A Welcome Note
Are our hearts grateful? This is what we are going to share with you dear precious friends. We welcome you back to our 10th edition. We are grateful to the Lord for how far He has brought us. It is not a normal thing to do this but it has surely taken the Lord’s hand to share all this with you, how thankful we are to our God!
“Dear Debbie and Justus, Just a little note of encouragement to let you know how much I enjoyed this month's Good News Magazine. If I had to sum it up in one word it would be "Beautiful. " I'm one of the ones who loves this Season for the Beauty the Lord blesses us with. How can such beauty surround people, and them not see it, or give thanks for it ? Because only God can create such an array of magnificent colors and place us right in the middle of it, and yet to some it is nothing more than a yard full of leaves that need to be raked. This edition of the magazine also got me thinking... We as Christians really have no harvest time, in that we don't wait for a certain season to try to win souls for the Lord. We get the message out summer, fall, winter and spring, and the Lord will do the harvesting for Himself in His time. We can do no more than plant and water and try to keep weeds from taking over, but the actual harvesting is done by and for The Lord. Yes, we will reap what we sow in our own lives, but we must never wait for any reason to share the Gospel with anyone. Lynne's testimony was sweet, and so were the poems etc. All in all, this month's edition is truly beautiful. keep up the good work *:) happy
Well, we praise the Lord. We couldn't do anything were it not for the Lord
and your prayerful support. It really is appreciated so very much. When I look back into the past and compare it with the present, I see there is always a need to be grateful to the Lord. We were dead. We were pitiful. We were helpless to do anything for ourselves. When God looked down upon us He was moved with pity and compassion because of our helpless state. We couldn’t save ourselves, our works were futile. Only through God’s grace are we saved today. For if we have received anything from God as a result of works, and then we can boast before God and others about how awesome we are. Does that sound familiar? Jesus addressed this kind of attitude in the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14).
The Lord has done great things in our lives and most of the times we seem to forget thanking Him. To have the strength and write what am writing now is the Lord's doing, so I need to thank Him. Thank Jesus for His protection over your life, thank Him for giving you the breath of life, many have passed away, they didn't know if they could pass away so soon, but thank Him, even more and more. There is power when we thank the Lord even for the smallest things done. Don't overlook things, it's not normal or usual, the Lord has been so good to us, and we ought to thank Him for all things, ALWAYS.
Well, when are we supposed to thank the Lord? Is it when He does good things for us? Is it when everything is going on well? Is it when He does great things in our lives? When we are happy? When things are working out for us?
Certainly not! The Lord requires us to be thankful ALWAYS. We are to rejoice always! Praise His Holy name in His tents! Praise Him with thanks giving in His courts!
Something happens when we thank our Father even when things are not working out for us. When we do so, He sees someone who has faith in Him and is expectant to receive from the Lord.
The Lord will always find a way out for us when we praise and thank Him. In great trials and tribulations, thank the Lord, when your hour of darkness comes, thank Him, when you are under fierce accusations, praise HIM and thank Him.
The children of Israel complained while in the desert. They started grumbling to Moses and said Egypt was way far better off.
Look what happened; finally it was only the generation of Joshua and Caleb who made it to the Promised Land.
I pray that today you stop murmuring and grumbling and start thanking God.
This far has He brought you. It's too late to start complaining. You have come a long way. Just focus on the future and praise His Holy name with thanks giving. You will be amazed by what the Lord is going to do in your life when you thank Him in ALL THINGS. Come on; give thanks to the Lord of Hosts!
A Welcome Note
Are our hearts grateful? This is what we are going to share with you dear precious friends. We welcome you back to our 10th edition. We are grateful to the Lord for how far He has brought us. It is not a normal thing to do this but it has surely taken the Lord’s hand to share all this with you, how thankful we are to our God!
We also want to appreciate you for your responses to our Good News magazine. This really motivates us and am going to share what one of our friends said. It was a response to our previous edition, “Bountiful Harvest”. ALL glory to God! Here it is:
“Dear Debbie and Justus, Just a little note of encouragement to let you know how much I enjoyed this month's Good News Magazine. If I had to sum it up in one word it would be "Beautiful. " I'm one of the ones who loves this Season for the Beauty the Lord blesses us with. How can such beauty surround people, and them not see it, or give thanks for it ? Because only God can create such an array of magnificent colors and place us right in the middle of it, and yet to some it is nothing more than a yard full of leaves that need to be raked. This edition of the magazine also got me thinking... We as Christians really have no harvest time, in that we don't wait for a certain season to try to win souls for the Lord. We get the message out summer, fall, winter and spring, and the Lord will do the harvesting for Himself in His time. We can do no more than plant and water and try to keep weeds from taking over, but the actual harvesting is done by and for The Lord. Yes, we will reap what we sow in our own lives, but we must never wait for any reason to share the Gospel with anyone. Lynne's testimony was sweet, and so were the poems etc. All in all, this month's edition is truly beautiful. keep up the good work *:) happy
With love and pride in you both for His sake”
Marion
Well, we praise the Lord. We couldn't do anything were it not for the Lord
and your prayerful support. It really is appreciated so very much. When I look back into the past and compare it with the present, I see there is always a need to be grateful to the Lord. We were dead. We were pitiful. We were helpless to do anything for ourselves. When God looked down upon us He was moved with pity and compassion because of our helpless state. We couldn’t save ourselves, our works were futile. Only through God’s grace are we saved today. For if we have received anything from God as a result of works, and then we can boast before God and others about how awesome we are. Does that sound familiar? Jesus addressed this kind of attitude in the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14).
and your prayerful support. It really is appreciated so very much. When I look back into the past and compare it with the present, I see there is always a need to be grateful to the Lord. We were dead. We were pitiful. We were helpless to do anything for ourselves. When God looked down upon us He was moved with pity and compassion because of our helpless state. We couldn’t save ourselves, our works were futile. Only through God’s grace are we saved today. For if we have received anything from God as a result of works, and then we can boast before God and others about how awesome we are. Does that sound familiar? Jesus addressed this kind of attitude in the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14).
To many of us, sometimes we tend to be so busy that we have not time to stop and tell God, ‘Thank you for this day.’
The Lord has done great things in our lives and most of the times we seem to forget thanking Him. To have the strength and write what am writing now is the Lord's doing, so I need to thank Him. Thank Jesus for His protection over your life, thank Him for giving you the breath of life, many have passed away, they didn't know if they could pass away so soon, but thank Him, even more and more. There is power when we thank the Lord even for the smallest things done. Don't overlook things, it's not normal or usual, the Lord has been so good to us, and we ought to thank Him for all things, ALWAYS.
Well, when are we supposed to thank the Lord? Is it when He does good things for us? Is it when everything is going on well? Is it when He does great things in our lives? When we are happy? When things are working out for us?
Certainly not! The Lord requires us to be thankful ALWAYS. We are to rejoice always! Praise His Holy name in His tents! Praise Him with thanks giving in His courts!
Something happens when we thank our Father even when things are not working out for us. When we do so, He sees someone who has faith in Him and is expectant to receive from the Lord.
The Lord will always find a way out for us when we praise and thank Him. In great trials and tribulations, thank the Lord, when your hour of darkness comes, thank Him, when you are under fierce accusations, praise HIM and thank Him.
The Lord has done great things in our lives and most of the times we seem to forget thanking Him. To have the strength and write what am writing now is the Lord's doing, so I need to thank Him. Thank Jesus for His protection over your life, thank Him for giving you the breath of life, many have passed away, they didn't know if they could pass away so soon, but thank Him, even more and more. There is power when we thank the Lord even for the smallest things done. Don't overlook things, it's not normal or usual, the Lord has been so good to us, and we ought to thank Him for all things, ALWAYS.
Well, when are we supposed to thank the Lord? Is it when He does good things for us? Is it when everything is going on well? Is it when He does great things in our lives? When we are happy? When things are working out for us?
Certainly not! The Lord requires us to be thankful ALWAYS. We are to rejoice always! Praise His Holy name in His tents! Praise Him with thanks giving in His courts!
Something happens when we thank our Father even when things are not working out for us. When we do so, He sees someone who has faith in Him and is expectant to receive from the Lord.
The Lord will always find a way out for us when we praise and thank Him. In great trials and tribulations, thank the Lord, when your hour of darkness comes, thank Him, when you are under fierce accusations, praise HIM and thank Him.
The children of Israel complained while in the desert. They started grumbling to Moses and said Egypt was way far better off.
Look what happened; finally it was only the generation of Joshua and Caleb who made it to the Promised Land.
I pray that today you stop murmuring and grumbling and start thanking God.
This far has He brought you. It's too late to start complaining. You have come a long way. Just focus on the future and praise His Holy name with thanks giving. You will be amazed by what the Lord is going to do in your life when you thank Him in ALL THINGS. Come on; give thanks to the Lord of Hosts!
Justus & Debbie,
The Good News Magazine editors. blessedjustus@gmail.com, debbie.senese@gmail.com
IS YOUR HEART A JOY-FILLED, THANKFUL HEART?
Is it possible to be a living, breathing, walking, talking, Bible-believing, Follower of Jesus Christ without having a joy-filled thankful heart? Not if you have a personal relationship with the only One who is able to make that possible here on a sin sick earth. It also depends on whether you're looking at it from a “Biblical” definition or a worldly perception. Let's look at some examples.
Is it possible to be “thankful” without really being “thankful”? Yes, there is that ability to say “thank you” without being thankful. People don't realize it, but lets put it to the test and see for sure.
Scenario #1. You sneeze. Someone hands you a tissue. You say, “thank you”. Are you really thankful? Or is that just a knee-jerk reaction...something you say out of courtesy or expect someone to say to you?
Scenario #2. You're in the car on the way to church. One of the children starts acting up. Correction is needed but you're late and so you yell out your commands and continue on to church. The fussing only increases. You pull into the parking lot, get out of the car, make sure everyone is looking tidy and nice with your “church smiles on” to go into church and you're greeted at the door, “Good morning! Nice to have you with us. How are you, today?” Your reply? “Fine, thank you. It's nice to be here.” Are you fine? And are you really thankful they asked? Or once again, is it just that knee-jerk reaction of the proper response or the right thing to say?
Scenario #3. The house is a total wreck, toys are everywhere, the kids are fussing, you're trying to get dinner on the table, the man of the house comes home, he mentions something, you give a response back, and the two of you start verbally combating each other while the kids are going at it as well. Dinner is ready and on the table. What's the very next thing we do? Bow our heads, close our eyes, and “give thanks” for the food provided and then open our eyes and get right back to it!
Just how thankful are we? How sincere are we about it? And let's face it; do we have a joy-filled thankfulness?
John 15:11 tells us, “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”
This all being said, it’s impossible to have a joy-filled thankful heart unless we abide in Him, and He in us. Otherwise, we can do nothing on our own. For whatever we attempt to do on our own, and that includes obtaining true joy, it will be cast forth as a branch, and is withered and is eventually burned with the rest of the dead “things” we try to obtain or achieve on our own. But He further encourages us, that if we abide in Him...and this is important in the last part of verse 7... “and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” According to verse 11, what is it that we will ask for and it shall be given to us? HIS joy...joy from Him that remains, and not only remains, but remains in abundance.
We have a tendency to pluck out individual verses or portions of verses and give them personal meanings that give us encouragement or feed a need we may have in our lives. I am not saying that there are not verses to which this can apply... or that we can't have certain verses that have special meaning in our hearts. What I am saying, is that John 15:7 is one of those verses that if you don't look at the context of the passage, you could easily get from it that if we abide in Him, then we can ask for whatever we want and we'll get it. However, when the passage is read in its entirety, and we continue down to verse 11, we see what it is He will give us, that will remain, and remain in abundance...His joy.
That doesn't mean we're happy all the time. It doesn't mean we don't experience sorrow, pain, turmoil or other unpleasant things. But it does mean, that even in the midst of these things, we still can have a joy-filled heart. The joy that He alone can give.
A few of the biblical definitions of joy in the KJV dictionary may give some further understanding;
·Joy is a delight of the mind, from the consideration of the present or assured approaching possession of a good. (Our eternity with Christ which is not now, but will come one day!)
Each of the definitions above are not what we would call our excessive earthly happiness as in receiving good news, or material things or happy times to celebrate. And yet, each of the above are reasons why each one of us as Born-again, bible-believing Followers of Jesus Christ should have a joy-filled heart even though our earthly circumstances may not be the greatest. Just knowing that we can have assurance of salvation and the surety that we will not spend eternity in Hell gives my heart joy unspeakable and full of glory for the Lord and His goodness.
So, in order to have His joy, we are;
To surrender— Look in John 15:4: “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me.” A branch makes a full surrender to the vine. It exists for only one purpose: the vine. We must totally, completely abide in the Vine in order to have joy.
To depend— The joy of Jesus is given when we depend upon the Lord. In John 15:5 Jesus says, “…He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing.” What can a branch do without a vine? Nothing! When you think you are something, then God is not everything. And God cannot be everything until you become nothing.
To rest— In verse 9 Jesus says, “As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you: continue ye in My love.” That means to rest in His love. The Bible tells us in Galatians 5:22 that joy is part of the fruit of the Spirit. We cannot create joy; we must simply rest in the Vine.
To obey— Jesus says in verse 10: “If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love…” Jesus kept the commandments of His Father. We also must obey Him. There’s no way to have joy unless we obey.
To rejoice— We’ve come full circle. We’re back to verse eleven where we started. Jesus says, “These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”
Once we have that joy-filled heart, the thankfulness just follows right in line. How can you have the joy of the Lord remaining inside us, made full and abundant by Him, and NOT have a heart full of thankfulness for all He has done for us? You can't have one without the other.
I realize this being November, the month that we celebrate Thanksgiving, a traditional Thanksgiving article was probably expected. I have many fond memories of Thanksgiving growing up. But if I were to be honest, in my heart, it was always the time of going to the special Thanksgiving service at church, watching a parade, and then stuffing myself until I felt sick with family and friends, but we always said what we were thankful for before the blessing was said. I remember one Thanksgiving in particular, as a child, I had special music in church. I believe my brother and I both did. We sang a child's thanksgiving song where the lyrics went something like this;
But most of all my thanks shall be
In the congregation and ready to speak after our very modest special music, were missionaries to Holland that were back visiting. When the husband and wife stepped up to the pulpit, they were to have their special music before he gave a devotional. And they said that in Holland, the children there sang that very same song.
In a round about way, this too IS a Thanksgiving article. But it’s most important to those professing salvation through Jesus Christ alone, that we celebrate thanksgiving in our hearts each and every day...no matter the surroundings...or the circumstances...or anything else that is going on in our lives that can pull us down so very easily and distract us from the joy the Lord has given us.
We at The Good News Magazine want to be sure that you know you can have a joy-filled thankful heart every day of the year, not ONLY on Thanksgiving when we take that special time to list the things we are thankful for, but to have a list of things we're thankful for every day of the year; With Jesus Christ's gift of eternal salvation to an unworthy, filthy, sinner such as myself at the top of the list.
Thank You, Lord, for saving my soul
Is it possible to be a living, breathing, walking, talking, Bible-believing, Follower of Jesus Christ without having a joy-filled thankful heart? Not if you have a personal relationship with the only One who is able to make that possible here on a sin sick earth. It also depends on whether you're looking at it from a “Biblical” definition or a worldly perception. Let's look at some examples.
Is it possible to be “thankful” without really being “thankful”? Yes, there is that ability to say “thank you” without being thankful. People don't realize it, but lets put it to the test and see for sure.
Scenario #1. You sneeze. Someone hands you a tissue. You say, “thank you”. Are you really thankful? Or is that just a knee-jerk reaction...something you say out of courtesy or expect someone to say to you?
Scenario #2. You're in the car on the way to church. One of the children starts acting up. Correction is needed but you're late and so you yell out your commands and continue on to church. The fussing only increases. You pull into the parking lot, get out of the car, make sure everyone is looking tidy and nice with your “church smiles on” to go into church and you're greeted at the door, “Good morning! Nice to have you with us. How are you, today?” Your reply? “Fine, thank you. It's nice to be here.” Are you fine? And are you really thankful they asked? Or once again, is it just that knee-jerk reaction of the proper response or the right thing to say?
Scenario #3. The house is a total wreck, toys are everywhere, the kids are fussing, you're trying to get dinner on the table, the man of the house comes home, he mentions something, you give a response back, and the two of you start verbally combating each other while the kids are going at it as well. Dinner is ready and on the table. What's the very next thing we do? Bow our heads, close our eyes, and “give thanks” for the food provided and then open our eyes and get right back to it!
Just how thankful are we? How sincere are we about it? And let's face it; do we have a joy-filled thankfulness?
Let's see what the scripture has to say about it.
John 15:11 tells us, “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”
The Lord tells us in this verse, that all the things He had just told us about in the first 10 verses, He's told us for a reason. That reason is that HIS joy might remain in us...and also, that our joy may be full!
So what was the secret that allows us to retain His joy in us... no matter what, and that this very same joy may be full? I believe the secret is found in verses 4-7, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 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.
If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”
This all being said, it’s impossible to have a joy-filled thankful heart unless we abide in Him, and He in us. Otherwise, we can do nothing on our own. For whatever we attempt to do on our own, and that includes obtaining true joy, it will be cast forth as a branch, and is withered and is eventually burned with the rest of the dead “things” we try to obtain or achieve on our own. But He further encourages us, that if we abide in Him...and this is important in the last part of verse 7... “and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” According to verse 11, what is it that we will ask for and it shall be given to us? HIS joy...joy from Him that remains, and not only remains, but remains in abundance.
We have a tendency to pluck out individual verses or portions of verses and give them personal meanings that give us encouragement or feed a need we may have in our lives. I am not saying that there are not verses to which this can apply... or that we can't have certain verses that have special meaning in our hearts. What I am saying, is that John 15:7 is one of those verses that if you don't look at the context of the passage, you could easily get from it that if we abide in Him, then we can ask for whatever we want and we'll get it. However, when the passage is read in its entirety, and we continue down to verse 11, we see what it is He will give us, that will remain, and remain in abundance...His joy.
That doesn't mean we're happy all the time. It doesn't mean we don't experience sorrow, pain, turmoil or other unpleasant things. But it does mean, that even in the midst of these things, we still can have a joy-filled heart. The joy that He alone can give.
A few of the biblical definitions of joy in the KJV dictionary may give some further understanding;
·Joy is a delight of the mind, from the consideration of the present or assured approaching possession of a good. (Our eternity with Christ which is not now, but will come one day!)
·A glorious and triumphant state.--Who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross. Heb.12.
·The cause of joy or happiness. - For ye are our glory and joy. 1 Thess 2.
·JOY, v.i. To rejoice; to be glad; to exult. - I will joy in the God of my salvation. Hab.3.
Each of the definitions above are not what we would call our excessive earthly happiness as in receiving good news, or material things or happy times to celebrate. And yet, each of the above are reasons why each one of us as Born-again, bible-believing Followers of Jesus Christ should have a joy-filled heart even though our earthly circumstances may not be the greatest. Just knowing that we can have assurance of salvation and the surety that we will not spend eternity in Hell gives my heart joy unspeakable and full of glory for the Lord and His goodness.
So, in order to have His joy, we are;
To surrender— Look in John 15:4: “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me.” A branch makes a full surrender to the vine. It exists for only one purpose: the vine. We must totally, completely abide in the Vine in order to have joy.
To depend— The joy of Jesus is given when we depend upon the Lord. In John 15:5 Jesus says, “…He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing.” What can a branch do without a vine? Nothing! When you think you are something, then God is not everything. And God cannot be everything until you become nothing.
To rest— In verse 9 Jesus says, “As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you: continue ye in My love.” That means to rest in His love. The Bible tells us in Galatians 5:22 that joy is part of the fruit of the Spirit. We cannot create joy; we must simply rest in the Vine.
To obey— Jesus says in verse 10: “If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love…” Jesus kept the commandments of His Father. We also must obey Him. There’s no way to have joy unless we obey.
To rejoice— We’ve come full circle. We’re back to verse eleven where we started. Jesus says, “These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”
Once we have that joy-filled heart, the thankfulness just follows right in line. How can you have the joy of the Lord remaining inside us, made full and abundant by Him, and NOT have a heart full of thankfulness for all He has done for us? You can't have one without the other.
I realize this being November, the month that we celebrate Thanksgiving, a traditional Thanksgiving article was probably expected. I have many fond memories of Thanksgiving growing up. But if I were to be honest, in my heart, it was always the time of going to the special Thanksgiving service at church, watching a parade, and then stuffing myself until I felt sick with family and friends, but we always said what we were thankful for before the blessing was said. I remember one Thanksgiving in particular, as a child, I had special music in church. I believe my brother and I both did. We sang a child's thanksgiving song where the lyrics went something like this;
For mother's love and father's care
for food to eat and clothes to wear
for home and friends and answered prayer
We thank Thee, Lord.
But most of all my thanks shall be
that on the cross of Calvary
My Savior shed His blood for me
We thank Thee,Lord.
In the congregation and ready to speak after our very modest special music, were missionaries to Holland that were back visiting. When the husband and wife stepped up to the pulpit, they were to have their special music before he gave a devotional. And they said that in Holland, the children there sang that very same song.
And together, they sang the song in Dutch. I thought that was the most wonderful thing...and just one of the many wonderful memories I have about Thanksgiving...but as you can see, it was the “holiday” that I have such fond memories of, not the attitude of the heart I should have every day. Having those fond memories aren't wrong by any means. But it demonstrates the difference between the holiday & the frame of heart.
In a round about way, this too IS a Thanksgiving article. But it’s most important to those professing salvation through Jesus Christ alone, that we celebrate thanksgiving in our hearts each and every day...no matter the surroundings...or the circumstances...or anything else that is going on in our lives that can pull us down so very easily and distract us from the joy the Lord has given us.
We at The Good News Magazine want to be sure that you know you can have a joy-filled thankful heart every day of the year, not ONLY on Thanksgiving when we take that special time to list the things we are thankful for, but to have a list of things we're thankful for every day of the year; With Jesus Christ's gift of eternal salvation to an unworthy, filthy, sinner such as myself at the top of the list.
Thank You, Lord, for saving my soul
Thank You, Lord, for making me whole
Thank You, Lord, for giving to me
Thy great salvation so rich and free.
Amen!
REJOICE DESPITE THE CIRCUMSTANCES
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. Psalms 100:4
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. Psalms 100:4
I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee. I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy loving-kindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name. Psalms 138:1-2
When I think of ALL that I have gone through, I am only left with one thing: God has been with me ALL awhile. He saw me through, He was right there when I needed Him, and for this I have every reason to do one thing: Praise and thank Him ALWAYS.
Did you know that a thankful heart can change the whole way you see life? It is a flood-gate opener to blessings, joy peace and all sorts of goodness. With thankful hearts, we can even touch the very heart of God, and King David, a man after God’s heart even told us that when we approach God, enter into His gates with thankful hearts!
Suppose you had a child and you went to the store and bought a gift for him. You get home and tell him, ‘Boy, I have a surprise for you.’ The boy opens up a gift box and to his amazement sees what he has been longing to have for a very long time! The boy jumps up with joy and excitement and then hugs you and thanks you for the precious gift you bought him. As he plays outside, he keeps thanking you for such a wonderful gift. Wouldn't that make you feel good inside for blessing him in such a way? You would probably want to run out and do it all over again, just because he loved it so much and was so thankful for everything you did.
Now, suppose you brought the gift to the boy, called him and gave it to him and then he takes the gift, looks at it and says he didn’t need it. He didn’t show any appreciation or thankfulness for all you've done. Wouldn't that make you feel bad? Wouldn't that make it hard for you to continue buying him gifts in the future?
How do you think God feels, when He's done so much for us - He made us, gave us such wonderful bodies and minds, then when we messed up, He sent His son to die for us; and then we go throughout the day not even stopping to think about all He's done for us? We're too busy too busy in our daily activities and countless other things... that we don't even stop to think about all God has done for us. How do you think that makes God feel? Do you think He gets overwhelmed with joy, and can't wait to send us more blessings? If you were in His position, would you feel that way? Wouldn't you want your people to be thankful for the goodness and blessings you have showered upon them?
When we are thankful for the goodness of God in our lives, it touches the very heart of God and encourages Him to shower even more blessings upon us. A thankful heart is truly a floodgate to the blessings and goodness of God in our lives! Psalms 37:4 tell us, "Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."
When in difficult moments can we stand back and thank the Lord for His faithfulness? Look what Paul and Silas did when they were in prison in Acts16:25 “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them." In circumstances like this, some of us will grumble and complain about. Paul and Silas, instead of complaining, they lifted their hands to the Lord with thankful hearts and began to sing praises! Why? Because they took what Jesus said literally when He told them, “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”. Mat.5:11-12
They were taking God's Word seriously, and praising God despite the physical (here and now) circumstances...and the question we ought to ask ourselves is: “Shouldn't we be doing the same thing today when things turn black around us?” Their praises during that time touched the very heart of God, and as a result, the very ground the prison was on shook with an earthquake and they were loosed! Their singing out in praises in the face of despair touched the very heart of God! They never grumbled.
Joseph, a young man was sold as a slave in Egypt. He went through a lot and if anybody had a place to grumble, I think it ought to be him! But he had his mind so much on the goodness and promises of God. What happened? God promoted him to an extremely high position in the government, and was put in charge of the food during a famine!
An unthankful heart is found in somebody who doesn't appreciate the things that God has given them. Each one of us has been given more than we'll ever know, so there are no excuses for God's children to be unthankful! Unthankfulness is looking at the negative, despite the positive. It is my prayer that we all be thankful lest we be counted amongst the unthankful. Rom.1:21 says, “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”
Need I say more? Well, may the Lord fill you with His Holy Spirit, that your heart be full of joy, that you may rejoice Always even when circumstance don’t allow you. Don’t grumble, keep on trusting the Lord for He knows your need and the trouble you are in. You are in His thoughts and mind.
TESTIMONY – By Zedekiah Nandwa
Having been born in God fearing family, my parents were church goers and great great believers of Christ. I believed that being our parents we were automatically born again as their children. Each and every Sunday my mum would wake us up prepare us and take us to Sunday school. I was so active in church during those days that everyone knew how much we feared God. Our parents were proud of us and they could pray for us every day. Deep inside my heart I had no knowledge of who God was. I took it as normal. I did not know that there something extra needed to be complete.
Having been born in God fearing family, my parents were church goers and great great believers of Christ. I believed that being our parents we were automatically born again as their children. Each and every Sunday my mum would wake us up prepare us and take us to Sunday school. I was so active in church during those days that everyone knew how much we feared God. Our parents were proud of us and they could pray for us every day. Deep inside my heart I had no knowledge of who God was. I took it as normal. I did not know that there something extra needed to be complete.
To me Christian life was normal. I could do anything at any time and claim that I was still a child. My dad and mum are there, if anything happens they’ll be there to cover me. That’s how I used to think. I had no knowledge that they also had their own lives and I had my own life to lead. As much as I engaged in church activities I did not take life so seriously, everything depended on my parents. I was so lost in “child thing”
At one time when I was still in grade seven, there was a youth conference and we were given a choice to attend, that was when I was totally born again. It was in the year two thousand and four when I received Christ as my personal savior.
First we were taught of the love of God and what He expects of us as His children. We were taught that everyone has his one life to lead and everyone is accountable to his/her own actions. Even our parents have their own lives to live and at the end everyone will appear before the Lord and those who are righteous will be with Him forever.
That is when I took a step of faith and decided to get born again. It was then that everything became different in my life. There was a total transformation that I received; there was a great favor that I started receiving. Everything becomes completely different. I felt some form of release and separation. I started to see life different from the way I used to see it.
I came to realize that parents should coach their children and bring them up in a proper way. They should not ignore that they are children. It is their responsibility to up bring them in a God fearing way, show them the right way, teach them the right way, that way you’ll be exposing them to the right way in life. Everyone their own lives even the young ones have their own lives.
CREATIVE WRITINGS
GRATEFULNESS TO THEE
By George Herbert
Thou that hast given so much to me,
Give one thing more, a grateful heart.
See how thy beggar works on thee
By art.
He makes thy gifts occasion more,
And says, If he in this be crossed,
All thou hast given him heretofore
Is lost.
But thou didst reckon, when at first
Thy word our hearts and hands did crave,
What it would come to at the worst
To save.
Perpetual knockings at thy door,
Tears sullying thy transparent rooms,
Gift upon gift, much would have more,
And comes.
This not withstanding, thou wenst on,
And didst allow us all our noise:
Nay thou hast made a sigh and groan
Thy joys.
Not that thou hast not still above
Much better tunes, than groans can make;
But that these country-airs thy love
Did take.
Wherefore I cry, and cry again;
And in no quiet canst thou be,
Till I a thankful heart obtain
Of thee:
Not thankful, when it pleaseth me;
As if thy blessings had spare days:
But such a heart, whose pulse may be
Thy praise.
Forever Thankful
Being forever thankful,
Is what God wants from us,
Never forgetting from where we came,
Or His boundless, saving love
All of heavens blessings
Poured down from heavens gates,
Everything we have in life,
He's given with extra grace
We need to always thank Him
For this, and so much more
Not only for tangible things,
But because He is our Lord
Thanksgiving is the key
For His blessings to increase,
If we've not got thankful hearts,
His blessings soon will cease
Don't ever start complaining
At what you may not have,
Look around at what you see,
Then be thankful and glad
© By M.S.Lowndes
FATHER, I am Thanking You Right NOW
author unknown
Dear GOD:
I want to thank You for what you have already done.
I am not going to wait until I see results or receive rewards;
I am thanking You right now.
I am not going to wait until I feel better or things look better; .
I am not going to wait until people say they are sorry or until they
stop talking about me;
I am not going to wait until the pain in my body disappears ;
I am thanking You right now.
I am not going to wait until my financial situation improves;
I am not going to wait until you give me a house to live in instead of
an apartment.
I am not going to wait until the children are asleep and all is quiet;
I am going to thank You right now.
I am not going to wait until I get promoted at work or until I get the
job, or a better one;;
I am not going to wait until I understand every experience in my life
that has caused me pain or grief;
I am not going to wait until the journey gets easier, the troubles
ease up or the challenges are removed;
I am thanking You right now.
I am thanking You because YOU gave me life. I am thanking You because
I made it through the day's difficulties. making it around the
obstacles because of YOUR grace alone. But most of all, I'm thanking
You because FATHER, YOU haven't given up on me...and never will as
long as I am Yours and You are mine.
Forever Thankful
Being forever thankful,
Is what God wants from us,
Never forgetting from where we came,
Or His boundless, saving love
All of heavens blessings
Poured down from heavens gates,
Everything we have in life,
He's given with extra grace
We need to always thank Him
For this, and so much more
Not only for tangible things,
But because He is our Lord
Thanksgiving is the key
For His blessings to increase,
If we've not got thankful hearts,
His blessings soon will cease
Don't ever start complaining
At what you may not have,
Look around at what you see,
Then be thankful and glad
© By M.S.Lowndes
Being forever thankful,
Is what God wants from us,
Never forgetting from where we came,
Or His boundless, saving love
All of heavens blessings
Poured down from heavens gates,
Everything we have in life,
He's given with extra grace
We need to always thank Him
For this, and so much more
Not only for tangible things,
But because He is our Lord
Thanksgiving is the key
For His blessings to increase,
If we've not got thankful hearts,
His blessings soon will cease
Don't ever start complaining
At what you may not have,
Look around at what you see,
Then be thankful and glad
© By M.S.Lowndes
FATHER, I am Thanking You Right NOW
author unknown
Dear GOD:
I want to thank You for what you have already done.
I am not going to wait until I see results or receive rewards;
I am thanking You right now.
I am not going to wait until I feel better or things look better; .
I am not going to wait until people say they are sorry or until they
stop talking about me;
I am not going to wait until the pain in my body disappears ;
I am thanking You right now.
I am not going to wait until my financial situation improves;
I am not going to wait until you give me a house to live in instead of
an apartment.
I am not going to wait until the children are asleep and all is quiet;
I am going to thank You right now.
I am not going to wait until I get promoted at work or until I get the
job, or a better one;;
I am not going to wait until I understand every experience in my life
that has caused me pain or grief;
I am not going to wait until the journey gets easier, the troubles
ease up or the challenges are removed;
I am thanking You right now.
I am thanking You because YOU gave me life. I am thanking You because
I made it through the day's difficulties. making it around the
obstacles because of YOUR grace alone. But most of all, I'm thanking
You because FATHER, YOU haven't given up on me...and never will as
long as I am Yours and You are mine.
author unknown
Dear GOD:
I want to thank You for what you have already done.
I am not going to wait until I see results or receive rewards;
I am thanking You right now.
I am not going to wait until I feel better or things look better; .
I am not going to wait until people say they are sorry or until they
stop talking about me;
I am not going to wait until the pain in my body disappears ;
I am thanking You right now.
I am not going to wait until my financial situation improves;
I am not going to wait until you give me a house to live in instead of
an apartment.
I am not going to wait until the children are asleep and all is quiet;
I am going to thank You right now.
I am not going to wait until I get promoted at work or until I get the
job, or a better one;;
I am not going to wait until I understand every experience in my life
that has caused me pain or grief;
I am not going to wait until the journey gets easier, the troubles
ease up or the challenges are removed;
I am thanking You right now.
I am thanking You because YOU gave me life. I am thanking You because
I made it through the day's difficulties. making it around the
obstacles because of YOUR grace alone. But most of all, I'm thanking
You because FATHER, YOU haven't given up on me...and never will as
long as I am Yours and You are mine.
FINAL WORD
**If you would love us to pray with you, please do not hesitate to contact us through:
God bless you all and know that you are always in our prayers. Thank you.
Justus, Debbie & the Team, Kenya, USA**
‘Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ,
**If you would love us to pray with you, please do not hesitate to contact us through:
Justus at: blessedjustus@gmail.com, and
Jerry or Debbie at debbie.senese@gmail.com
If you have taken this step and made that all important decision to accept Jesus Christ as the Blessed Controller of your life, please contact us via email with name and physical address. And if you need to talk to us by phone, please let’s know so we may PM you our phone numbers. Would you like us to send you some material concerning the next steps in your walk with the Lord? If so, please let us know.
Finally, you can read the Good News Magazine on our blog, http://thegoodnewsmagazine.blogspot.com
God bless you all and know that you are always in our prayers. Thank you.
Our 11th Edition will be out on 1st December 2014.
Justus, Debbie & the Team, Kenya, USA**
Justus, Debbie & the Team, Kenya, USA**
‘Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ,
that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.’ - Phil. 2:16
The Good News Magazine, 9th Edition
Hello and welcome to our 9th Good News Magazine Edition. It is our sincere hope that this magazine will be a blessing to your spiritual life as you continue to serve the Lord. The Lord has been so faithful in my life and it is with great desire that I write this, praying that many will come to know about Jesus, the work He came for, what He did and accomplished. There is no mistaking of what Jesus did while on earth. He made it clearly that He was going to the Father, and He will come back for us all who are called by His name. He went to prepare a place for us, that where He maybe that we maybe there also. Isn't it a good promise to know that we have a place, a mansion awaiting us after this life ends? It sure is and that is why we ought to work day and night, to see that many souls are turning to the Lord, that we bring a great and bountiful harvest to the Father.
This is indeed in reference to what Jesus commissioned His disciples in Matthew 28:18-20
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
As we can see here, Jesus calls all His followers to act and share the Good News of salvation throughout the world. We have seen and heard many missionaries travel across the world and are spreading the word of Jesus Christ.
A time has come for us all to make incredible sacrifices, travel to remote regions of the world beyond the civilized cities into jungles and deserts sharing the Gospel. In so doing we will get a bountiful harvest to the Kingdom of God. It is a work of great dedication, diligent and trust in God. It is not a must that you travel; you can share the Word with your friends at work, or anywhere. May be your own house aren’t believers. It could be a neighbor who has not heard the Good News, or a poverty stricken area just down the road where people can't afford Bibles.
For us to have a bountiful harvest we must reach them out! The places and people who need to hear the Gospel are everywhere! Only this is holding Jesus from coming back. But the moment we reach them all with the Gospel, only then will the end come. Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
However, we cannot do this unless we are obedient to God’s Word. When God gives us a call for His work, all we do is obey Him. Jesus calls every Christian to step out in faith and spread the Good News. This is faith in action! People who obey this command change their spiritual lives forever! It could be spreading the Good News to a neighbor or moving to another country to reach the people there. It could be sharing with less fortunate kids down the street or spreading the Word in a town two hours away.
Wherever we go, every faithful Christian is compelled through obedience to share the Gospel. If you're a believer in Jesus Christ, where has He called you to go? Who has God put on your heart to share the gift of salvation with? Think of your friends. Think of your family. Think of your workplace and get started in reaching them out! God is waiting, truly, the harvest is indeed great but the laborers are few. If you have God’s call in your life, then a time has come for us all to be witnesses for our Lord Jesus.
Justus & Debbie,
The Good News Magazine, 9th Edition
This is indeed in reference to what Jesus commissioned His disciples in Matthew 28:18-20
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
As we can see here, Jesus calls all His followers to act and share the Good News of salvation throughout the world. We have seen and heard many missionaries travel across the world and are spreading the word of Jesus Christ.
A time has come for us all to make incredible sacrifices, travel to remote regions of the world beyond the civilized cities into jungles and deserts sharing the Gospel. In so doing we will get a bountiful harvest to the Kingdom of God. It is a work of great dedication, diligent and trust in God. It is not a must that you travel; you can share the Word with your friends at work, or anywhere. May be your own house aren’t believers. It could be a neighbor who has not heard the Good News, or a poverty stricken area just down the road where people can't afford Bibles.
For us to have a bountiful harvest we must reach them out! The places and people who need to hear the Gospel are everywhere! Only this is holding Jesus from coming back. But the moment we reach them all with the Gospel, only then will the end come. Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
However, we cannot do this unless we are obedient to God’s Word. When God gives us a call for His work, all we do is obey Him. Jesus calls every Christian to step out in faith and spread the Good News. This is faith in action! People who obey this command change their spiritual lives forever! It could be spreading the Good News to a neighbor or moving to another country to reach the people there. It could be sharing with less fortunate kids down the street or spreading the Word in a town two hours away.
Wherever we go, every faithful Christian is compelled through obedience to share the Gospel. If you're a believer in Jesus Christ, where has He called you to go? Who has God put on your heart to share the gift of salvation with? Think of your friends. Think of your family. Think of your workplace and get started in reaching them out! God is waiting, truly, the harvest is indeed great but the laborers are few. If you have God’s call in your life, then a time has come for us all to be witnesses for our Lord Jesus.
Acts:1:8: But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
May you be filled with the passion of spreading the Wonderful Good News to all.
With blessings and love.
Justus & Debbie,
WILL THE HARVEST BE BOUNTIFUL?
As much as I love the beautiful array of colors and the many different hues of reds, yellows, and oranges amongst the background of greenery in the fall, its not a season I particularly look forward to seeing come as I know the season that follows which is my absolute least favorite season! I realize, scripture tells us to do all things without murmuring and complaining; And my purpose is not to do that, but to instead point out that ordinarily, I don't look forward necessarily to autumn.
However, there are a group of people, actually 2, who do. One would be those who enjoy the crisp coolness in the air and the beauty of the scenery or don't mind the season that follows. The other would be farmers. This is the time when they reap what they have sown in the spring/summer months. Tended to so carefully. Worked at so diligently in order to be rewarded with a bountiful harvest come autumn.
There is another harvest coming. A spiritual harvest. Lord willing, this article will give opportunity to take a step back and see if we are sowing correctly, if we're being diligent in laboring so that the harvest may be a bountiful one.
While Jesus was here on earth, He set the perfect example of how we should live our lives. But, He also came right out and said that we are to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. Why? Because Jesus had something to gain from this? Because He was tired of doing it all Himself so He wanted others to do it for Him? I think not! He has nothing to gain from us. He doesn't need us. Why a sinless, perfect, holy God would want anything to do with such defiled sinners as we baffles the mind; And yet, He does. He's constantly reaching out to us making the first move, yearning for us to want Him as much as He wants us. Most of us tend to throw it back in His face rejecting Him altogether. Some of us accept His free yet priceless gift of salvation, but are satisfied with the “fire insurance” that provides and takes the relationship no further. Finally, there are those who understand the meaningful, loving, sacrificing acts of love going above and beyond what we would, that Jesus Christ did on our behalf, and out of love for Him and a full heart of thanksgiving want to serve Him to the best of their ability...which means laboring.
For those who are not farmers (and I am not), farming is difficult. Its not a matter of waking up one day and sticking a seed in the ground, waiting for it to grow, and then harvesting the crop. It’s a matter of treating soil, making sure it is nourished properly, fertilized, and then wait until the soil is ready to receive the seed, providing the weather cooperates. Once the seedling begins to grow, there are constant duties beginning before dawn until dusk of many different jobs such as watering, pulling weeds, removing seedlings that may be too close to others, watching for insects or other pestilence that can take an entire crop and bring it to ruins. After hundreds of days of hard work and toiling in the heat, eventually autumn comes, and its time to see if the seed sown reaped a bumper crop.
When speaking of a spiritual harvest, let’s see what God's word tells us.
The first thing that stood out to me in this passage was how busy Jesus kept Himself doing His Father's work of preaching the gospel of the kingdom. We need to remember, that preaching is not in the context of standing in a pulpit, preaching is sharing the gospel with others, giving your testimony, telling someone about the Lord. So if we are to strive to be more like Christ, and life our life accordingly, then we need to keep ourselves busy sharing with others, telling others about Jesus, doing our best to help others understand the gospel of Jesus Christ and His kingdom.
The next thing that stood out was where it says, “ ...He was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, a sheep having no shepherd.” Jesus, the KING of kings, was moved with compassion because they were weak, and wandering around not knowing where to go, just stumbling around trying to find their way like sheep do without a shepherd. He cares about us, so very deeply. Is this not something we should be eagerly sharing with others? They too need to know the gospel of His kingdom. Because of His being moved with compassion, He then gave the instruction to those who were following Him, to go and share the gospel with everyone you can. Go into every nation. Tell them...and pray that the Lord of the harvest will send more workers, because the actual workers are few. How very sad this is. With so many professing to be Christians, why are the workers so few? I think, once we actually get to Glory, we're going to be shocked at how few “genuine” Christians there really are...otherwise, the workers would not be so few.
It's not as if there isn't enough work to be done. The Lord makes this perfectly clear in John 4:35-38 ~
We see here that not only is there plenty of work, but amongst the body of Christians, there is no such thing as “his ministry” or “my ministry” as its clearly pointed out that one does one thing, and another does another thing, both working for the same end result. Not that any should take credit for it, accept for the Lord.
Friends, we don't have much time left. It's drawing near to Harvest Time...when our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will return from Heaven, to the clouds, and draw His harvest in. That harvest is not a crop of plants or food, but people. People who have shared the gospel of His kingdom with them, and they have yielded their life over to Him, and are doing the same.
Take heed, and be warned. We should approach each day as though it were our last. My favorite verse in scripture that keeps me inspired and thrills my soul is most applicable here; Romans 13:11 ~ “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.”
As much as I love the beautiful array of colors and the many different hues of reds, yellows, and oranges amongst the background of greenery in the fall, its not a season I particularly look forward to seeing come as I know the season that follows which is my absolute least favorite season! I realize, scripture tells us to do all things without murmuring and complaining; And my purpose is not to do that, but to instead point out that ordinarily, I don't look forward necessarily to autumn.
However, there are a group of people, actually 2, who do. One would be those who enjoy the crisp coolness in the air and the beauty of the scenery or don't mind the season that follows. The other would be farmers. This is the time when they reap what they have sown in the spring/summer months. Tended to so carefully. Worked at so diligently in order to be rewarded with a bountiful harvest come autumn.
There is another harvest coming. A spiritual harvest. Lord willing, this article will give opportunity to take a step back and see if we are sowing correctly, if we're being diligent in laboring so that the harvest may be a bountiful one.
While Jesus was here on earth, He set the perfect example of how we should live our lives. But, He also came right out and said that we are to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. Why? Because Jesus had something to gain from this? Because He was tired of doing it all Himself so He wanted others to do it for Him? I think not! He has nothing to gain from us. He doesn't need us. Why a sinless, perfect, holy God would want anything to do with such defiled sinners as we baffles the mind; And yet, He does. He's constantly reaching out to us making the first move, yearning for us to want Him as much as He wants us. Most of us tend to throw it back in His face rejecting Him altogether. Some of us accept His free yet priceless gift of salvation, but are satisfied with the “fire insurance” that provides and takes the relationship no further. Finally, there are those who understand the meaningful, loving, sacrificing acts of love going above and beyond what we would, that Jesus Christ did on our behalf, and out of love for Him and a full heart of thanksgiving want to serve Him to the best of their ability...which means laboring.
For those who are not farmers (and I am not), farming is difficult. Its not a matter of waking up one day and sticking a seed in the ground, waiting for it to grow, and then harvesting the crop. It’s a matter of treating soil, making sure it is nourished properly, fertilized, and then wait until the soil is ready to receive the seed, providing the weather cooperates. Once the seedling begins to grow, there are constant duties beginning before dawn until dusk of many different jobs such as watering, pulling weeds, removing seedlings that may be too close to others, watching for insects or other pestilence that can take an entire crop and bring it to ruins. After hundreds of days of hard work and toiling in the heat, eventually autumn comes, and its time to see if the seed sown reaped a bumper crop.
When speaking of a spiritual harvest, let’s see what God's word tells us.
“And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.”
The first thing that stood out to me in this passage was how busy Jesus kept Himself doing His Father's work of preaching the gospel of the kingdom. We need to remember, that preaching is not in the context of standing in a pulpit, preaching is sharing the gospel with others, giving your testimony, telling someone about the Lord. So if we are to strive to be more like Christ, and life our life accordingly, then we need to keep ourselves busy sharing with others, telling others about Jesus, doing our best to help others understand the gospel of Jesus Christ and His kingdom.
The next thing that stood out was where it says, “ ...He was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, a sheep having no shepherd.” Jesus, the KING of kings, was moved with compassion because they were weak, and wandering around not knowing where to go, just stumbling around trying to find their way like sheep do without a shepherd. He cares about us, so very deeply. Is this not something we should be eagerly sharing with others? They too need to know the gospel of His kingdom. Because of His being moved with compassion, He then gave the instruction to those who were following Him, to go and share the gospel with everyone you can. Go into every nation. Tell them...and pray that the Lord of the harvest will send more workers, because the actual workers are few. How very sad this is. With so many professing to be Christians, why are the workers so few? I think, once we actually get to Glory, we're going to be shocked at how few “genuine” Christians there really are...otherwise, the workers would not be so few.
It's not as if there isn't enough work to be done. The Lord makes this perfectly clear in John 4:35-38 ~
“Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.”
We see here that not only is there plenty of work, but amongst the body of Christians, there is no such thing as “his ministry” or “my ministry” as its clearly pointed out that one does one thing, and another does another thing, both working for the same end result. Not that any should take credit for it, accept for the Lord.
Friends, we don't have much time left. It's drawing near to Harvest Time...when our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will return from Heaven, to the clouds, and draw His harvest in. That harvest is not a crop of plants or food, but people. People who have shared the gospel of His kingdom with them, and they have yielded their life over to Him, and are doing the same.
Take heed, and be warned. We should approach each day as though it were our last. My favorite verse in scripture that keeps me inspired and thrills my soul is most applicable here; Romans 13:11 ~ “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.”
WHAT IS THE HARVEST AND WHERE IS ITS HOME?
For as long as I can remember, in every church I've ever been in, come November, we would sing, “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come”. I couldn't understand why we only sang it in November, but knew it was just always associated with Thanksgiving. However, as I've grown older, and actually read the words of this hymn, it really doesn't apply to just Thanksgiving. True, it talks about being thankful, however, it’s really talking about an event that's going to take place, and can happen at most any moment...perhaps before you even finish reading the article! Let's take a look at the verses and break them down and see what Biblical gems are hidden right before our eyes.
Verse 1: Come, ye thankful people, come; raise the song of harvest home. All is safely gathered in, ere the winter storms begin. God, our Maker, doth provide for our wants to be supplied. Come to God's own temple, come, raise the song of harvest home.
This verse talks about the work that these people have done to gather in all that they've worked so hard and toiled over throughout the growing season. They've reaped what they've sown, and have properly stored it to where it will get them through the winter once it begins. There are several verses that can be applied here. 2 Corinthians 9:6 tells us, “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” We also see in Galatians 6:7, “ Be not deceived, God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Yet another scripture that tells us, what we sow, is what we reap. The understanding of this hymn's verse is clearly based on Biblical principal, and one easily understood. Let it be said, however, that there is also a verse that clearly displays a warning; Not one found in the hymn necessarily, however, one that should be heeded. Job 4:8 warns us, “ Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.” That point is perfectly clear. The principal of reaping and sowing, the Lord not only takes very serious for us to adhere to, but for Himself as well.
Apparently, not only have needs been supplied by the Lord but “wants” as well. Our God is a gracious One, and so many times blesses us with things we don't deserve. Now, they are going to gather together to sing praise to the Lord by singing a song about “harvest home”. Let's go on to verse two.
Verse 2: All the world is God's own field, fruit unto his praise to yield, wheat and tares together sown, unto joy or sorrow grown. First the blade, and then the ear, the full corn shall appear. Lord of harvest, grant that we wholesome grain and pure may be.
Matthew 13:24-30 is basically the parable that this second verse is based upon. As we read it, we can begin to see how symbolic this hymn is of how Jesus described “people”. “Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field. But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? From whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt then that we go and gather them up? But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares. But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn”.
Sound familiar? To me, it was like pieces of a puzzle were coming together, and this “Thanksgiving” song was taking on a completely new meaning! I don't even believe it needs explaining, it just fits so perfectly. In verse 3 of this seasonal hymn, it all starts to come together and the true doctrinal meaning the author of this hymn either knowingly or supernaturally inspired by the Lord, intended begins to really open up into full fruition.
For as long as I can remember, in every church I've ever been in, come November, we would sing, “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come”. I couldn't understand why we only sang it in November, but knew it was just always associated with Thanksgiving. However, as I've grown older, and actually read the words of this hymn, it really doesn't apply to just Thanksgiving. True, it talks about being thankful, however, it’s really talking about an event that's going to take place, and can happen at most any moment...perhaps before you even finish reading the article! Let's take a look at the verses and break them down and see what Biblical gems are hidden right before our eyes.
Verse 1: Come, ye thankful people, come; raise the song of harvest home. All is safely gathered in, ere the winter storms begin. God, our Maker, doth provide for our wants to be supplied. Come to God's own temple, come, raise the song of harvest home.
This verse talks about the work that these people have done to gather in all that they've worked so hard and toiled over throughout the growing season. They've reaped what they've sown, and have properly stored it to where it will get them through the winter once it begins. There are several verses that can be applied here. 2 Corinthians 9:6 tells us, “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” We also see in Galatians 6:7, “ Be not deceived, God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Yet another scripture that tells us, what we sow, is what we reap. The understanding of this hymn's verse is clearly based on Biblical principal, and one easily understood. Let it be said, however, that there is also a verse that clearly displays a warning; Not one found in the hymn necessarily, however, one that should be heeded. Job 4:8 warns us, “ Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.” That point is perfectly clear. The principal of reaping and sowing, the Lord not only takes very serious for us to adhere to, but for Himself as well.
Apparently, not only have needs been supplied by the Lord but “wants” as well. Our God is a gracious One, and so many times blesses us with things we don't deserve. Now, they are going to gather together to sing praise to the Lord by singing a song about “harvest home”. Let's go on to verse two.
Verse 2: All the world is God's own field, fruit unto his praise to yield, wheat and tares together sown, unto joy or sorrow grown. First the blade, and then the ear, the full corn shall appear. Lord of harvest, grant that we wholesome grain and pure may be.
Matthew 13:24-30 is basically the parable that this second verse is based upon. As we read it, we can begin to see how symbolic this hymn is of how Jesus described “people”. “Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field. But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? From whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt then that we go and gather them up? But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares. But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest; and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn”.
Sound familiar? To me, it was like pieces of a puzzle were coming together, and this “Thanksgiving” song was taking on a completely new meaning! I don't even believe it needs explaining, it just fits so perfectly. In verse 3 of this seasonal hymn, it all starts to come together and the true doctrinal meaning the author of this hymn either knowingly or supernaturally inspired by the Lord, intended begins to really open up into full fruition.
Verse 3: For the Lord our God shall come, and shall take His harvest home. From his field shall in that day, all offenses purge away, giving angels charge at last in the fire the tares to cast; But the fruitful ears to store in His garner evermore.
This is amazing to me! Furthermore, this too is explained almost word for word in scripture for us. 1 Thess. 4:14-17 speaks of this very incident when it says, “ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: an the dead in Christ shall rise first; Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
This is exactly what the song writer is talking about the Lord coming to take His “harvest” home. WE...those of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as mentioned above in the scripture passage are the harvest He is coming back for, to take “Home” with Him! Praise the Lord! How thrilling and exciting!
The second part of the song is found here in Revelation 20:1-10;
“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations...And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations...and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
It just amazes me how a song that is always connected with Thanksgiving has so much theology in it that because we get caught up in the holiday we're singing it for, we don't realize there's more to it than just reaping the harvest and being thankful for it; There's oh, so much more!
Verse 4: “Even so, Lord, quickly come, bring Thy final harvest home. Gather Thou Thy people in, free from sorrow, free from sin, there forever purified, in Thy garner to abide; Come, with all Thine angels come, raise the glorious harvest home!”
Revelation 21:4 tells us, “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”
Singing about our “Harvest Home” has a richer, fuller more beautiful meaning than ever realized. Jesus IS coming again; And He's coming to gather in His children and take them Home, where, because of what Jesus Christ completed on the cross, we'll be free from sorrow and free from sin...finally...forever purified. Won't that be a wonderful day? We do have a Harvest Home... where we'll abide with Him forever. So not only is Jesus coming to take His “harvest Home”, but we can also say, being the harvest, that we have a “Harvest Home”... Heaven!
In closing I say with John as in Rev. 22:20, “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”!
READY TO HARVEST
Life in the country was very interesting. My dad, mom, my brother and I would wake up in the morning; go to the fields to harvest corn. Every one of us would be so happy at the end of the day though tiresome but happy that we have had a great harvest of the crop. The same case applies to all of us who are called by His name. We all have a duty and a mandate to see that there is still work to be done, we sow, and we wait, then the harvest season comes. That isn’t a time for us to rest or sleep. It is a time to harvest, what we had sown in tears has finally yielded into maturity and we have to reap it before it gets bad.
Life in the country was very interesting. My dad, mom, my brother and I would wake up in the morning; go to the fields to harvest corn. Every one of us would be so happy at the end of the day though tiresome but happy that we have had a great harvest of the crop. The same case applies to all of us who are called by His name. We all have a duty and a mandate to see that there is still work to be done, we sow, and we wait, then the harvest season comes. That isn’t a time for us to rest or sleep. It is a time to harvest, what we had sown in tears has finally yielded into maturity and we have to reap it before it gets bad.
In John 4:35 we read: Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. There is a sense of urgency at harvest time. Nothing else takes higher priority. God wants to open our eyes to see the harvest the way He does (Ecclesiastes 11:4). He is the Lord of the harvest
And again we see Jesus saying these words in Matthew 9:37-38, Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. We have got to remember that the harvest field belongs to God, not us. He is called "the Lord of the harvest." He doesn't want the harvest trampled down by careless workers. So He trains His workers and He sends them out. As God's harvest workers, we must obey His directions.
If we are willing to obey our Lord, then reaping becomes a time of great rejoicing to us all.
God's burning desire is to reach a lost world. He will do so by using His servants. The big question is: Are you willing to be used of Him? He wants to see a great harvest, not only among our own people, but also beyond - to other peoples, languages and tribes around us who have not yet heard the Gospel. He wants us to join Him in the harvest.
We have to realize that when the harvest is ready, the enemy would want to destroy the harvest .The devil would want to make the believers become lazy and forget that there were seeds planted and that the time for harvest hasn’t come yet. But God never forgets a seed. He never counts it out. He always multiplies the seed sown, then He goes looking for someone with faith enough to harvest it. And that person is you and I who believe in Him. We all have that great commission.
Let’s go out into the fields and bring forth the harvest. Many are perishing, they are waiting for someone to speak the Word to them, they are hungry and yearning for spiritual food, can we take a step of faith in reaching them? Can we sacrifice our dear time and spend even ten minutes in telling them about Jesus? After all, we have to be happy that the harvest is here.. Harvest time is what makes all the work worthwhile. That’s true in the natural scheme of things and it’s even truer spiritually.
The Lord of the Harvest is sending us out as laborers to gather up the most staggering spiritual crop this world has ever seen. This is the beginning of massive harvest! Let’s hurry up and catch souls for Christ! Aren’t we fishers of men? Jesus made us so. We have got to be about our Father’s business.
If you haven’t thought of yourself as a harvester before now, start thinking of yourself that way. Renew your mind to the truth of God’s Word. Dare to believe the Lord of the Harvest is calling you—yes, you!—to help Him bring in His end-time crops.
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
Gardening God's Way
Plant three rows of peas:
Plant three rows of peas:
Peace of mind
Peace of heart
Peace of soul
Plant four rows of squash:
Squash gossip
Squash indifference
Squash grumbling
Squash selfishness
Plant four rows of lettuce:
Lettuce be faithful
Lettuce be kind
Lettuce be obedient
Lettuce really love one another
No garden should be without turnips:
Turnip for meetings
Turnip for service
Turnip to help one another
Water freely with patience and cultivate love
There is much fruit for your garden
Because you reap what you sow.
To conclude our garden
We must have thyme:
Thyme for God
Thyme for study
Thyme for prayer
Thyme for each other
Thyme for friends!
WORK FOR THE NIGHT IS COMING
Work, for the night is coming,
Work through the morning hours;
Work while the dew is sparkling,
Work ’mid springing flowers;
Work when the day grows brighter,
Work in the glowing sun;
Work, for the night is coming,
When man’s work is done.
Work, for the night is coming,
Work through the sunny noon;
Fill brightest hours with labor,
Rest comes sure and soon.
Give every flying minute,
Something to keep in store;
Work, for the night is coming,
When man works no more.
Work, for the night is coming,
Under the sunset skies;
While their bright tints are glowing,
Work, for daylight flies.
Work till the last beam fadeth,
Fadeth to shine no more;
Work, while the night is darkening,
When man’s work is o’er.
Work, for the night is coming,
Work through the morning hours;
Work while the dew is sparkling,
Work ’mid springing flowers;
Work when the day grows brighter,
Work in the glowing sun;
Work, for the night is coming,
When man’s work is done.
Work through the morning hours;
Work while the dew is sparkling,
Work ’mid springing flowers;
Work when the day grows brighter,
Work in the glowing sun;
Work, for the night is coming,
When man’s work is done.
Work, for the night is coming,
Work through the sunny noon;
Fill brightest hours with labor,
Rest comes sure and soon.
Give every flying minute,
Something to keep in store;
Work, for the night is coming,
When man works no more.
Work through the sunny noon;
Fill brightest hours with labor,
Rest comes sure and soon.
Give every flying minute,
Something to keep in store;
Work, for the night is coming,
When man works no more.
Work, for the night is coming,
Under the sunset skies;
While their bright tints are glowing,
Work, for daylight flies.
Work till the last beam fadeth,
Fadeth to shine no more;
Work, while the night is darkening,
When man’s work is o’er.
Under the sunset skies;
While their bright tints are glowing,
Work, for daylight flies.
Work till the last beam fadeth,
Fadeth to shine no more;
Work, while the night is darkening,
When man’s work is o’er.
The Potter by A. Lauer
The Savior watches over the beauty He creates.
The rose is fashioned to perfection by the Savior's guiding hand.
We're created in His image--The Potter's work is done
The Savior looks upon us from Heaven's throne above.
The Savior watches over the beauty He creates.
From maiden forms that love adorns to blooms that procreate.
All of nature is His portrait painted with His artistry.
From sunset's hue to skies of blue or tides upon the sea.
The rose is fashioned to perfection by the Savior's guiding hand.
Seems, He speaks through mountain peaks placed upon our land.
You can often hear Him whisper through the songbirds in the trees
and feel His touch that I love so much in a gentle, springtime breeze.
We're created in His image--The Potter's work is done
and that implies, in Our Savior's eyes, there is good in everyone.
He is joyous in our laughter and is anguished in our tears.
Abiding us and guiding us throughout our mortal years.
The Savior looks upon us from Heaven's throne above.
With perfect grace and warm embrace, He'll fill your heart with love.
The Shepherd is awaiting to help you find your way.
He is there to hear your prayer--- Speak to Him today!
FINAL WORD
**If you would love us to pray with you, please do not hesitate to contact us through:
God bless you all and know that you are always in our prayers. Thank you.
Justus, Debbie & the Team, Kenya, USA**
‘Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ,
that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.’ - Phil. 2:16
FINAL WORD
**If you would love us to pray with you, please do not hesitate to contact us through:
Justus at: blessedjustus@gmail.com, and
Jerry or Debbie at debbie.senese@gmail.com
If you have taken this step and made that all important decision to accept Jesus Christ as the Blessed Controller of your life, please contact us via email with name and physical address. And if you need to talk to us by phone, please let’s know so we may PM you our phone numbers. Would you like us to send you some material concerning the next steps in your walk with the Lord? If so, please let us know.
If you have a testimony of how you came to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior or would like to share what the Lord has done in your life, please share with us and we will be able to share it on Face Book in our Good news Magazine each month. Also you can read the Good News Magazine on our blog, http://thegoodnewsmagazine.blogspot.com
God bless you all and know that you are always in our prayers. Thank you.
Our 10th Edition will be out on 1st November 2014.
Justus, Debbie & the Team, Kenya, USA**
Justus, Debbie & the Team, Kenya, USA**
‘Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ,
that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.’ - Phil. 2:16
No comments:
Post a Comment