THE GOOD NEWS MAGAZINE 16TH EDITION

A welcome Note

Greetings precious friends and readers, grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I bless the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. This time round has been a challenging one and it looked as if we will be behind in sharing this Good News Magazine to you all as my computer malfunctioned after it was rained on. I wondered how I could share this beautiful message of the Lord and besides that my co-editor in this magazine also wasn’t feeling well. I thank the Lord that by His grace I am now able to write and share after my computer got repaired, praise the Lord for all His supplies to us! Thank you for your prayers dear partners.

Our theme in this 16^th edition of the Good News Magazine is ‘Rest in the Lord’. In our country Kenya, we have 1^st May set aside for workers. In this day the Kenyans get to rest after working so hard to build the nation. Especially the government workers don’t report for work as it is a public holiday where some workers might find favors and get promoted in their working places. It is called ‘Labor Day’. I believe all of us desire to rest after the day’s work. In any case, God designed us to work and rest. All these are necessary for living a successful life and neither is complete without God for promotion is from the Lord.

Jesus said in John 9:4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

 Therefore, we who have been called by the Lord to work in His field of harvest will work like never before for the night is coming when we will not work. At night we won’t be able to move around the streets to share God’s Word. At night most people are resting and deep asleep. We must be in our Father’s business when it is day time. We accomplish so much in Him when we do our duties during day time, Jesus knew how to do it better when it is day time. He knew that when the night comes we won’t accomplish much but rather stressed out that He must work the works of God while it is day. It is after work that we take our time to reflect on the day’s activities and start acknowledging the Lord’s doings, great and small.

 "Do we not see for ourselves in Genesis that even God Himself after creating the entire world as we know it, take a day to evaluate, rest and review on the seventh day all that He had created and found that it was indeed good?" And we believers include God in our times of rest. The truth is neither work nor rest is complete without God. The best rest requires His presence , God is the key to finding the purest and most satisfying rest.

As God finished His work, and then rested from it, so He will cause those who believe, to finish their work, and then to enjoy their rest in Him. I am not talking about any day here, I am talking about resting in the Lord. This rest is, a rest of grace, and comfort, and holiness, in the gospel state. And a rest in glory, where the people of God shall enjoy the end of their faith, and the object of all their desires. How I long for this day when the Lord would come to give us eternal rest! It is the rest we shall obtain when the Lord Jesus shall appear from heaven!

But then before that day comes, look what our Lord Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:28-30,  “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’’

The Lord is calling us all to Him. If we’re heavy ladden with yokes of sin, Lets go to Him. It is a message to us all, God wants to give us rest, free us from sin, free us from unbelieve. When we come to Him, He’ll cleanse us from all filth. He indeed wants us to find complete rest in our souls. But those who don’t believe, shall never enter into this spiritual rest, either of grace here or glory hereafter. God has always declared man's rest to be in Him, and His love to be the only real happiness of the soul; and faith in His promises, through His Son, to be the only way of entering that rest.

Do you ever feel that your heart is heavy and your heart torn down? Have you ever come to a point where you wanted to give up on life? Is your heart troubled?Could it be you that the Lord is talking to today? If so my friend, this is an open invitation to you: God loves you and cares for you always,don’t harden your heart. Jesus went to prepare a home for us all, it is in that place we will rest and before He comes, invite the Lord Jesus in your heart. Accept Him and give Him ALL your burdens. He is willing to give you rest which no man can give. His rest is eternal salvation, peace, love and joy in Him. May you find rest in Him!

"OUR FINAL REST IN THE LORD"

Death is a difficult concept for us humans to absorb.  That's because
so many of our emotions come into play.  We have the shock of the
passing of the one we knew and loved, ..and will always continue to
love, however we also have grief over  perhaps the circumstances in
which our loved one passed away.  Then let's not forget the loneliness
of knowing we'll be remaining here on this earth for the rest of our
time without that person we loved so dearly. 

However, its not quite the same to the person who humbles themselves before the Lord, acknowledges as in Romans 3:23 that ALL (including ourselves) have
sinned and come short of the glory of God, understands that according to 1 John 1:9 that if we confess our sin before the Lord, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness, we are then able to accept His free gift of salvation as in John 3:16 that He offers out of nothing but pure love for us; So much love, that He was willing to sacrifice His most precious Son to die for our sin so we would not have to, and then give us the most wonderful gift we could ever be given...eternal life with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! 

Yes, we still have all those emotions, however, we also have the ability to rest in the Lord in that He is by our side taking us through each day, one step at a time as the previous article encouraged us...but to the one who has passed away, if they knew the Lord as their Savior, they have found Eternal Rest!

Revelation 14:13 tells us, "And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them."  Oh, what a blessed thought...eternal rest from all the labours of this world.  And the
labours of this earth are many...so much so, that many times, we can be tempted to become weary. 

Nonetheless, through Paul, the Lord gives us such encouragement.  In Galatians 6:5-10 - " For every man shall bear his own burden. Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith."

So we see we're going to have burdens here on this earth...and they
will be many.  However, the person who sows for the flesh will see corruption.  What is biblical corruption?  According to the KJV Bible Dictionary, for this passage, the term corruption means, "...of material things, especially dead bodies, also of the soul..." .  In other words, don't fool yourselves, if you're not of the household of faith (belong to the Lord) you will NOT see eternal life with
Him...the opposite of eternal life with Him is eternal life in Hell...and you can believe there will be NO rest to be found in Hell once you leave this earth.

Can we rest in Him?  Absolutely.  Does that rest end once we leave this earth?  Not if we have purposely, humbly and completely yielded our lives over to Jesus Christ to rule, reign and live through.  So for those of us who are of the Household of Faith, we can find Rest In Him for now, and forever.  Amen!

BUSY BODIES

I am in my working place. I am quickly perusing through some contracts, but then  the telephone rings. A call is made. I have to receive it. It is a business call. I have to hurry up and meet the client. It is to and fro running errands, field work done and back to office. All this that the company’s targets might be reached. If distracted a little, I could lose a client.  Indeed it is a busy day! I am tired and desire rest from the day’s work. Oh, how easy it is to get distracted in our world.

Busyness is a modern illness from which many of us suffer. Rest is its opposite and of the things the Lord came to offer. In Matthew 11:28 Jesus said it all... “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Jesus Christ is the only one that can give rest to our souls. If your soul is in turmoil, if your soul is tired, exhausted and heavy laden, then you are not reading this Good News Magazine by accident. Jesus came to give you rest! He came to give us complete rest. We won’t get rest when our kids grow. We won’t rest when we get married or when our bank accounts become positive. We will get rest only when we meet Jesus!Only if we put our burdens in His hands and take upon us His easy and light yoke, only then shall we find rest.

Look at what Philippians 4:6-7 says, ‘Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’

Be anxious for nothing! Be careful for nothing!YES for nothing! Your kids, your job, your health, your wounds, your business, your finances, your other concerns are all here. There is nothing excluded from this statement. There is nothing that should make us anxious. Look, the peace of God shall keep our hearts and minds through Christ. To get peace you don’t have to finish the so called projects or to receive the so and so blessing but to be anxious for nothing and cast everything to the Lord through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving! It is the Lord’s job to care for us, while we rest in Him. And in resting in Him we have power!

The prophet of God Isaiah knew this long time ago. He knew that strength could be found in God! Isaiah 30:15, For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not. Our strength is in RESTING in the Lord. In quietness and confidence. Jesus Himself taught us a very important lesson. He would get up very early in the morning and go to the wilderness alone to pray as expressed in Mark 1:35, And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. He needed quiet times with the Father. We need them too! We don’t need to fill our schedule with a hundred of activities to keep us going. We will not find strength in activities but only in quietness and confidence to God. It is at these times that our hearts are quiet and confident that the Lord can be heard by it.

We can have plans on how to rest after work. We can be busy all day long and make plans how and where to rest in the evening. You may have your own means and ways to do so. We may try hard and care all the day.Eventually our busy bodies will get weary. Do you know the price? Weakness, fear, anxiety and defeat. The more you trust in your own strength, the more weaker and dry you will get. The only way for strength and life and rest is to rest in the Lord. To be quiet and confident in Him. To be anxious for nothing and cast all our cares upon Him. This is the ONLY way!

In Jeremiah 6:16-17 we encounter this: Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.  But they said, We will not walk therein. Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet.  But they said, We will not hearken. Is there an area in our lives where we have become so insensitive to God’s things? Have we become so busy that we can’t hear Him when He speaks? Have we lost track? Let’s examine ourselves and see if we are in God’s line. When we find anything that displeases our God we can freely go back to Him and cast all to Jesus who will carry our burdens. Return to the old paths. Walk in the old straight paths and you will find rest, our God says. The LordJesus is our great Shepherd, our leader and He will give us REST and peace. It costs us nothing except our cares! We have to cast them ALL upon God and peace will be given unto us. What do you prefer: Busyness and distraction, or rest and peace? Dryness and weakness or fruitfulness and strength? Death or life? Really it is that critical. The matter of the rest in the Lord is indeed a spiritual fight! A battle between fruitfulness and unfruitfulness. As Psalms 37:7 again tell us:

 

Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Let’s wait patiently in the Lord and rest in Him!

If you have been relying on visible things rather than on the invisible God then it is time to truly rest in the Lord and spurn these, to let go of these in exchange of plunging oneself at the feet of God, trusting completely in His mercy! It is time to believe that our God can help, save, and deliver in the MOST urgent need. It involves a REAL belief, so real you could almost touch and taste it. And because you truly believe, then you can trust, and therefore, you can rest. It is my prayer that all of us shall find rest for our weary souls and body. May our mind, will and emotions be at rest and free from all anxiety and stress that accompanies a performance based and driven lifestyle!

 

TESTIMONY

How The Lord Saved My Life Eternally

By Lynne Conklin

I realize that there are some who come to know the Lord at an early
age as a child, and others who come to know the Lord as an adult, some even on their death bed.  But the Lord used a Youth Rally to convict my heart and save my soul.

About the age of 14, once a month the churches in our area would have a youth rally.  It was held at a different church every month.  There was one meeting in particular where the Holy Spirit touched my heart and convicted me.  As the invitation to come forward to accept Jesus Christ as my personal Savior was given, that is when I answered that call and went forward. In my prayer to the Lord, I acknowledged that I was a sinner who couldn't "work" my way into Heaven or pay the sin-debt that I owed and that only Jesus could.  I realized that He accomplished this when He died on the cross for my sin, but then raised from the dead 3 days and nights later, then shortly returned to the Father where He lives today, waiting to return to the clouds to call all His children Home to be with Him.  I was raised in a Christian home, we were faithful in church, my mom taught the teen class and always had kids at the house for teen outings. But all this couldn't save me, I had to make that decision for myself.  No one can make that decision for you. So I did.

Because I was raised in a Christian Home, I can't say there were real
noticeable changes in my life as one might see from someone who didn't grow up in church and such.  Not too long after that, on a Sunday evening, I responded to the call of Baptism in obedience to His command that once we are saved, we are to be baptized as a public affirmation of complete yielding of our life over to Him.  It was such a special time for me...knowing, that I was pleasing the Lord through my obedience in Baptism.

As I look back, I'm so very thankful to my mom for being a Godly woman and example of true Christian love in our home.  Yes, I still fall short from time to time of what Christ wants me to be, but He's still working in my heart and life everyday as I strive to be more like Him.

Today, I still have a yearning, a hunger to know what my Lord and
Savior desires of me in everything that I do and say.  An unquenchable hunger to know more and more about Him.  I'm learning still that doing what's right in God's eyes through the gift of His word, the Bible, is vitally important.    I've also learned that exterior changes that the Lord commands of us are so much easier than the heart issues we struggle with every day; Bringing my heart and mind under subjection to His will and His way.  My prayer continues to be, "Change my heart, O God, make it ever true!”
I am what I am, because He is who He is!  Thank you for allowing me to share how the Lord saved my soul from eternal Hell to life everlasting.

CREATIVE WRITINGS

Sweet Rest in Jesus- By  L. S. Riggs

In Jesus I've found a sweet rest
From sorrow, from toil, and from care;
In Him I am happy and blest,
For He all my burdens doth bear.

I came to the Lord for release,
When burdened with guilt and with sin;
He cleansed me, and gave me His peace,
The Spirit to witness within.
Though many the troubles I meet,
He'll keep me, and help me along;
I'll sit at His glorified feet,
For He is my joy and my song.
All glory and praise to Thy name
For what Thou didst suffer for me;
For saving my soul when I came
And gave myself up unto Thee.

Oh, how happy am I,
With my Savior so nigh!
I have found sweet rest
On Jesus' dear breast.


THERE IS A PLACE OF QUIET REST- By Cleland Boyd McAfee

There is a place of quiet rest,
  Near to the heart of God,
A place where sin cannot molest,
  Near to the heart of God.

There is a place of comfort sweet,
  Near to the heart of God,
A place where we our Savior meet,
  Near to the heart of God.


There is a place of full release,
  Near to the heart of God,
A place where all is joy and peace,
  Near to the heart of God.

O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
  Sent from the heart of God,
Hold us, who wait before Thee,
    Near to the heart of God.

My Heart Is Resting, O My Lord - Poem by Anna Laetitia Waring

My heart is resting, O my God—

I will give thanks and sing;

My heart is at the secret source

Of every precious thing.

Now the frail vessel Thou hast made

No hand but Thine shall fill—

For the waters of the Earth have failed,

And I am thirsty still.

I thirst for springs of heavenly life,

And here all day they rise—

I seek the treasure of Thy love,

And close at hand it lies.

And a new song is in my mouth

To long loved music set—

Glory to Thee for all the grace

I have not tasted yet.

Glory to Thee for strength withheld,

For want and weakness known—

And the fear that sends me to Thy breast

For what is most my own.

I have a heritage of joy

That yet I must not see;

But the hand that bled to make it mine

Is keeping it for me.

There is a certainty of love

That sets my heart at rest—

A calm assurance for today

That to be poor is best—

A prayer reposing on His truth

Who hath made all things mine,

That draws my captive will to Him,

And makes it one with Thine.

I will give thanks for suffering now,

For want and toil and loss—

For the death that sin makes hard and slow,

Upon my Savior’s cross—

Thanks for the little spring of love

That gives me strength to say,

If they will leave me part in Him,

Let all things pass away.

Sometimes I long for promised bliss,

But it will not come too late—

And the songs of patient spirits rise

From the place wherein I wait;

While in the faith that makes no haste

My soul has time to see

A kneeling host of Thy redeemed,

In fellowship with me.

There is a multitude around

Responsive to my prayer;

I hear the voice of my desire

Resounding everywhere.

But the earnest of eternal joy,

In every prayer I trace;

I see the glory of the Lord:

On every chastened face.

How oft, in still communion known,

Those spirits have been sent

To share the travail of my soul,

Or show me what it meant!

And I long to do some work of love

No spoiling hand could touch,

For the poor and suffering of Thy flock

Who comfort me so much.

But the yearning thought is mingled now

With the thankful song I sing;

For Thy people know the secret source

Of every precious thing.

The heart that ministers for Thee

In Thy own work will rest;

And the subject spirit of a child

Can serve Thy children best.

Mine be the reverent, listening love,

That waits all day on Thee,

With the service of a watchful heart

Which no one else can see—

The faith that, in a hidden way

No other eye may know,

Finds all its daily work prepared,

And loves to have it so.

My heart is resting, O my God,

My heart is in Thy care—

I hear the voice of joy and health

Resounding everywhere.

“Thou art my portion,” saith my soul,

Ten thousand voices say,

And the music of their glad Amen,

Will never die away.

Rest in God Alone - Poem By mabelhenry

Trust in the Lord with all of your heart,

Rest in His love and grace

Take no thought and have no fear,

Cast on Him your every care.

He loves you with a perfect love,

Your strength He will renew

Acknowledge Him in all your ways,

Wait, patiently for Him!

Lord, keep I pray me in perfect peace,

As I keep my mind stayed on Thee,

I trust You with all that I am

Every word from You is pure.

Your love for me makes me complete,

A shield You are to me

Ever will I relentlessly,

Put all my trust in Thee.

True Rest-  Margie Casteel

My dear child, I know you're weary

With nothing left to give.

You've worked long and hard

Now you feel frayed and worn.Come with Me to a quiet place

Away from all the noise and busyness.

Let Me wrap My arms around you,

Enfold you in My love.Let Me whisper peace to your heart's storm,

Soothe your troubled brow.

Listen to the love song

I composed just for you.In Me is true contentment.

In Me you will find what you long for.

Come with Me to a quiet place

And receive rest, strength, and peace.

Rest For The Weary- © By M.S.Lowndes

There is rest for the weary

And there's strength for the weak,

That is what God offers

To those who humbly seek

For it's only in the seeking

That we will surely find

Rest for our weary bodies

And peace for our troubled minds

And it's there in the asking

That we will come to know

God in all His splendour

With His wisdom, we will grow

And it's only in the knocking

That the door will open wide

So we can walk into

What He graciously provides

So maybe for a while

We can rest along the road

And put on Jesus yoke,

For easy is His load. 

THE GOOD NEWS MAGAZINE 15TH EDITION

A welcome Note

It is another opportunity we wish to share with you the Wonderful Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray and hope that you have been receiving from the Lord and that He is teaching you His Word day by day. For by His Word we are prepared to overcome all the wiles of the enemy and become victorious in our daily lives.  Faith comes by hearing and by hearing God’s Word. When faith is created within us, we spring up into action to do what the Word says. 

As humans, God has given us a free will, and this when I look at it deeply I find that God gave us a free will for our own good. We can either decide to sit down and ignore what the Word says and that will be just okay as that is the decision we have settled for. Or we can decide to heed the Word, rise up and act on the Word and that I say would be a wise decision before God, for faith without works is dead.

Now, there is this one account I want to share about, the four Lepers. 2Kings 7:3-8

And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die? If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also.  Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die. And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there. For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us. Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life. And when these lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went and hid it; and came again, and entered into another tent, and carried thence also, and went and hid it.

Why sit here till we die? This is a question we all need to ask ourselves. Yes, why sit here until we die? When I read and reach on this line, my faith starts to be elevated. Who could have known that the four lepers who suffered from leprosy could deliver the nation of Israel? These lepers are the people who were cast outside the city. They were people who had no significance in the face of men.

 These lepers sat outside the city and the reason was that they were not permitted to live within the city because of their contagious and incurable disease. These men were faced with a fatal disease, they were outcasts, and they were starving because of a famine in the land. Such a dark and gloomy life and no perceived future would make the average person throw in the towel and just give up on life - but not these men.

You can imagine the terrible life they lived! But I thank God for when He starts operating, He could use anything, even stones to accomplish what He intends, like the words of these four men.

Why sit here until we die?

Sitting and examining their situation, they realized that just simply sitting and doing nothing would result in having and being nothing, so they asked themselves the question, "Why do we sit here until we die?" They knew that if they entered the city, they would die because of the famine. They also knew that if they sat there and did nothing, that they would die as well. What did they do? They made the decision to ACT. Regardless of their gloomy circumstance, they got up from where they were and decided to do something to change their situation. They made the choice to face their obstacles and do something different. They went into the city realizing that difficulties may be ahead, for if the city dwellers spared their lives, they would live, and if not, they would die, but given the situation that they were in, things were not going to just get better.

Upon entering the city, to their pleasant surprise, no one was there, because God had caused the city dwellers to abandon their tents. Because of their decision to change their situation, and the decision to ACT, these hungry dying men went into a tent and feasted as they ate, drank, and carried off silver, gold, and clothing. However, it did not end there, after putting away the silver, gold, and clothing, they entered another tent and again met a great fortune...we later discover that they did not keep all they knew and had for themselves but shared with others.

 We also have a message of hope and life that needs to be shared with a world that is trapped in sin and darkness. They have no hope, and we hold our peace. They have no way out, and we hold our peace. My prayer is that we will see that the days of sitting silently by while the world perishes are over! I pray that we will see the need to share the message we have been given. It makes us no good when we keep this wonderful message of salvation to ourselves, for Isaiah said this long before Apostle Paul could quote this: Isa:52:7: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! And Romans 10:15:  says, And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

It is time that we believers realize and speak these powerful words in faith! It's time to SPRING up into ACTION and share with friends the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ! It's time to be tired of the situations we are in! It's time to share healing messages of salvation to sick hearts full of sins! You see, God uses the weak vessels to shame the mighty ones. God wants to lift those that seem to be down and are completely down trodden just like the four lepers who had almost given up on life. All that it requires is to only speak out these powerful words in faith and ACT on God’s Word. Some of us, just like the lepers, could be in our decision place today. If you are in a place, or situation that seems lifeless, regardless of where that place may be, or how things look, ask yourself the question, why do I sit here until I die? Don’t you realize that God ACTS only when we take a step of faith? Remember Abraham when told by God to get out of his country, he did that by faith. He took ACTION and left his home country to a place he didn’t know. Surely that took a great faith. Take a good look at where you are, and where you want to be. Then take the necessary steps to find yourself in that desired place. Because in the midst of misfortune - choice, and then action will find you reaping the great benefits that God has purposed for your life.

Let the church arise and go forth. It doesn’t matter if the enemies are in the city. What matters is that the battle belongs to the Lord! When trials and tribulations come our way, we know we have the King of Kings. He takes care of every situation. He gives us the strength to spring into ACTION and go to villages, markets, hospitals, streets and to the uttermost parts of the world to share this Gospel.  When ACTING in faith, there are many risks involved but trust God. Maybe God has called you to be a missionary to reach out people in the interior parts of the world that are hostile with the Gospel, but you still have doubt, whether you will come back alive or not. That doesn’t matter, if God has called you and anointed you, He will use you as His vessel as He wills. He will lead you in the direction to chart your way forth. All we need  to do is trust Him. Surrender all to Him. God awaits our response to this, ‘Can we ACT in faith?’

 

ARE YOU ACTING LIKE MARY OR MARTHA?

I believe many of us are familiar with the story of Mary and Martha…how Martha was busy preparing a meal for the Lord, but Mary chose to sit at His feet and listen to Him teach.  Just in case some are not familiar with this account, let's take a look at it in God's word.

Luke 10: 38-41 ~ “Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village:  and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.  And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.  But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone?  Bid her therefore that she help me.  And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things;”

At first, if you are anything like me, you look at this passage and could possibly ponder that perhaps I could see Martha's point.  Here, JESUS, the guest of all guests comes to my house. I'm running around cleaning, making sure everything is just perfect for Him, preparing the food just so, making sure everyone is comfortable and taken care of, and my sister just sits there!  I have to admit, as far as personalities go, I've always been the “Martha”.  I'd be the one taking care of the arrangements, preparing the food, doing the organizing, the planning...anything and everything that was necessary...sometimes, to the point of not being able to enjoy my company because I was too busy preparing, serving, cleaning...”entertaining” as many of us might call it.  After all, if you're going to do something, you want to do it right. 

However, the more I read this passage, a couple of things stood out to me that really hadn't occurred to me before.  First of all, Martha was “doing”.  She was doing a good thing.  She was housing, feeding and serving the Lord.  She was a verb, not a noun. BUT...and that 3 letter word is a big one..the very person she was serving, feeding and housing, she was complaining to!  Looking at this from a purely human perspective, who invites someone to their home, and then complains to them about all the work they have to do for them...and then point out that her sister just sits there visiting with them while she does it all?  Ah!  Something else jumped out of God's word right before my very eyes. Yes, Martha was doing...but so was Mary!

Martha was doing what she does best; Organizing, preparing, cooking, serving. Yes, she was a verb...she was called to action and was doing just that.  However, Mary was as well.  Let's look at verse 42, the last verse in this passage; “But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

Mary was taking action just as much as Martha... she was doing what the Lord tells all of us to do.  That is to listen to His words. To soak them in like a dry sponge. To put Him first before anyone or anything else in our life.

What a lesson I learned from these few short verses. First of all, we can serve the Lord outwardly by the things we do according to His word, but before we can do that, we need to have a heart like Mary's;  A heart that yearns to sit at the feet of Christ and hear all he has to say every opportunity we have to do it.

This is what I choose...something the world cannot take away…to draw closer to Jesus Christ and place Him in His proper place in my heart.  Making this choice to do so is also taking action!  Won't you take this action today?  Choose to serve physically as Martha did, but to have a heart like Mary's to listen and obey.

DO WE OR DON'T WE?  A MATTER OF LIFE OR DEATH.

There have been many times in life when we've been faced with a decision as to whether we should take action on a decision, or to just not do anything at all and let the consequences fall where they may. There are other times, when we don't have the option to make a decision at all or the luxury of time to think things through and we either have to respond, or forever live with the results...whatever they may be.

In today's passage, that is not the case.  Jesus, as was known to be a common thing for Him while here on earth, was ministering to people, going about teaching, and people were following Him wherever He went.  As He finished speaking and was about to move on to another place, a number of people began to bring their children to be blessed by the Lord, to which the disciples tried to stop them out of concern for Christ and growing tired.  But Jesus stopped them, and told them to let the children come to Him... and this is where we’ll jump right into Luke 18:17-30;

“Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.  And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?  And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good?  None is good, save one, that is, God.  Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.  And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.  Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing:  sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.  And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful;   for he was very rich.  And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!  For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God, and they that head it said, Who then can be saved?  And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.  Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee.  And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents or brethren or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.”

We can look at the parable for what it's worth and learn so very much from it.  And yet, if we take a deeper look at it, there are so many gems, hidden treasures, that can also be taken from this account and applied to our everyday lives giving us the ability to see in the lives of those we encounter and share the Gospel with  ways of seeing into their way of thinking and being so much more effective as we sow the seed of the free gift of salvation.

If we have read through the first four books of the Bible, we find many accounts of people seeking out to question Christ.  I think it is safe to say most of the wealthy, religious people who asked Jesus public questions were trying to trick Him into some “tricky” questions or irrelevant statements...for example, Luke 20:22 – someone asks Him, “Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no?” or in Luke 6:2 -     “And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days?”  when it had absolutely nothing to do with what Christ was teaching.  But this never caught Him off guard…He expected it and always had an answer.  But in the account we read today, this young man's question was no trick.  It was a sincere question to which he needed to know the answer – how to inherit eternal life-- a question each and every human being on the face of this planet needs to know!

If we take the time to stop and consider his question, it really does give us some insight into the inner thinking of this young man...and a bit about his personality, and even what must have been going through his mind when he was called to action.

1.                 He must be feeling inadequate in his spiritual preparation for where he   

would spend eternity or he probably wouldn't have asked such a question.

2.                 He sides with the Pharisees rather than the Sadducees because the

Sadducees didn't believe in life after death, and this question clearly  implies that he does.

3.                 He believes that eternal life is something that one earns or merits by what

he does .

As I'm sure you've come across in your attempts of sharing Jesus Christ with the unsaved, all you have to do is ask any man or woman what you have to do to get to Heaven as this young man did, and chances are, you'll get a similar answer;  You go to Heaven if you do good, you go to Hell if you do bad things. Well...only VERY bad things. No matter how they word it, eternal life, to them, is obtained as a reward for what you do while you're here on earth.

The young man's question betrays both his superficial understanding of inheriting eternal life, and his superficial understanding of a person's ability to do good deeds that are pure in motive.  Isaiah 64:6 had already expressed the impossibility of this way of thinking when he said that our righteousness was as filthy rags!

In just this short discussion between this young man and Jesus Christ, the Lord had already spoken of in several terms;

1.                 Luke 18:18 -  “eternal life”

2.                 Luke 18:30 -  “life everlasting”

3.                 Luke 18:22 -  “treasure in Heaven”

4.                 Luke 18:24 -  “kingdom of God”

5.                 Luke 18:29 -  “kingdom of God”

6.                 Luke 18:26 -  “be saved”

Most importantly of them all, Jesus Himself comes right out in Luke 18:19, “...none is good, save one, that is, God!”

A sad ending, to an account that didn't have to end this way, is that this young man “heard” all he needed to do for eternal life.  However, this one decision, this decision to not take action, sealed his fate for eternity.  And the same applies to any man or woman who does the same.  It is made crystal clear in James 1:22-25, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.  For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass;  For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straghtway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”

Yes!  It was that easy for the young ruler to “hear” the words of Christ, and then “do” them.  With that comes great reward...and his eternity would be much different than what it is now.  But this does not just apply to that one man.  Oh no, not by far.

This passage of scripture also applies to each and every one of us who claim to have yielded our lives over to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  He has commanded each one of us to GO!  To TELL!  To SHARE the glorious Gospel of His saving work on Calvary with each and every person we are able to.  This same passage of scripture applies to us!  Are we to be hearers of His word only?  Absolutely not!  We are to take action...we're to be doers of the word and NOT hearers only.

We admonish each one of you read and re-read this passage of scripture, to take up your Bible and study it to show yourself approved according to 2 Timothy 2:14-15;

“Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Why? So that we can be in obedience to 1 Peter 3:15; “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear;”.  That's why!

This has been one of those very difficult articles to write.  For as I'm writing what the Holy Spirit has placed in my heart for this edition, and given me through His word, He has also been convicting my heart of the need to be ready to take ACTION!  Not just be a hearer who is full of information with the ability to quote verses here and there, or prove how much Bible information I know, but to use it to be a doer...a doer who doesn't just hear that the Lord tells us to take the Gospel to ALL, but a man/woman who is willing to take action...and spread the glorious Gospel of the saving grace of Jesus Christ to a sin sick world dying and going to Hell.

BUT ONE THING IS NEEDFUL

Isn't it true that we are always filled up with so much to do in our daily lives? I wake up early each day in the morning to do my daily activities. When the day is over I just have to rest and thank the Lord for each day. That is the normal life we all probably have.

When it comes to serve the Lord, I do admit that there are those who do God's will; they do serve the Lord with passion and humility. It is in this service that I want to share today. I want to encourage someone who has been serving the Lord and you didn't know if the Lord was in that, if the Lord was with you, if the Lord was listening to you, and to show you the needful thing.

Martha had a sister by the name Mary. Then, one day, something happened. Jesus came to the village where Mary and Martha lived. Martha was so kind as we see she received Jesus in her house. That was the best thing she could do. Then just as anyone could do when you have visitors, Martha had to prepare something for her guests to eat. She went to the kitchen with Mary to prepare something for the Lord. Did I say with Mary? Yes.

But you might ask me, ‘Brother Justus, the scripture doesn't say that, Mary was not in the kitchen but was listening to Jesus as He shared the Word'. Well, let me show you something my friend:

If you read carefully, the Word shows us that Mary had been in the kitchen with Martha until Jesus started teaching. Luke10:40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. Look carefully, Martha said that her sister had left her alone to do all the serving.....' Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.'

 I know how she must have felt to be all alone doing the cooking. A lot of questions might have been going through her mind. Why is Mary sitting there with Jesus? Can’t she come and help me? As a matter of fact we see that she didn’t directly ask Mary to help her, but she went ahead blaming all to Jesus as we see her approach when she says that Jesus does not care...but I am here to show you the needful thing. Sometimes we have to decide on the important issues concerning the state of our hearts, that is the needful thing.

We do not have to choose between worshiping the Lord like Mary or serving the Lord like Martha. Neither does there need to be such a conflict between our physical or secular needs and our spiritual growth. Sadly, that is exactly what many believers end up with.

The Bible says in Matthew 4:4 that man cannot live on bread alone but by every Word which proceeds from God's mouth. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Mary was being fed from the Lord. Jesus is the bread of LIFE! While Martha was being distracted from her soul's needs by other things Mary was having a wonderful time with Jesus. I am not trying to imply that in this case Martha was doing a bad thing in serving the Lord, but am trying to show you the needful thing, the necessary thing.

This is what the Bible says in John 15:5, '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'. Sometimes, even good things can fill up our lives to the point where we neglect our souls. God has not blessed us with our families, friends, jobs, abilities and other gifts to give us an excuse to abandon a close walk with Him. He daily wants us to listen from Him and act on His Without Him we can do nothing.

Mary chose the good part, and Martha came complaining to Jesus to this He replied, ' Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.'

Oh, that we could choose the good part just like Mary. Mary knew the secret, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Martha was worried about so many things, she had anxiety. Anxiety is a killer. Many of the physical and mental ills of our present day are stress related. And Martha is certainly a stressed out lady at this point in time. Her exasperation can be seen in the way she forms her question, "Lord, do You not care...?"Yes, the Lord does care, but not nearly as much about the problem as Martha sees it as He does about the real problem of which Martha is unaware. The Lord is more concerned about Martha's state of mind and priorities than He is about being served in a feast later on.

Jesus taught us that we should not be anxious or worry about anything, we must first seek God's Kingdom and its righteousness and all these other things shall be added unto us. The needful and good thing which Mary had chosen was to listen to the Lord's teaching. At the end, the things Jesus said that day were of much more importance than what He ate. Today, if we are too busy to listen from the Lord; to pray and study His word; to meditate on life's purpose and to enjoy a peaceful, private time with Him, then there is something horribly wrong with our practice. If our walk of faith consists mainly of going to church and then on with life's busy day, then we are not receiving of the goodness that the Lord has planned for us. And if we are so hassled by the routines of daily existence that we find ourselves lashing out at those we love as Martha did on that occasion then it is high time we change in springing into action!

May the Lord quicken our spirits, to know and understand the necessary thing.

 

CREATIVE WRITINGS

OUR BEST-By Grant Colfax Tullar

Hear ye the Master's call, "Give Me thy Best!"  For be it great or
small, That is His test.

Do then the best you can, not for reward, not for the praise of man
but for the Lord.

Wait not for men to laud. Heed not their slight.  Winning the smile of
God brings its delight.

Aiding the good and true ne'er goes unblessed.  All that we think or
do, be it the best.

Every work for Jesus will be blessed, but he asks from everyone his best.

Our talents may be few; these may be small.

But, unto Him is due our best, our all."

FAITH - By M.S.Lowndes

Increase our faith so we may see

What you're doing in our lives

And all that we'll accomplish in you

So our faith begins to rise

We need to be reminded, Lord,

Of the small mustard seed

And how the same amount of faith

Moves mountains if we believe

As we walk in pure obedience

With confidence in you,

Our faith begins to grow and flourish,

Bearing more abundant fruit

We must go beyond the limits

Of our comfort zones,

Our faith is activated at those times

When we walk into the unknown

For it's when the safety net is gone,

We realize we need our Lord,

When there's nothing left to fall back on,

We must lean on God much more

And faith is released in our hearts

As we bend our knee to pray;

We shall be strengthened as we walk

And commit to Him each day.

© By M.S.Lowndes

TESTIMONY

Sometimes It Takes A Dream

By Helen Dowd

Isaiah 44:22 – “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins:”

Isaiah 1:18 –– “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

Sometimes it takes a vivid dream to help us see reality. It did for me, not long ago. I had had a bad day, and was extremely tired when I went to bed.

As a child I was plagued with nightmares. They were always the same. I was brought up in a very godly home. My mother was a gentle woman. Her actions, rather than a lot of words, shouted her Christianity. My father, on the other hand, drilled into his children what would happen if we did not follow the Lord. In other words, he was a "hellfire preacher" to us children.

We always had prayer before going to bed. And time and time again I would wake up trembling, and in a cold sweat. I dreamed that Jesus had come, and I was left...Even after I had given my heart to the Lord, at the age of eight, I had these nightmares. I would stand at the top of the stairs, afraid to go down, in case my parents had "gone up to heaven", and I had been left. On a few occasions I got the nerve up to call out to Dad. He always came. We would kneel by my bed and he would ask God to take my nightmare away. Then I would go to sleep, reassured that I was still a child of God.

When I became an adult those nightmares faded out. But on this occasion I woke up in the same old cold sweat. It was then that God gave me the same old assurance that I was still a child of God.

This poem was born as a result of this experience.

I had a dream last night.
I stood before the throne.
And on a great wide T.V. screen
My whole life there was shown.
My name was in plain view.
To ALL, God made me known.
I saw before my very eyes
The wicked seeds I’d sown.

I hung my head in shame.
I didn't like this show.
I saw there all the hidden things
I thought folks didn't know:
The private, secret thoughts,
Deceits from long ago,
The mean and selfish things I'd done.
The list began to grow.

But then the picture changed.
And on the T.V. screen
I saw Christ walking toward the Throne:
He’d come to intervene.
When God called out my name
I saw Christ step between.
I heard Him say, “I’ve paid the price.”
He’d wiped the record clean.

• And now another scene:
  The screen was filled with light.
  Again my name was written there.
  But Christ had set things right.
  I stood before the Throne,
  Pure in a robe of white.
  A lasting memory will remain
  Of the dream I had that night.

Isaiah 43:25 

“I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgression for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.”

                                                           © Helen