TRUST AND DELIGHT

As we celebrate the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ I would like to share some scripture from the Old Testament.

Isaiah 25:6-9 gives prophetic reference to our salvation...

“On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, 
a banquet of aged wine— the best of meats and the finest of wines. 
On this mountain He will destroy 
the shroud that enfolds all peoples, 
the sheet that covers all nations; He will swallow up death forever. 
The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; 
He will remove His people’s disgrace from all the earth. The LORD has spoken. In that day they will say,“Surely this is our God; we trusted in Him and He saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in Him; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”

In the this passage, “the shroud which enfolds all peoples” speaks of spiritual darkness. Truly death has been swallowed up and the disgrace of sin has been removed by our Saviour. The gospel message is so simple and yet so utterly profound. Trust in the Lord Jesus and Him alone for our salvation.

Acts 4:12 (NIV). Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." 

“

It seems at times in our Christian walk it is refreshing and brings us strength to get back to basics. With myriads of philosophies and opinions spinning about us in our modern hectic world let us “cling to the old rugged cross” and truly delight in our redemption.

By Cathy Friberg

Just For Today

Lenten Season.

I finally had a talk with myself and began to really listen to the messages of this Lenten Season.

The time before Easter is a time for preparation, spiritual discernment, and  spiritual renewal.  It has been stated by many that this is a contemplative time of year. 

During the last few months I feel like I haven’t been open to feeling  God’s presence and love.  I am feeling despondent about a few things,  but a major concern  is  a dear  friend of mine is close to the time of being cared for by Hospice, and it is a clear reminder to me that nothing stays the same.

As I sit and read my lesson for the Bible Study Class I attend each week, I struggle to focus on what the writer is saying.   I find myself growing impatient with people who are always complaining about mundane things, or what I have judged to be mundane

Last week I had a talk with myself,  and I began to express gratitude again for my friends and family, and to have a more positive and open perspective to my daily life.

Two experiences just last week have filled my heart with love and gratitude .  I am finally feeling like a dry plant who is sprouting new buds from the fresh water it has received.

My husband and I attended our grand nieces’ first birthday party.  What a joy it was to be guests in our nephew’s home, and be able to watch the proud parents welcome people to celebrate their daughter’s first birthday.  Hearing the laughter and watching our family gather together for this wonderful occasion was a true example to me of love and gratitude.

That evening we had dinner in our daughter’s home.  After everyone was seated my daughter said,

“I just want everyone to know how happy we are to have you here with us in our new home.”

Hearing my daughter articulate her feelings and also revealing her emotions as she talked, was a gift.

I thought to myself, “Yes! her spiritual side has just paid us a visit.”

Then she looked at me and asked if I wanted to say grace.  I told her, she just did.  I added a short prayer of gratitude and felt that at that moment, life couldn’t get any better.

As I reflect on this past week, and also ponder about what is going to happen to my friend within the near future, I will try to practice what I know and believe .  I need to ask for God’s grace. I need to feel grateful for my friends and family, and I need to ask for guidance in how and what to do for my friend who may be near the end of her life.

A prayer I keep in my journal states it well:

“Just For Today.”  
By Marjorie Holmes

Oh, God, give me grace for this day.
Not for a lifetime, nor for next week, nor
For tomorrow, just for this day.
Direct my thoughts and bless them,

Direct my work and bless it.
Direct the things I say and give them blessing, too.
Direct and bless everything
that I think and speak
And do. So that for this one day,
just this one
Day, I have the gift of grace
that comes from
Your presence….

Peace,Connie I. Clark

FAVOR WITH THE KING

FAVOR WITH THE KING

I would like to share some insights and a passage from Tommy Tenney's book, “Finding Favor With the King.” In this unique and powerful work the author explores the Biblical book of Esther. He analyzes the Godly wisdom which Esther employed in winning over the heart of the King of ancient Persia. Esther's favor with the King was of dire importance. She had providentially been chosen by God to win the hand of the King. Later she was able to gain a propitious audience with her husband, the King. At Esther's persuasion, her Jewish people were saved by King Xerxes from a wicked plot of total annihilation.

Mr. Tinney applies Esther's diplomacy to our modern Christian experience of gaining favor and intimacy with the Ultimate King of Kings. We all long for deeper communion with our Lord. Perhaps we have a request for Him which seems as crucial and momentous for us as Esther's was for her King.

'Finding Favor With the King' presents some very insightful advice for drawing closer to the Master and obtaining His undivided attention. The following excerpt from the book offers a good example of this wisdom:

“Modern chamberlains of the King are responsible for teaching us how to move the heart of God. Good stewards teach us not to settle for presenting our petitions at the gate of thanksgiving or even in the court of praise. The wisest course is to present your requests in the place of intimacy. Wait until you only need to half whisper it. Once the King's heart is moved, history is rewritten and our future is changed.

Even as you read these words, the weight of some desperate need may be bearing down on your life. There is hope if you can receive the secret of the chamberlain. Set aside your needs for a moment and begin to worship Him in the face place.

Praise Him. Worship Him until you enter the chambers of intimacy. When your tears soak the carpet and all you can say is, 'Abba,' He will put His finger on your lips and say, 'You don't even have to say it. I know about your needs before you ask.'

When your worship lifts you into that privileged position of favor, you may find that He has met your need even before you ask.

God is no respecter of persons, but He will do some things for some people that He won't do for others. This is because they have learned the protocol of His presence. They followed in the footsteps of Esther and learned how to become a princess. Their hearts have been so changed in His presence that all they care about is wearing His favorite color and doing what he wants them to do. And they have reaped the rewards of finding favor with the King. They have become a favorite,- the King's bride, a queen!

The very atmosphere of heaven is predicated upon worship. Listen to the counsel of the chamberlain, for the path of praise and the stairway of worship lead into the King's inner chambers.

Begin with repentance and cleanse your heart and mind of every impurity. Fill your mouth with words of thanksgiving that take you through the first gate. Give Him gifts of praise and move ever closer to His heart. Draw near to Him and worship in spirit and in truth. When the King is engaged in this way, He has a heart to immediately respond to our petitions.

What is the secret? Listen to the chamberlain and follow in the footsteps of Esther. Then you will no longer present your requests in the formality of the courtroom. Nor will you be forced to shout them from outside the gates.

As a new testament chamberlain responding to a contemporary Esther: 'What should you wear to catch the eye of the King?'

Put on worship and wear it well. The King loves worship, especially when combined with one of His favorite fragrances …... humility. ”

Shared by

 Cathy Friberg

From “Finding favor With the King”

by Tommy Tenney

pages 102-105