The Road To Bethlehem

When we think of the road to Bethlehem in regards to Christmas, we usually just think about
Mary and Joseph on that long journey from the city of Nazareth to the city of David, Bethlehem.
However, there were many more on that Christmas journey that we don't often think about.
They are just part of the Christmas story.  Each Christmas play has the shepherds, wise men
(although if you look carefully, you will see that the wise men came when Jesus was a young
child and was living in a house with His parents. (Matthew 2:11  "And when they were
come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary His mother, and fell down
and worshipped Him:  and when they had opened their treasures they presented unto
Him, gifts:  gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.");  angels, innkeeper, and of course
Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus. 

I often wonder about some the people "involved" that night.  It never mentions them again,
but I doubt that their lives were ever the same again.  Take the shepherds that were in the
field tending to their flocks that night.  To them it was just a regular night, doing the
things that they had done untold times before. 

Luke 2:8 - 9  "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field,
keeping watch over their flock by night.  And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon
them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them:  and they were sore afraid."

The shepherds were some of the poorest people.  They spent their lives watching the
sheep.  Yet it was to this group of humble men that the angel of the Lord made this
startling announcement.  I tend to put myself in peoples shoes, to try and imagine what
they felt.  It does tell us at the end of verse 9 that they were afraid.  Here they were in
the dark with their flock and an angel appeared unto them.  Then this one angel was
joined by a multitude of angels that were praising God!  Parents today of newborns
put announcements in the papers to tell about the birth of their child.  But I guarantee
there has never been an announcement to match the one that took place that night
in the hills outside the city!

God choose those shepherds to be the first to hear of the birth of His Son.  The promised
Messiah had been born, and these men were His first visitors.  They had an invitation to
visit that was delivered by heavenly messengers!  Luke 2:16  "And they came with haste,
and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe, lying in the manger."  The first to come
and worship the "Good Shepherd" were lowly shepherds.  They were never the same.

Luke 2:17  "And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which
was told them concerning this child."  And just what was it that the angel had told
these shepherds?  Luke 2:11  "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a
Savior, which is Christ the Lord."  I have no doubt that everyone they came into
contact with from that day forward heard this heavenly message given to those shepherds
that night long ago. 

Then there was Anna.

Luke 2:36 & 37  "And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel,
of the tribe of Aser:  she was of great age, and had lived with an husband seven years
from her virginity:  And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which
departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and
day."

Here we find a devoted widow lady.  We don't know her exact age, but she was "of great
age," so we know she was elderly.  This dear lady had given the remainder of her life in
the service of God, she served Him night and day and did not depart from the temple.

Why do you think she was mentioned at all?  I think that God rewarded her faithfulness
by letting her see the Messiah that had been long waited for.  She got to see her Savior
before she died!  We see in verse 38 of Luke 2, that she came upon the scene of Simeon
blessing the baby Jesus, "And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto
the Lord, and spake of Him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem."
I can just imagine her excitement at seeing the Christ Child that day, the Holy One of
Israel that she had served so faithfully.  I can imagine that those to whom she spoke of
Him too, heard that excitement in her voice, as she told them that she had seen the
promised Messiah of Israel, He had come at last!  I have no doubt that from this day
on, Anna gave radiant testimony to the fact that she had seen the promised Savior with
her own eyes.

I want to take a look at one more person.  This person is not mentioned by name, in
fact he is not really mentioned at all.  But there is a statement that includes him.
Luke 2:7  "And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped Him in
swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger:  because there was no room for
them in the inn." 

In every Christmas play you see, you have an innkeeper turning away Mary and
Joseph from an already overcrowded inn.  We have a tendency to look unkindly
upon this man.  But the fact of the matter is that Bethlehem was so full of people
coming for the taxes, that there was no room.  I don't know if this man ever became
aware of what transpired that night in the barn, but he lost out on a tremendous
blessing because he had no room.  I'm sure if He had known that the baby that
was soon to be born was the promised Deliver of Israel, that had long been waited
for, he would have made room.

We find this sad.  However there are millions in this world today who have no room
for Jesus.  They are ignorant to the fact that they are turning away the only One that
can save their souls, they are turning away the Son of God.  Those of us who have
been blessed with meeting Jesus, have a responsibility to them.  The shepherds and
Anna spent the rest of their lives telling everyone they came into contact with that
they had met Jesus Christ. 

How about you, are you telling about the tremendous thing that happened to you
when you met Jesus Christ?  Has meeting Jesus changed your life like it did the
shepherds and Anna? 

Perhaps today you find yourself like the innkeeper that night long ago...no room
for Jesus.  Its not too late.  He's waiting to meet you.  What the angels told the
shepherds that night long ago, applies to you today!  "For unto you is born this
day in the city of David, a savior, which is Christ the Lord."  He was born for
you!  Romans 10:9  "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,
and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou
shalt be saved."  Let today be the day that you make room for Jesus!

 

Have you any room for Jesus,

He who bore your load of sin?

As He knocks and asks admission,

Sinner will you let Him in?

 

Room for pleasure, room for business,

But for Christ the crucified,

Not a place that He can enter

In the heart for which He died?

 

Have you any room for Jesus,

As in grace He calls again?

O, today is time accepted,

Later you may call in vain.

 

Room and time now give to Jesus,

Soon will pass God's day of grace;

Soon your heart left cold and silent,

And your Savior's pleading cease.

 

Room for Jesus, King of glory!

Hasten now, His Word obey;

Swing your heart's door widely open,

Bid Him enter while you may.

 

                                                        Daniel W. Whittle

A Clogged Spring

Have you ever been stuck...I mean really stuck?  A few years ago I was having a CT scan.
I was laying there watching the clock, when all of a sudden the machine started making
this really annoying loud beeping sound, then it just stopped!  I thought to myself, "It's not
my fault...I didn't touch anything!"  A couple of nurses came running;  they tried to get
the machine to release the stretcher I was on so that they could get me out, but it wouldn't
let me go!  It's a good thing I'm not claustrophobic, because it was an hour before a repair
man could get there and get me out!  Even though small spaces don't usually bother me, by
the time I was freed I was getting a little antsy.  It's not nice getting stuck!

Have you ever been spiritually stuck?  You don't seem to be moving forward and gaining
spiritual ground, you're just...stuck.  Your spirit is tired and you seem to be moving under
a cloud of dejection and despair.  You've lost the joy of your salvation.  May I tell you, that
our Good Shepherd knows when His sheep need to rest.

Psalms 23:1 & 2  "The LORD is my shepherd:  I shall not want.  He maketh me to
lie down in green pastures:  He leadeth me beside the still waters.

He knows when we are tired, and will bring us into a peaceful place to rest a while.  Sheep
will not drink from fast flowing water, they need quiet still pools of refreshing water to drink
from.  Our Lord knows when we need to be taken aside and made to rest and refresh ourselves
with the "Living Water."

John 4:14  "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never
thirst;  but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing
up into everlasting life."

As a child of God, we have that "well of water springing up into everlasting life,"  dwelling
inside of us.  Sometimes however the things of this world can clog up our "spring" so that
it just resembles a leaky faucet!  Is your well clogged up? 

1.  The cares of this life can cause a clog.

Mark 4:19  "And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the
lusts of other things entering in, choke the Word, and it becometh unfruitful."

It is so easy to become encumbered with the cares of this world, because we live in
it!  We have problems to solve, bills to pay, health problems, family problems, some
have no jobs...cares of this world.  Yet it is the cares of this world, the deceitfulness
of riches and the lusts of other things that choke out the peace in our lives.  They
become all we can see and we lose sight of the promises of God that tell us that He
will care for us like the lilies of the field.  Matthew 6:28 - 30  "And why take ye
thought for raiment?  Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow;  they toil
not, neither do they spin:  And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his
glory was not arrayed like one of these.  Wherefore, if God so clothed the grass
of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not
much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?"

A few years ago my husband was in the hospital for 13 months before being moved
to a nursing home.  During the course of that year, there were times when I was
short on money for food or bills.  I never told anyone, just took my need to my
Heavenly Father.  One Sunday I came out of church to find an envelope wedged
in the door of my van.  Upon opening it, I found $300.00!  I never did find out who
put it there...but I know this, my Heavenly Father sent it!  Trust God and see what
will happen, He will never let His child down.

2.  Pride will put a definite clog in your spring.

1 John 2:16  "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the
eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."

It's easy to pick out a proud person.  They seem to walk with a swagger, and everything
is centered around them.  I, I, I.  Pride is a sin.  It was pride that was the downfall of  the
angel Lucifer! 

Isaiah 14:12 - 15  "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the
morning!  How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne
above the stars of God:  I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the
sides of the north:  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;  I will be like
the most High.  Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit."

When we find ourselves starting to say, "I" more than "God," we are in big trouble!
We find the Apostle Paul warning of this in Romans 12:3  "For I say, through the
grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself
more highly than he ought to think:  but to think soberly, according as God
hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."  We have to be constantly reminding
ourselves that we are by the grace of God, just sinners, saved by faith.  We are
nothing in ourselves.  All that we are, all that we have, and all that we will become
and have, is only because of the love and mercy of God.  When we elevate God in
our lives to the place of prominence that He is suppose to have, we will fade into
the background, people will see God, not us.  John said in John 3:30,  "He must
increase, but I must decrease."  "I must decrease."  Pride is a sin that we must
battle every day.  When God is in the proper place in our lives, the clog of pride
will clear from our spring!

3.  Depression can seriously clog your spring.

Psalms 6:6  "I am weary with my groaning;  all the night make I my bed to
swim;  I water my couch with my tears."

The mighty warrior, King David had times when he got overwhelmed with life and
got down and depressed.  Saul was trying to kill him, he had to run for his life and
hide in caves.  He was also burdened with his sin, and knew that before Holy God
he was found wanting.  Psalms 13:1 & 2  "How long wilt Thou forget me O LORD?
Forever?  How long wilt Thou hide Thy face from me?  How long shall I take
counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily?  How long shall mine
enemy be exalted over me?"  I have never had to fear for my life, and be on the
run like David, but I know about depression.  Especially at this time of year, I
really seem to get down and depressed.  Depression can take away your joy and
peace, it can really clog up your spring.

We find the antidote to this problem however in Psalms 16:8, "I have set the LORD
always before me:  because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved."  I'll
admit, this is easy to preach but hard to do when your spirit is low and the tears seem
unending. 

James 4:7 & 8, 10  "Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and
he will flee from you.  Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.  Humble
yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall life you up."

Notice here that the first thing to do is submit ourselves to God.  Resisting the devil
can only be accomplished through the power of God that comes as a result of that
submission. Submit, resist, draw nigh and humble ourselves is the secret to unclogging
our spring.

Is your spring flowing freely in you today?  Are you rejoicing in that well of "Living
Water" that comes from Jesus Christ?  If it has gotten clogged up with the cares of
this life, pride and depression, get busy unclogging it today.  That spring contains
peace and joy for you from the Lord Jesus Christ!

Psalms 66:20  "Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor
His mercy from me."

I thirsted in the barren land of sin and shame,

And nothing satisfying there I found;

But to the blessed cross of Christ one day I came,

Where springs of living water did abound.

 

How sweet the living water from the hills of God,

It makes me glad and happy all the way;

Now glory, grace and blessing mark the path I've trod.

I'm shouting "Hallelujah" every day.

 

O sinner, won't you come today to Calvary,

A fountain there is flowing deep and wide;

The Savior now invites you to the water free,

Where thirsting spirits can be satisfied.

 

Drinking at the springs of living water,

Happy now am I, my soul they satisfy;

Drinking at the springs of living water,

O wonderful and bountiful supply.

 

                                        John W. Peterson

In Trouble... Again

I don't know if you're like me or not, but it seems like either I'm putting my foot in my mouth
again, or right smack dab in the middle of trouble...again, sometimes my fault, sometimes...
well it just seems to be my speciality.  I have a friend who always used to tell me that they
couldn't come to visit me until they found their umbrella, cause it seems I live under a black
cloud!  If there's trouble in the vicinity, I don't have to go looking for it, it will find me!

There is someone in the Bible that I always seem to feel sympathy for, because he seems to
be so much like me...that would be Peter.  Peter seemed to have a special way of getting
into trouble, when he really was just trying to do what was right.  He always seemed to
act and speak before he thought things through.  I never find myself judging poor Peter
because I'm guilty many times of being the same way. 

Some might view Peter as a real screw-up, but let me tell you something, Jesus loved Peter,
and He used him.  I'm so glad that God uses screw-ups, if He didn't many of us would have
nothing to do!

Matthew 4:18 - 20  "And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren,
Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea:  for they
were fishers.  And He saith unto them, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of
men.  And they straightway left their nets, and followed Him."

Right from the beginning, Peter had a heart that was open to the Lord Jesus.  It doesn't
say that Peter thought about following the Lord, that he had to go and talk it over with
others.  No, it says that straightway he left what he was doing and followed the Master.
Peter had a heart that was tender towards spiritual things.  How many times do we
harden our hearts when the Lord wants to lead us to go somewhere or talk to someone?
Say what you want about Peter, he was young, brash, rough, but he was open to the
Lord.

Matthew 14:25- 29  "And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them,
walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were
troubled saying, It is a spirit;  and they cried out for fear.  But straightway Jesus
spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer;  it is I; be not afraid.  And Peter
answered him and said, Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the water.
And He said, Come."

We often read this account in Matthew and find ourselves piously put out with Peter,
because when he did leave the boat and join the Lord in the raging sea, he started to
sink.  Peter had a desire to be with his Lord, even if that meant being in the churning
waters of a storm.  Do we have a desire to be in the presence of the Lord, even if it means
leaving the safety of where we are and stepping out into a storm of trials?  Yes, it's true
that Peter's faith failed when he took his eyes off the Master's face and focused on the
circumstances he found himself in.  But don't fault him for this, many of us wouldn't even
have gotten out of the boat!

We need have no fear of the storms we find ourselves in.  We read in verses 30 & 31,
"But when he (Peter) saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid;  and beginning to
sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.  And immediately Jesus stretched for His
hand..."  The Lord was right beside Peter even though Peter took his eyes off of Him.
And the Lord immediately answered Peter's call for help.  Our Lord is right beside
us, ready to help us whenever we need Him.  I'm sure that this is a lesson that Peter
never forgot!

In Matthew 26 we find another account of Peter making a mess of things.  The Lord
Jesus had just told the disciples that they would all betray Him that night.  Dear Peter,
his heart is always wanting to please the Lord.  We find him here in this passage
vehemently protesting this statement.

Matthew 26:33  "Peter answered and said unto Him, Though all men shall be
offended because of Thee, yet will I never be offended."  And again in verse 35,
"Peter said unto Him, Though I should die with Thee, yet will I not deny Thee."

We are all very familiar with what transpired that night.  Peter did deny the Lord
three times.  Peter's heart again was in the right place.  He loved his Lord and
wanted to be there for Him.  We see in the Garden of Gethsemane that Peter was
one of the three that He took with Him to pray.  Peter fell asleep.  Then we find in
John chapter 18 verses 10 & 11, "Then Simon Peter, having a sword drew it,
and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear.  The servant's
name was Malchus.  Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the
sheath: the cup which My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?"  Here
Peter again acts without thinking, and the Lord reprimands him for his actions. 
I think you will all agree with me when I say that Peter is having a really bad day!
I am sure that in Matthew 26:75, when Peter leaves the courtyard after hearing the
cock crow and realizing he just denied his Lord three times, his bitter weeping
includes these other two failures of the night as well.

Peter seemed to be always messing up...O, but Jesus loved him.

Mark 16:6 & 7  "And he (the angel at the sepulchre) saith unto them (the woman
who had come to anoint the Lord's body) Be not affrighted:  Ye seek Jesus of
Nazareth, which was crucified:  He is risen:  He is not here:  behold the place
where they laid Him.  But go your way, tell His disciples and Peter that He
goeth before you into Galilee:  there shall ye see Him, as He said unto you."

There is something in this passage that is so special, it always brings a tear to my
eyes when I read it.  Peter was specifically named, "His disciples and Peter."  Why
do you suppose that the angel made specific mention of Peter?  I think that by this
time poor Peter was so depressed over his sin, that Jesus wanted him to know that
He desired him to come with the rest of the disciples.  He was wanted and he was
loved.  Can you imagine how Peter felt when he received word that, not only was
Jesus alive, but that He wanted to see him...despite his failures Jesus desired to see
him!

We find Peter very prominent in the Book of Acts in the start of the church.  Did Peter
fail the Lord?  Yes, many times.  Peter seemed to be the kind of person that had to
learn things the hard way.  But he did learn from his mistakes.  Did this affect how
the Lord Jesus loved him?  No, Peter was very loved by the Lord.  Did his mistakes
mean that he couldn't serve the Lord?  No!  Peter was used mightily by the Lord.  And
Peter died for the Lord. 

A lot of times we fail the Lord.  We feel defeated, that we aren't any good to the Lord.
But we are.  "Peter wept bitterly" (Matthew 26:75).  Peter repented of his failures.
When we come to the Lord with repentant hearts for the way we messed up, sinned,
He will forgive and restore us, just as He did for Peter.  No one can is beyond the
forgiveness of God!  We are wanted and loved just as Peter was!

Perhaps today you're discouraged.  You've failed the Lord...again, but it's not over!
Take a lesson from Peter today.  This man failed the Lord time and time again, yet
we find in Acts 5:42 that he and John were "Daily in the temple, and in every
house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ."  God can still use you!
God knows that we are just flesh, and will fail.  However, when a heart is given over
to God, it fuels a life surrendered to God. 

May I encourage you today to keep on for the Lord.  Leave the failures of yesterday
behind you.  Learn from them and then go on in the service of your Heavenly Father.

Philippians 3:13 & 14  "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended:  but
this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth
unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the
high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

I'm pressing on the upward way,

New heights I'm gaining every day;

Still praying as I onward bound,

"Lord, plant my feet on higher ground."

 

My heart has no desire to stay,

Where doubts arise and fears dismay;

Tho' some may dwell where these abound,

My prayer, my aim is higher ground.

 

I want to live above the world,

Though Satan's darts at me are hurled;

For faith has caught the joyful sound,

The song of saints on higher ground.

 

I want to scale the utmost height

And catch a gleam of glory bright;

But still I'll pray till heav'n I found,

"Lord, lead me on to higher ground."

 

Lord, lift me up and let me stand

By faith on heaven's table land.

A higher plane than I have found;

Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

 

                                                                 Johnson Oatman Jr.

My Times Are In Thy Hand

I turned my calendar to December this morning and then I heard my clock chime in the
living room.  It hit me again just how fast time is passing.  As I listened to my clock chiming
out 11:00am, each chime seemed to say to me, "I'm gone, good bye." 

Ecclesiastes 3:1 - 8  "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose
under the heaven:  A time to be born, and time to die;  a time to plant, and a time
to pluck up that which is planted:  A time to kill, and a time to heal;  a time to break
down, and a time to build up;  A time to weep, and a time to laugh;  a time to mourn,
and a time to dance;  A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;  A time to get, and a time
to lose;  a time to keep, and a time to cast away;  A time to read, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;  A time to love, and a time to hate;  a
time of war, and a time of peace."

Life has its seasons.  Time is one thing that will never be stopped until we reach Glory,
where time will be no more.  No matter where in life you find yourself, there is something
for you to do.  I was talking with my son last night.  He is a new father of a 3 week old. 
He has entered a new time in his life, parenthood and all the ups and downs that come
along with it.  Right now the only thing that he is having a hard time adjusting to is the
lack of sleep!  Each season has its own set of adjustments and responsibilities associated
with it. 

I'm learning as I grow older to cherish each day, each season more.  We are not
promised that we will have a tomorrow.  We have to live, love and work today as if
it were our last. 

Proverbs 27:1  "Boast not thyself of tomorrow;  for thou knowest not what a
day may bring forth."

When I awoke on September 4th of this year, I didn't realize that I would be planning
my husbands funeral that day.  "A time to be born, and time to die;"  Life can
suddenly make a sharp turn that you weren't expecting.  It's when these sudden calamites
are thrown at you, that you find out if you're trusting in your own strength or the Lords.

Proverbs 30:5  "Every word of God is pure:  He is a shield unto them that put
their trust in Him."

No matter where you are in life, there are going to be times of great trial and stuggle.
Are you prepared for these times of testing?  You don't wait until the storm is upon
you to make sure that your house is sturdy, the cracks caulked against the rain, and
the shutters fastened tight.  You are to prepare before the storm comes.  It's the same
with our spiritual life.  You make sure that you are prepared before the storms of life
start lashing with fury against you. 

1.  Make sure that your feet are firmly planted on a firm foundation.

Matthew 7:24 & 25  "Therefore whosoever hearth these sayings of mine, and
doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon
that house;  and it fell not:  for it was founded upon rock."

When the winds of adversity blow against my house, I'm glad that my foundation is
the Lord Jesus Christ.  When I'm founded on this "Rock" my house will remain firm
and safe in the midst of any storm of life.  In 2 Samuel we find this wonderful verse,
"The LORD liveth:  and blessed be my rock:  and exalted be the God of the
rock of my salvation."  The security of my "house" is dependant on the foundation
that it is built on.  It goes on to say in Matthew chapter 7, that those that build their
houses on the sand instead of the rock, are foolish, and that their house will not
stand in the storm.  What is your foundation?

2.  Make sure that your anchor is secure.

Hebrews 6:19  "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and
stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;"

When our anchor is the Lord Jesus Christ, there is no storm strong enough to cut
us loose and set us adrift.  Living on the coast of Nova Scotia, I've been witness to
some pretty fierce storms on the Atlantic.  I've seen the fisherman anchoring their
boats and adding extra moorings so that they are safe during the storms.  My anchor
is safe, it's strong and sure.  We are anchored to the "Rock," that sure foundation,
that cannot move! 

3.  Make sure your trust is in God.

Psalm 31:1, 14  "In Thee, O LORD, do I put my trust:  let me never be ashamed:
deliver me in Thy righteousness.  But I trusted in Thee, O LORD:  I said, Thou
art my God."

Do we truly trust God, or at the first sign of trouble do we yank back the controls of
our lives.  The God that we trust in the pleasant, easy times, is the same God that we
can trust when the way gets rocky and the way foggy.  There is a chorus that goes, "My
Lord knows the way through the wilderness, all I have to do is follow... strength for today
is mine all the way, and all that I need for tomorrow.  My Lord knows the way through
the wilderness, all I have to do is follow."  When we follow, we are trusting Him to lead
us through the wilderness.  How are you doing with the trusting and following?  When
we try to go it alone, we will get lost, and end up in trouble and ashamed.  The verse
above says, "Let me never be ashamed:"  There will be no reason for shame when we
trust God the way that we should.

When we are trusting in our anchor which is secure upon the Rock, we will have no
fear in the storms of life.  We all want easy sailing all the time.  But it is in the storms
that we find our faith deepened and our testimony strengthened. 

We have no need to worry, whether we find ourselves in the midst of a storm today, or
enjoying the calm, peaceful sea.  Psalms 31:15 says, "My times are in Thy hand:"
There is no fear when we commit our way to the Lord's keeping.  No matter where in
the seasons of life you find yourself today, your time is in the Lord's hand.  Don't fret
over the mistakes and regrets of yesterday, don't worry about the possibilities of your
tomorrow, live in the today.  The next time you hear the clock chiming out the passing
of another hour, stop and relish the time that God has given you to enjoy your family,
strive to be a blessing to others, pray to have a vibrant testimony for your Savior, and
thank God that He has brought you to today, and trust Him to guide you into tomorrow.

Psalms 143:10  "Teach me to do Thy will:  for Thou art my God:  Thy spirit is
good;  lead me into the land of uprightness."

I set my life by God's great clock,

His time is always right;

He times the wind, the rain, the snow,

He times the day and night.

 

God times the winter and the spring;

The summer and the fall;

The sun and moon and stars are His,

His hand rules over all.

 

God times the blossom on the bough,

The flight of every bird and bee;

How safely I may trust His love

To choose what's best for me.

 

I set my life by God's great clock,

He's never fast or slow,

He plans a perfect day for those,

Who seek His will to know.

 

God's time is right,

There's none so wise as He;

His hand upholds the whole wide world,

He knows what's best for me.

 

                                                           E. Margaret Clarkson



Search Me O God

Lamentations 3:40 & 41  "Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the
LORD.  Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens."

How very easy it is to lose sight of the Lord in the midst of our hectic lives.  You miss
your personal devotions one morning because you're running late, and the next day it
seems just a little bit easier to put them off again.  Before you know it, perhaps a whole
week has gone by and you haven't even opened your Bible.  Why does it seem to be the
Lord that gets put aside in our busy life, and not something else?  It doesn't take long
for our hearts to start to become cold and indifferent to the small still voice of the Lord.

Psalms 46:10  "Be still, and know that I am God:  I will be exalted among the
heathen, I will be exalted in the earth."

To be able to hear God's voice we have to tune out the noise of the world.  This old
world can bring a lot of worry, concern and junk into our heads.  We need to learn
to still ourselves and be receptive to the loving voice of our Heavenly Father.  We
need to take time to search and try our ways as we read in Lamentations.  What are
we searching for?  For anything in our lives that is obscuring the Lord. 

Psalms 139:23 & 24  "Search me, O God, and know my heart;  try me, and know
my thoughts:  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way
everlasting."

This prayer of King David in the Psalms is a very specific prayer.  He is opening up
his heart to the inspection of God.  David wants his heart and thoughts to be in line
with the ways of God.  He is asking God to find and cleanse him of any wicked ways.
Are we willing to pray a prayer like this?  This prayer is a prayer of total surrender
to the Lord.  If we want fellowship with God, then we must be willing to let Him have
His way with us. 

Psalms 66:18  "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me."

Are you playing with sin?  This is why David asked the Lord to try him and know
his thoughts.  The word regard means to "consider, observe or gaze."  This verse
is saying that if I just consider, observe or gaze on sin, the Lord will not hear me!
It is a very slippery slope into the sinkhole of sin.  We see the decline in Psalm 1.

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth
in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful."

You go from observing them, to actually walking along with the ungodly.  Before
long you are standing around getting to know them better and before you know it
you are seated with them, partaking of their sinful ways.  You don't even know how
you got there, but suddenly you're in the middle of sin, far from God.  Their ways
look pleasant and worthwhile, but we are told that the end of their ways is death.

Proverbs 14:12  "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end
thereof are the ways of death."

Are you walking with the ungodly, standing with sinners, or sitting with the scornful?
Take a good look at your situation and how you got here.  Its time to ask the Lord to
search you, to know your heart, ways and thoughts.  Proverbs 14 verse 14 says that
"The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways:"  Our ways are the
ways of death.  They are filled with greed, envy, hate, selfishness, evil speaking, pride.
But through Satan's deception we feel that our souls are fine!  Proverbs 16:2  "All
the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes:" 

Proverbs 14:27  "The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the
snares of death."

God's way is the way of righteousness, truth, humility, love, compassion and honesty
just to name a few.  We are to fear the LORD, for it is life to us!  Are these things present
in your life?  What is your heart in tune with, what does your mind dwell on?  Is it the
pleasures of sin for a season that is rooted in your heart and mind, or is it the fear of
the Lord that is your daily bread?

Ephesians 5:7 - 11  "Be not ye therefore partakers with them.  For ye were
sometimes darkness, but now are we light in the Lord:  walk as children of
light:  for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;
proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.  And have no fellowship with the
unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."

We have been saved out of the life of darkness, so why would you want to go back
and fool around with the things of darkness?  We are told to walk as children of
light!  We are to have no fellowship with sin!  If we truly want the Lord to try us,
we must be willing to confess and forsake any of the unfruitful works of darkness
that we have been hiding in our hearts and minds.  We find in Ephesians 4:27 that
Paul warns us to, "Neither give place to the devil."  When we play around in
the playground of sin, we are giving place to the devil;  he moves in and forces the
Lord out.  I'm not saying that we lose our salvation, for that can never happen.  But
we lose the blessing of fellowship with our Savior, we lose our testimony before the
unsaved, and we lose heavenly rewards because of our unfaithfulness.

Today, won't you tune out the world, and pray with a sincere heart to your Lord,
"Search me O God, and know my heart;  try me, and know my thoughts:  and
see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."  God
is waiting with open arms, wanting sweet fellowship with His child.  Don't let the
empty promises of the world lure you into a false happiness.  True happiness comes
only through a contrite and broken heart, broken before Almighty God.

Psalms 34:18  "the LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart:  and
saveth such as be of a contrite spirit."

Jeremiah 17:14  "Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed:  save me, and I
shall be saved:  for Thou art my praise."

Search me, O God, and know my heart today;

Try me, O Savior, know my thoughts I pray.

See if there be some wicked way in me;

Cleanse me from every sin, and set me free.

 

I praise Thee, Lord, for cleansing me from sin;

Fulfill Thy Word, and make me pure within,

Fill me with fire, where once I burned with shame;

Grant my desire to magnify Thy name.

 

Lord, take my life, and make it wholly Thine:

Fill all my heart with Thy great love divine.

Take all my will, my passion, self and pride;

I now surrender, Lord, in me abide.

 

                                                              J. Edwin Orr

Here Am I

Just hours into the lobster fishing season here in South Western Nova Scotia, a boat capsized
and 4 fisherman had to be rescued from the frigid waters of the North Atlantic early yesterday
morning.  Each year tragedy occurs off our coast as fisherman struggle to make a living in
harsh conditions.  I have two friends who are fisherman from here in Yarmouth, and I know
that their wives breathe much easier when they know that they have tied up safe and sound
in port each night. 

Jesus was close friends with some fisherman.  Some of his disciples had been fisherman
before they had left their boats and nets and followed Him. 

Matthew 4:18 - 22  "And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon
called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea:  for they were fishers.
And He saith unto them, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.  And they
straightway left their nets, and followed Him.  And going on from thence, He saw other
two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee
their father, mending their nets:  and He called them.  And they immediately left the
ship and their father, and followed Him."

These four men, Peter, Andrew, James and John were all fishermen.  They knew the hard-
ships and struggles of the life of a fisherman.  The hard work, long hours and fighting the
elements that went along with that life.  Did you notice what the four of them did when the
Lord called for them to follow Him?  They all immediately left all and followed Him.

Do we follow the Lord like that?  Do we immediately answer His call to the work He has
for us to do for Him?  Theirs was an obedience without question.  I'm sure that they did
not understand what the Lord meant when He told them He would make them "fishers of
men."  But it didn't matter to them, they left their nets, ships and even family to follow the
Lord.

What does it really mean, to follow the Lord?  For these men, it meant their jobs, homes
and families.  What does it mean to you?  What sacrifices have you made to follow the
Lord?  In order to follow the Lord all the way, it means turning your back on your past
life, friends, habits, pleasures...giving up all for the Lord.  Our earthy pleasures should
be done away with when we become followers of Christ.  When we are saved, the old life
should not have the same allure to us that it once did.  And when we take a stand for the
Lord, our old friends will leave us, and perhaps even family.  Taking a stand with Christ
will always cost us, but it should be a price that we are happy to pay.

The life of a true believer will not be an easy one.  The Lord taught this in Matthew 5:11
& 12  "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say
all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad:
for great is your reward in heaven:  for so persecuted they the prophets which were
before you."  The life of the child of God has never been an easy one.  But it is a life
that means more than any other you could live, for this life has eternal rewards.  The
disciples would learn this. 

There is a new TV program that just started.  It is out to dispute the validity of the Bible.
It says that the gospels were written by 4 men who had never even met the Lord Jesus!
May I say right that this is completely false!  The Gospels were written by Matthew,
Mark, Luke and John.  These four men, not only met Jesus, but they spent 3 years in
close company with Him.  They learned from Him, traveled with Him, saw the miracles
He performed, saw Him tried and crucified, saw Him resurrected, and saw Him ascend
in Heaven.  These men knew what it was to be a disciple of Christ, to live a life of full
sacrifice and commitment to Him.  And these men died in the service of their Lord.  Don't
listen to these TV shows, produced by the unsaved, that claim they know the truth, for it
is all lies.  It is Satan, out to try to deceive man again, by throwing doubt on the Word of
God.  Don't be deceived,  the Bible is true, get your facts from it, and take a stand against
this wickedness!

Matthew 10:37 - 39  "He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy
of Me:  and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And
he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after Me, is not worthy of Me.  He that
findeth his life shall lose it:  and he that loseth his life for My sake shall find it."

This is not saying that we shouldn't love our families, it is saying that we should love
God more.  God needs to come first.  When we die to self, lose our old man to the new,
we shall be alive in Christ.  That is when He can work through us.  And just what is it
that He wants us to do?  He wants us to be like Peter, Andrew, James and John, to
become fishers of men.

Matthew 16:24  "Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after
Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.

We are all able to tell another about the wondrous salvation we have through Jesus
Christ.  We can tell how He found us, washed us with His blood and made us fit for
His service and Heaven.  It really is just that simple.  Like I said earlier, its not just
the job of the Pastor or missionary, its the responsibility of every blood washed
believer.  The only thing that we can take from this life to Heaven with us, are the
souls of those that have been saved due to our witness.  What a treasure to take to
Heaven with us! 

How concerned are you for your unsaved family, friends, co-workers, neighbors?
These are all lost souls who will spend eternity in hell unless they hear the good
news of the Gospel and accept it.  Who is there to tell them?  It is your responsibility.
God will hold you accountable for the people in your life who don't hear.  I don't
want the lost souls of my family and friends to be on my head.  We can't save them,
but we can point them to the Lamb of God who can!  We are only responsible to
tell, the rest is up to them.

Isaiah 6:8  "And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and
who will go for us?  Then said I, Here am I:  send me."

A lot of times we associate this verse with missionaries in the foreign fields.  But we
all have a field in which the Lord has placed us to work.  Are you willing to work the
field that God has given you?  There are lost souls all around us just waiting to hear
the good news of the Gospel of Christ.  Will you be the one to tell them?  Are you
willing to say like Isaiah did, "Here am I:  send me."

 

Lord, lay some soul upon my heart,

And love that soul through me;

And may I faithfully do my part

To win that soul for Thee.

 

Lord, there are souls that I should win,

Lost souls, for whom You died;

And may I never draw back, or sin

With fear, or foolish pride.

 

Lord, may I love, as You have loved

The souls of those I know;

And grant me power from Heaven above

Thy love for them to show.

 

                                                Anon.