of Germans, “When we confess our sins, God
casts them into the deepest ocean, gone forever.”
“You
mentioned Ravensbrück in your talk,” the man said. “I
was a guard there.
mentioned Ravensbrück in your talk,” the man said. “I
was a guard there.
But
since that time,” he went on, “I have become a Christian.
I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there, but
I would like to hear it from your lips as well Fräulein,”–again
the hand came out– “will you forgive me?”
since that time,” he went on, “I have become a Christian.
I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there, but
I would like to hear it from your lips as well Fräulein,”–again
the hand came out– “will you forgive me?”
Corriesaid she stood there, and she remembered what the Lord has said, “If
you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father in heaven
forgive your trespasses.” She prayed, “Father, help me.”
Finally,
her wooden arm reached up to grasp the man’s hand, and she said,
“The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into
our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole
being, bringing tears to my eyes.”
her wooden arm reached up to grasp the man’s hand, and she said,
“The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into
our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole
being, bringing tears to my eyes.”
“I
forgive you, brother!” she cried. “With all my heart!”
[Link]
forgive you, brother!” she cried. “With all my heart!”
[Link]
The
Birth of Our Savior
Birth of Our Savior
Christmas
is here. The birth of our King of Glory is celebrated every year for one
month of joyous preparation, and one special day reminding everyone of
His gift to us. It is the season where we say, HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS! We
rejoice in the knowledge of our amazing Salvation through Christ the King
who came in the simplest and humblest of wrappings.
is here. The birth of our King of Glory is celebrated every year for one
month of joyous preparation, and one special day reminding everyone of
His gift to us. It is the season where we say, HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS! We
rejoice in the knowledge of our amazing Salvation through Christ the King
who came in the simplest and humblest of wrappings.
Jesus
is God’s gift to all humanity. The perfect sinless gift. The gift
of eternal life. The King of Kings, the Lord of Lords! The Lion of the
Tribe of Judah!
is God’s gift to all humanity. The perfect sinless gift. The gift
of eternal life. The King of Kings, the Lord of Lords! The Lion of the
Tribe of Judah!
Life
is about what happens beyond the grave. Life is about knowing the God
who made you and who gave you the greatest gift you will ever receive.
When you are shopping for gifts, when you are decorating your home, when
you are baking and cooking, when you are opening those gifts from under
the tree, when you are celebrating with family and friends, remember the
perfect everlasting gift, the gift that truly keeps on giving, throughout
our lives, and then into eternity.
is about what happens beyond the grave. Life is about knowing the God
who made you and who gave you the greatest gift you will ever receive.
When you are shopping for gifts, when you are decorating your home, when
you are baking and cooking, when you are opening those gifts from under
the tree, when you are celebrating with family and friends, remember the
perfect everlasting gift, the gift that truly keeps on giving, throughout
our lives, and then into eternity.
Despite
what we may live through, if we have the King of Glory in our lives, He
is the blessed gift who holds us up in both joy and trials.
what we may live through, if we have the King of Glory in our lives, He
is the blessed gift who holds us up in both joy and trials.
May
your Christmas and your heart reflect the exultation of knowing Him and
receiving His special gift. For it is by grace…
your Christmas and your heart reflect the exultation of knowing Him and
receiving His special gift. For it is by grace…