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
16th edition of the Good News Magazine is ‘Rest in the Lord’. In
our country Kenya, we have 1st 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.
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.
