11/28/2017

John 15:1-6 (KJV)
¹  I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
²  Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
³  Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
⁴  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
⁵  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
⁶  If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

While reading this chapter, I remembered how a husbandman tends to his vines. They don’t just water and work the ground around the vines. No, they have to prune the vines so that they will produce more plentiful and better tasting grapes. My husband and I checked into it thinking we would grow some grapes and learned there is a lot of work that goes into grapes.

First, the grapevines that grow the first year do not produce, and then every year you trim them back because the grapes grow on the new growth. Then you have to keep an eye out for disease and damage, and remove it when it is found before it kills the whole vine.

When you compare what the husbandman does to his vines with what God wants to do to us; it helps you understand why we have to face trials and temptations. God wants strong workers or vines to show God’s love and grace in this world.

11/27/2017

Psalm 115:11, 13-18 (KJV)
 ¹¹ Ye that fear the LORD, trust in the LORD: he is their help and their shield.

¹³  He will bless them that fear the LORD, both small and great.
¹⁴  The LORD shall increase you more and more, you and your children.
¹⁵  Ye are blessed of the LORD which made heaven and earth.
¹⁶  The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD'S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men.
¹⁷  The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.
¹⁸  But we will bless the LORD from this time forth and for evermore. Praise the LORD.

While reading recently in Psalms, God brought to my remembrance how I prayed for people years ago. Why I prayed that way I don’t recall but it is a way that needs to be done.

Here it states that if we fear the Lord and trust in him that he will help and he will be a protector that we can and should hide behind. A shield is something that you hold up between you and your enemy. If we don’t know what the Bible states, how can we use it to protect us from the devil.

When we use the Lord as a shield, we will find that life is easier to face. I will not tell you that there will be less testing and trials, because the Bible states we will be tested and tried. However, I will state that it will be so much easier to go through those test and trials while relying on the Lord and his Word than without them.

Then if our trust is in the Lord and we live the way he wants us to, then he will bless us. In fact, the more we live our lives for God the more he will bless us. The more we follow what his Word states the more God will bless us in our daily lives.

The more we praise, worship, and fear the Lord, the more he will bless and increase our children and us. The more we follow the Lord the closer we will get. The closer we get to God the stronger our faith and our witness. The closer we get to him the more Christ-like we become. The more Christ-like we are the more people we that know will want what we have. Therefore the more Christ-like we are the better worker for God we become.

As you live for God, may he bless thee and keep thee, may his face shine upon thee and give thee peace. Amen.

By: C.I. Wilson

11/24/2017

            There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting her things 'in order,' she contacted her Pastor and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes.  
            She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in.  
            Everything was in order and the Pastor was preparing to leave when the young woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.  
            'There's one more thing,' she said excitedly... 
            'What's that?' came the Pastor's reply.  
            'This is very important,' the young woman continued. 'I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.'  
            The Pastor stood looking at the young woman, not knowing quite what to say.  
            That surprises you, doesn't it?' the young woman asked..  
            'Well, to be honest, I'm puzzled by the request,' said the Pastor.  
            The young woman explained. 'My grandmother once told me this story, and from that time on I have always tried to pass along its message to those I love and those who are in need of encouragement. In all my years of attending socials and dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, 'Keep your fork.' It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming...like velvety chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie. Something wonderful, and with substance!'  
            So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder 'What's with the fork?' Then I want you to tell them: 'Keep your fork  ....the best is yet to come.'  
            The Pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the young woman good-bye. He knew this would be one of the last times he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the young woman had a better grasp of heaven than he did. She had a better grasp of what heaven would be like than many people twice her age, with twice as much experience and knowledge. She KNEW that something better was coming.  
            At the funeral people were walking by the young woman's casket and they saw the cloak she was wearing and the fork placed in her right hand... Over and over, the Pastor heard the question, 'What's with the fork?' And, over and over he smiled.  
            During his message, the Pastor told the people of the conversation he had with the young woman shortly before she died. He also told them about the fork and about what it symbolized to her. He told the people how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either.  
            He was right. So the next time you reach down for your fork let it remind you, ever so gently, that the best is yet to come.

Remember: With God, the best is yet to come.

11/10/2017

I read an article from a 2015 Sunday School packet from Gospel Publishing House and it struck a chord with me because I was dealing with a medical issue, as most seniors do. I have known some people that believed in Divine Healing as the only way to receive your healing. Then there are the people who do not believe in divine healing and only use doctors. Then there is the majority (in my opinion) of Christian’s that fall somewhere in the middle. Now due to my husband showing me this article I have some Biblical foundation for the way I have believed for many years.

I have seen miracles, my niece’s clubfoot straighten while walking down the church isle after being prayed for, tobacco users stop smoking overnight as well as others. At the same time, I have seen people prayed for many times for the same illness and never receive their healing. I have never put much thought into the why’s and why not’s about this till recently.

I had one person tell me that many years ago, he dipped tobacco and after several years, he asked for deliverance, God delivered him, and then he took the habit up again. The second time he asked for deliverance he stated that God told him something along the line of “I did it and you picked it back up, now it is up to you.” He further stated that the devil kept tormenting him for years after when he got upset or mad.

Yes, God does give divine healing and yes, man has turned their back on it and some have even thrown it away. Sometimes God does not give divine healing. This does not mean that some people are God’s favorite people and some are not. This depends on God’s will for our lives. If we have given God complete control of our lives then we need to leave it up to him to decide on how we receive our healing.

11/9/2017

A Healing Prayer sent to the office.

Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, I thank You for  Your grace. Because I place my confidence in Your Word, I receive healing just  as I receive salvation. Jesus came to deliver me from evils of sickness just as surely as He came to forgive my sin. Thank You for manifesting Your grace in every area of my life. I recognize that You have given me the promise of healing as an act of Your great love and compassion for me. I no longer have to tolerate sickness as something You allow to teach me a lesson or to prove Your sovereignty, but I now recognize sickness as evil. This very moment I receive my healing in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!

James 5:14-15 (KJV)
¹⁴  Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
¹⁵  And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.