This is a wonderful devotional by Mrs. Charles Cowman Devotional - Streams in the Desert, that we should read and reread. To grasp this message is to learn about life. The poem by A. E. Finn is awesome! May your eyes read, your mind process and your heart store and surround with love.
"It is the Lord: let him do what seemeth him good". (1 Sam. 3:18)
[See God in everything, and God will calm and color all that thou dost see!" It may be that the circumstances of our sorrows will not be removed, their condition will remain unchanged; but if Christ, as Lord and Master of our life, is brought into our grief and gloom, "HE will compass us about with songs of deliverance." To see HIM, and to be sure that His wisdom cannot err, His power cannot fail, His love can never change; to know that even His direst dealings with us are for our deepest spiritual gain, is to be able to say, in the midst of bereavement, sorrow, pain, and loss, "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath, taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."
Nothing else but seeing God in everything will make us loving and patient with those who annoy and trouble us. They will be to us then only instruments for accomplishing His tender and wise purposes toward us, and we shall even find ourselves at last inwardly thanking them for the blessings they bring us. Nothing else will completely put an end to all murmuring or rebelling thoughts.--H. W. Smith.]
["Give me a new idea," I said,
While musing on a sleepless bed;
"A new idea that'll bring to earth
A balm for souls of priceless worth;
That'll give men thoughts of things above,
And teach them how to serve and love,
That'll banish every selfish thought,
And rid men of the sins they've fought."
The new thought came, just how, I'll tell:
'Twas when on bended knee I fell,
And sought from HIM who knows full well
The way our sorrow to expel.
SEE GOD IN ALL THINGS, great and small,
And give HIM praise whate'er befall,
In life or death, in pain or woe,
See God, and overcome thy foe.
I saw HIM in the morning light,
HE made the day shine clear and bright;
I saw HIM in the noontide hour,
And gained from HIM refreshing shower.
At eventide, when worn and sad,
HE gave me help, and made me glad.
At midnight, when on tossing bed
My weary soul to sleep HE led.
I saw HIM when great losses came,
And found HE loved me just the same.
When heavy loads I had to bear,
I found HE lightened every care.
By sickness, sorrow, sore distress,
HE calmed my mind and gave me rest.
HE'S filled my heart with gladsome praise
Since I gave HIM the upward gaze.
'Twas new to me, yet old to some,
This thought that to me has become
A revelation of the way
We all should live throughout the day;
For as each day unfolds its light,
We'll walk by faith and not by sight.
Life will, indeed, a blessing bring,
If we SEE GOD IN EVERYTHING."
--A. E. Finn]
From God's heart, to mine, to yours,
Ed Shagott
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
His Cross, My Cross
Carry Your Cross
"Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" (Mark 8:34).
This is a very good devotional. An excellent read before you start your day. Yesterday I had two programs to present for the God's Love Outreach Ministry. Both of the nursing homes I was in I felt His presence there. The program for the month was about having fun, being happy. Every time I enter a home I see the looks on the faces of these residents, some I see each month for it is where they live now. Because of their own physical or mental problems they are facing, it is their life now.
I wonder to myself if this is their cross that they are called to bear. We belong to a loving God who I know did not bring this on them and He is there with them to help ease the burden from it.
Toward the end of this devotional the author writes as to how this burden is lifted. He wrote "ripen my wisdom, to deepen my peace, to increase my courage, to augment my power to be of use to others", and that is exactly what I see in these residents. They are always saying, thank you, smiling, even holding someones hand who is hurting. They are using their crosses to help them on, day by day!
[Mrs. Charles Cowman Devotional - Streams in the Desert]
[The cross which my Lord bids me take up and carry may assume different shapes. I may have to content myself with a lowly and narrow sphere, when I feel that I have capacities for much higher work. I may have to go on cultivating year after year, a field which seems to yield me no harvests whatsoever. I may be bidden to cherish kind and loving thoughts about someone who has wronged me--be bidden speak to him tenderly, and take his part against all who oppose him, and crown him with sympathy and succor. I may have to confess my Master amongst those who do not wish to be reminded of Him and His claims. I may be called to "move among my race, and show a glorious morning face," when my heart is breaking.
There are many crosses, and every one of them is sore and heavy. None of them is likely to be sought out by me of my own accord. But never is Jesus so near me as when I lift my cross, and lay it submissively on my shoulder, and give it the welcome of a patient and unmurmuring spirit.
He draws close, to ripen my wisdom, to deepen my peace, to increase my courage, to augment my power to be of use to others, through the very experience which is so grievous and distressing, and then--as I read on the seal of one of those Scottish Covenanters whom Claverhouse imprisoned on the lonely Bass, with the sea surging and sobbing round--I grow under the load.--Alexander Smellie.
"Use your cross as a crutch to help you on, and not as a stumblingblock to cast you down."
"You may others from sadness to gladness beguile,
If you carry your cross with a smile."]
Crosses
I had a dream I walked with Jesus,
carrying our crosses, side by side.
Though mine was so much smaller,
I felt Him lift the burden as time went by.
With each step He looked at me,
His eyes were filled with love
He steadied me when I began to stumble,
giving praise to the Father above.
At first the journey seemed too long,
to carry my cross all that way,
Jesus spoke to me and said,
“It’s not about the burden but what you do through it today”.
So whatever the cross you are carrying
may it become an aide to you,
to help someone else that is hurting
and show them Jesus is with them too.
E. P. Shagott
3/17/10
From God's heart, to mine, to yours,
Ed Shagott
"Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" (Mark 8:34).
This is a very good devotional. An excellent read before you start your day. Yesterday I had two programs to present for the God's Love Outreach Ministry. Both of the nursing homes I was in I felt His presence there. The program for the month was about having fun, being happy. Every time I enter a home I see the looks on the faces of these residents, some I see each month for it is where they live now. Because of their own physical or mental problems they are facing, it is their life now.
I wonder to myself if this is their cross that they are called to bear. We belong to a loving God who I know did not bring this on them and He is there with them to help ease the burden from it.
Toward the end of this devotional the author writes as to how this burden is lifted. He wrote "ripen my wisdom, to deepen my peace, to increase my courage, to augment my power to be of use to others", and that is exactly what I see in these residents. They are always saying, thank you, smiling, even holding someones hand who is hurting. They are using their crosses to help them on, day by day!
[Mrs. Charles Cowman Devotional - Streams in the Desert]
[The cross which my Lord bids me take up and carry may assume different shapes. I may have to content myself with a lowly and narrow sphere, when I feel that I have capacities for much higher work. I may have to go on cultivating year after year, a field which seems to yield me no harvests whatsoever. I may be bidden to cherish kind and loving thoughts about someone who has wronged me--be bidden speak to him tenderly, and take his part against all who oppose him, and crown him with sympathy and succor. I may have to confess my Master amongst those who do not wish to be reminded of Him and His claims. I may be called to "move among my race, and show a glorious morning face," when my heart is breaking.
There are many crosses, and every one of them is sore and heavy. None of them is likely to be sought out by me of my own accord. But never is Jesus so near me as when I lift my cross, and lay it submissively on my shoulder, and give it the welcome of a patient and unmurmuring spirit.
He draws close, to ripen my wisdom, to deepen my peace, to increase my courage, to augment my power to be of use to others, through the very experience which is so grievous and distressing, and then--as I read on the seal of one of those Scottish Covenanters whom Claverhouse imprisoned on the lonely Bass, with the sea surging and sobbing round--I grow under the load.--Alexander Smellie.
"Use your cross as a crutch to help you on, and not as a stumblingblock to cast you down."
"You may others from sadness to gladness beguile,
If you carry your cross with a smile."]
Crosses
I had a dream I walked with Jesus,
carrying our crosses, side by side.
Though mine was so much smaller,
I felt Him lift the burden as time went by.
With each step He looked at me,
His eyes were filled with love
He steadied me when I began to stumble,
giving praise to the Father above.
At first the journey seemed too long,
to carry my cross all that way,
Jesus spoke to me and said,
“It’s not about the burden but what you do through it today”.
So whatever the cross you are carrying
may it become an aide to you,
to help someone else that is hurting
and show them Jesus is with them too.
E. P. Shagott
3/17/10
From God's heart, to mine, to yours,
Ed Shagott
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
You have a part!
I like this devotional by A. B. Simpson. As I was reading it my thoughts went back to the early programs that the God's Love Outreach Ministry were presenting to nursing homes for shut-ins. In the early beginning of this ministry, a group of 6-8 of God's children, were going as a supporting group to help in any way to bring the message of His love and grace. Next month on the 17th of April this ministry will be presenting in celebration it's 1000th program.
Are the same 6-8 people still helping as in the beginning? No, and probably many would say they just can't see or understand what their role is. Of course for me, it was my calling. God put this on my heart. So I guess I would be considered as Mr. Simpson wrote "the machine". For I am the one in the forefront delivering His message. Does that mean that those others had a less important part of what God wanted them to do? No. It was just as important.
I will always remember back to one of the 1000 programs that the ministry was presenting. A friend of mine was one of the 6-8 who went to help. As a song was being sung I looked out at the residents and he was there holding a hand of a young woman who was in a bed chair and they were singing together. Though I was standing in front my friend was the one, through his love for Christ, ministering to this young woman.
Maybe he thought he had a small part, a rivet holding the machine in place, but to God because of my friends obedience, my friend was doing just what God wanted him to do!
*******************************************
"How ye ought to walk and please God" (I. Thess. iv. 1).
[A devotional by A. B. Simpson]
[How many dear Christians are in the place that the Lord has appointed them, and yet the devil is harassing their lives with a vague sense of not quite pleasing the Lord. Could they just settle down in the place that God has assigned them and fill it sweetly and lovingly for Him there would be more joy in their hearts and more power in their lives. God wants us all in various places, and the secret of accomplishing the most for Him is to recognize our places from Him and our service in it as pleasing Him. In the great factory and machine there is a place for the smallest screw and rivet as well as the great driving wheel and piston, and so God has His little screws whose business is simply to stay where He puts them and to believe that He wants them there and is making the most of their lives in the little spaces that they fill for Him.
There is something all can do,
Tho' you're neither wise nor strong;
You can be a helper true,
You can stand when friends are few,
Some lone heart has need of you,
You can help along.]
Your Purpose
You have a job to do for God,
something you were designed to do.
So many people go through life
never understanding what theirs is too.
The work that He has for us,
to many may seem simple or small.
But to God, our Father above,
important work for one and all.
See the more you focus on Jesus,
you'll understand the work He begun,
for He always said, "Father not my will,
but let Your will be done!"
Friends, you will never understand your purpose,
that God created you to be,
until you can look in the mirror
and say to yourself, "It's not about me!"
E. P. Shagott
3/9/10
From God's heart, to mine, to yours,
Ed Shagott
Are the same 6-8 people still helping as in the beginning? No, and probably many would say they just can't see or understand what their role is. Of course for me, it was my calling. God put this on my heart. So I guess I would be considered as Mr. Simpson wrote "the machine". For I am the one in the forefront delivering His message. Does that mean that those others had a less important part of what God wanted them to do? No. It was just as important.
I will always remember back to one of the 1000 programs that the ministry was presenting. A friend of mine was one of the 6-8 who went to help. As a song was being sung I looked out at the residents and he was there holding a hand of a young woman who was in a bed chair and they were singing together. Though I was standing in front my friend was the one, through his love for Christ, ministering to this young woman.
Maybe he thought he had a small part, a rivet holding the machine in place, but to God because of my friends obedience, my friend was doing just what God wanted him to do!
*******************************************
"How ye ought to walk and please God" (I. Thess. iv. 1).
[A devotional by A. B. Simpson]
[How many dear Christians are in the place that the Lord has appointed them, and yet the devil is harassing their lives with a vague sense of not quite pleasing the Lord. Could they just settle down in the place that God has assigned them and fill it sweetly and lovingly for Him there would be more joy in their hearts and more power in their lives. God wants us all in various places, and the secret of accomplishing the most for Him is to recognize our places from Him and our service in it as pleasing Him. In the great factory and machine there is a place for the smallest screw and rivet as well as the great driving wheel and piston, and so God has His little screws whose business is simply to stay where He puts them and to believe that He wants them there and is making the most of their lives in the little spaces that they fill for Him.
There is something all can do,
Tho' you're neither wise nor strong;
You can be a helper true,
You can stand when friends are few,
Some lone heart has need of you,
You can help along.]
Your Purpose
You have a job to do for God,
something you were designed to do.
So many people go through life
never understanding what theirs is too.
The work that He has for us,
to many may seem simple or small.
But to God, our Father above,
important work for one and all.
See the more you focus on Jesus,
you'll understand the work He begun,
for He always said, "Father not my will,
but let Your will be done!"
Friends, you will never understand your purpose,
that God created you to be,
until you can look in the mirror
and say to yourself, "It's not about me!"
E. P. Shagott
3/9/10
From God's heart, to mine, to yours,
Ed Shagott
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Fruit from the Cross
As I came upon this devotional by Charles Stanley today, I thought to myself, "that is me!" In my testimony that I love to share with people, I understand now that at the age of 15 years I was empowered by the Holy Spirit. When asked on that day If I would want to give my heart to Jesus, I said "Yes!" Enter the Holy Spirit. Now as you read Mr. Stanley's devotional and also the Word of God before it, you can see what a gift was given to me that day.
The other part of the devotional below which is very important is a key word "surrender". Until you come to that time in your life to do that, willingly,the leading of the Spirit can be "turned off" or ignored as it was stated below. As I was reading this devotional I said to myself, "that is what happened to me". For a lot of years I had the Spirit "turned off, tuned out, shut-down", well, you can pick the term you want but I did. Then, on that special day, I surrendered all! Now you can understand the change in my life. Now I am "living a Godly life, producing "Fruit from the Cross!"
********************************************
Walking in the Spirit [by Charles Stanley]
Galatians 5:16-25
Gal 5:16 I say, then, Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
Gal 5:17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. And these are contrary to one another; lest whatever you may will, these things you do.
Gal 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
Gal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are clearly revealed, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lustfulness,
Gal 5:20 idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, fightings, jealousies, angers, rivalries, divisions, heresies,
Gal 5:21 envyings, murders, drunkennesses, revelings, and things like these; of which I tell you before, as I also said before, that they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 meekness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Gal 5:24 But those belonging to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts.
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
[The Holy Spirit is one of God's most precious gifts to His beloved children. He takes up residence within the believer at the moment of salvation and empowers him to overcome sin and live for God's glory and purposes. However, the Spirit's power can be "turned off" or ignored. Only those who choose to walk with Him have unhindered access to His strength and guidance.
Walking by the Spirit denotes reliance upon Him. He leads the way, and we follow. As He speaks, we listen, heed His warnings, and obey His directions. The Spirit's way is a path of surrender which, although difficult, leads to fullness of life.
God's Spirit not only guides; He also empowers because the challenge of obeying Him is impossible in our own strength. The Holy Spirit supplies everything we need to live a godly life, and He produces His amazing fruit in us.
Being led by the Spirit should be the natural lifestyle of the sons and daughters of God. As you intentionally seek to maintain an awareness of His presence throughout the day, He is only a thought away. When your mind turns to Him, He gives sensitivity to the things of God and understanding about the situations and people in your life.
Take a walk with the Spirit today, and learn to know His voice. Whenever your mind is not occupied with the duties of the day, focus your thoughts on Him, asking for His guidance and looking expectantly for His leading. When He gives it, rely on His power to obey.]
Fruit From The Cross
Who would of thought,
that something so sweet,
could come from tree
where Jesus died for you and me.
A tree that was used
to bring suffering and shame,
to the Son of Man
and Jesus was His name.
But from that tree
His fruits began to live on,
it took His unwavering love,
before it all began.
So praise to God the Father,
for on that tree His Son paid the cost.
It was the only way that through us,
we can bear fruit from the Cross!
E. P. Shagott
3/3/10
From God's heart, to mine, to yours,
Ed Shagott
The other part of the devotional below which is very important is a key word "surrender". Until you come to that time in your life to do that, willingly,the leading of the Spirit can be "turned off" or ignored as it was stated below. As I was reading this devotional I said to myself, "that is what happened to me". For a lot of years I had the Spirit "turned off, tuned out, shut-down", well, you can pick the term you want but I did. Then, on that special day, I surrendered all! Now you can understand the change in my life. Now I am "living a Godly life, producing "Fruit from the Cross!"
********************************************
Walking in the Spirit [by Charles Stanley]
Galatians 5:16-25
Gal 5:16 I say, then, Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
Gal 5:17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. And these are contrary to one another; lest whatever you may will, these things you do.
Gal 5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
Gal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are clearly revealed, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lustfulness,
Gal 5:20 idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, fightings, jealousies, angers, rivalries, divisions, heresies,
Gal 5:21 envyings, murders, drunkennesses, revelings, and things like these; of which I tell you before, as I also said before, that they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 meekness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Gal 5:24 But those belonging to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts.
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
[The Holy Spirit is one of God's most precious gifts to His beloved children. He takes up residence within the believer at the moment of salvation and empowers him to overcome sin and live for God's glory and purposes. However, the Spirit's power can be "turned off" or ignored. Only those who choose to walk with Him have unhindered access to His strength and guidance.
Walking by the Spirit denotes reliance upon Him. He leads the way, and we follow. As He speaks, we listen, heed His warnings, and obey His directions. The Spirit's way is a path of surrender which, although difficult, leads to fullness of life.
God's Spirit not only guides; He also empowers because the challenge of obeying Him is impossible in our own strength. The Holy Spirit supplies everything we need to live a godly life, and He produces His amazing fruit in us.
Being led by the Spirit should be the natural lifestyle of the sons and daughters of God. As you intentionally seek to maintain an awareness of His presence throughout the day, He is only a thought away. When your mind turns to Him, He gives sensitivity to the things of God and understanding about the situations and people in your life.
Take a walk with the Spirit today, and learn to know His voice. Whenever your mind is not occupied with the duties of the day, focus your thoughts on Him, asking for His guidance and looking expectantly for His leading. When He gives it, rely on His power to obey.]
Fruit From The Cross
Who would of thought,
that something so sweet,
could come from tree
where Jesus died for you and me.
A tree that was used
to bring suffering and shame,
to the Son of Man
and Jesus was His name.
But from that tree
His fruits began to live on,
it took His unwavering love,
before it all began.
So praise to God the Father,
for on that tree His Son paid the cost.
It was the only way that through us,
we can bear fruit from the Cross!
E. P. Shagott
3/3/10
From God's heart, to mine, to yours,
Ed Shagott
Friday, February 26, 2010
I'm Adjusted!
I truly feel adjusted in my life now. Christ has changed me! I like the word "adjusted" better than perfect, for I have a long way to go to come close to that. But adjusted, yes, that I feel now. It is easy to be adjusted, for once Jesus is in control, the fruits of the Spirit flow within you, as written in Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, Galatians 5:23 meekness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And what is also so important is what is written in Galatians 5:25-26 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become glory-seeking, provoking one another, envying one another.
So as I read this devotional it brought to mind that though Christ my life is now adjusted to His, for He is my life-work now.
"Make you perfect in every good work" (Heb. xiii. 21).
[A devotional by A. B. Simpson]
[In that beautiful prayer at the close of the Epistle to the Hebrews, "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead, our Lord Jesus Christ, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His will," the phrase, "make you perfect in every good work," literally means, it is said, "adjust you in every good work." It is a great thing to be adjusted, adjusted to our surroundings and circumstances rather than trying to have them adjusted to us, adjusted to the people we are thrown with, adjusted to the work God has for us, and not trying to get God to help us to do our work; adjusted to do the very will and plan of God for us in our whole life. This is the secret of rest, power and freedom in our life-work.
"Oh, fill me with Thy fulness, Lord.
Until my very heart o'erflow
In kindling thought and glowing word,
Thy love to tell, Thy praise to show.
Oh, use me, Lord, use even me,
Just as Thou wilt, and when, and where;
Until Thy blessed face I see,
Thy rest, Thy joy, Thy glory share."]
God's Tool Chest
God has a special tool chest,
that He uses from up above.
Each tool of His is special,
designed through His wonderful love.
Each tool has a name,
the same given to you and me.
Each one has a special purpose,
to accomplish His will, obediently.
Each earthly tool has a mission
and how important it is.
We were created to complete God's work,
because all the glory is His.
So thank You Lord for choosing me,
and may all others see it too,
just how important it is to be
a divine, living tool for You!
E. P. Shagott
2/26/10
From God's heart, to mine, to yours,
Ed Shagott
So as I read this devotional it brought to mind that though Christ my life is now adjusted to His, for He is my life-work now.
"Make you perfect in every good work" (Heb. xiii. 21).
[A devotional by A. B. Simpson]
[In that beautiful prayer at the close of the Epistle to the Hebrews, "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead, our Lord Jesus Christ, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His will," the phrase, "make you perfect in every good work," literally means, it is said, "adjust you in every good work." It is a great thing to be adjusted, adjusted to our surroundings and circumstances rather than trying to have them adjusted to us, adjusted to the people we are thrown with, adjusted to the work God has for us, and not trying to get God to help us to do our work; adjusted to do the very will and plan of God for us in our whole life. This is the secret of rest, power and freedom in our life-work.
"Oh, fill me with Thy fulness, Lord.
Until my very heart o'erflow
In kindling thought and glowing word,
Thy love to tell, Thy praise to show.
Oh, use me, Lord, use even me,
Just as Thou wilt, and when, and where;
Until Thy blessed face I see,
Thy rest, Thy joy, Thy glory share."]
God's Tool Chest
God has a special tool chest,
that He uses from up above.
Each tool of His is special,
designed through His wonderful love.
Each tool has a name,
the same given to you and me.
Each one has a special purpose,
to accomplish His will, obediently.
Each earthly tool has a mission
and how important it is.
We were created to complete God's work,
because all the glory is His.
So thank You Lord for choosing me,
and may all others see it too,
just how important it is to be
a divine, living tool for You!
E. P. Shagott
2/26/10
From God's heart, to mine, to yours,
Ed Shagott
Monday, February 22, 2010
Waiting for a miracle
Yesterday my wife heard that her father had passed away from a heart attack. As I read this devotional today I was thinking that as his health was declining several months ago that she was probably waiting for a miracle. Then I thought, could God given her a miracle? Sure, for Jesus is in the miracle business. I remember in December last year shortly before Christmas she got the news that her father wasn't doing well. Being 3000+ miles away, she feared she might not get to see him again to say her final goodbye. He passed yesterday almost two months later.
She did get to see him one last time in January to say, "Goodbye Dad!" Was that her miracle?
Please take time to read that last paragraph slowly and understand what the author wrote.
I also wrote a poem for my father-in-law yesterday morning during our Sunday service.
[A devotional by Mrs. Charles Cowman Devotional - Streams in the Desert]
No Miracles
"And the rest, some on boards, some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass that they escaped all safe to land" (Acts 27:44).
[The marvelous story of Paul's voyage to Rome, with its trials and triumphs, is a fine pattern of the lights and shades of the way of faith all through the story of human life. The remarkable feature of it is the hard and narrow places which we find intermingled with God's most extraordinary interpositions and providences.
It is the common idea that the pathway of faith is strewn with flowers, and that when God interposes in the life of His people, He does it on a scale so grand that He lifts us quite out of the plane of difficulties. The actual fact, however, is that the real experience is quite contrary. The story of the Bible is one of alternate trial and triumph in the case of everyone of the cloud of witnesses from Abel down to the latest martyr.
Paul, more than anyone else, was an example of how much a child of God can suffer without being crushed or broken in spirit. On account of his testifying in Damascus, he was hunted down by persecutors and obliged to fly for his life. but we behold no heavenly chariot transporting the holy apostle amid thunderbolts of flame from the reach of his foes, but "through a window in a basket," was he let down over the walls of Damascus and so escaped their hands. In an old clothes basket, like a bundle of laundry, or groceries, the servant of Jesus Christ was dropped from the window and ignominiously fled from the hate of his foes.
Again we find him left for months in the lonely dungeons; we find him telling of his watchings, his fastings, and his desertion by friends, of his brutal and shameful beatings, and here even after God has promised to deliver him, we see him for days left to toss upon a stormy sea, obliged to stand guard over the treacherous seaman, and at last when the deliverance comes, there is no heavenly galley sailing from the skies to take off the noble prisoner; there is no angel form walking along the waters and stilling the raging breakers; there is no supernatural sign of the transcendent miracle that is being wrought; but one is compelled to seize a spar, another a floating plank, another to climb on a fragment of the wreck, another to strike out and swim for his life.
Here is God's pattern for our own lives. Here is a Gospel of help for people that have to live in this every day world with real and ordinary surroundings, and a thousand practical conditions which have to be met in a thoroughly practical way.
God's promises and God's providences do not lift us out of the plane of common sense and commonplace trial, but it is through these very things that faith is perfected, and that God loves to interweave the golden threads of His love along the warp and woof of our every day experience.--Hard Places in the Way of Faith]
A Frenchman Entered Heaven
A Frenchman entered Heaven today,
Jesus met him at the gate.
He said, Jean, you’re right on time,
I knew you wouldn’t be late.
You’re time on earth was spent very well,
your family loved you so.
I know how hurt they are
to see you finally go.
I know their hurt will subside,
though it will never leave.
Your life on earth is now complete,
now you’re here with Me.
So come on in Jean Petrement,
your family will be right behind.
Eternity waits for everyone,
it’s only separated by time.”
E. P. Shagott
2/21/10
From God's heart, to mine, to yours,
Ed Shagott
She did get to see him one last time in January to say, "Goodbye Dad!" Was that her miracle?
Please take time to read that last paragraph slowly and understand what the author wrote.
I also wrote a poem for my father-in-law yesterday morning during our Sunday service.
[A devotional by Mrs. Charles Cowman Devotional - Streams in the Desert]
No Miracles
"And the rest, some on boards, some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass that they escaped all safe to land" (Acts 27:44).
[The marvelous story of Paul's voyage to Rome, with its trials and triumphs, is a fine pattern of the lights and shades of the way of faith all through the story of human life. The remarkable feature of it is the hard and narrow places which we find intermingled with God's most extraordinary interpositions and providences.
It is the common idea that the pathway of faith is strewn with flowers, and that when God interposes in the life of His people, He does it on a scale so grand that He lifts us quite out of the plane of difficulties. The actual fact, however, is that the real experience is quite contrary. The story of the Bible is one of alternate trial and triumph in the case of everyone of the cloud of witnesses from Abel down to the latest martyr.
Paul, more than anyone else, was an example of how much a child of God can suffer without being crushed or broken in spirit. On account of his testifying in Damascus, he was hunted down by persecutors and obliged to fly for his life. but we behold no heavenly chariot transporting the holy apostle amid thunderbolts of flame from the reach of his foes, but "through a window in a basket," was he let down over the walls of Damascus and so escaped their hands. In an old clothes basket, like a bundle of laundry, or groceries, the servant of Jesus Christ was dropped from the window and ignominiously fled from the hate of his foes.
Again we find him left for months in the lonely dungeons; we find him telling of his watchings, his fastings, and his desertion by friends, of his brutal and shameful beatings, and here even after God has promised to deliver him, we see him for days left to toss upon a stormy sea, obliged to stand guard over the treacherous seaman, and at last when the deliverance comes, there is no heavenly galley sailing from the skies to take off the noble prisoner; there is no angel form walking along the waters and stilling the raging breakers; there is no supernatural sign of the transcendent miracle that is being wrought; but one is compelled to seize a spar, another a floating plank, another to climb on a fragment of the wreck, another to strike out and swim for his life.
Here is God's pattern for our own lives. Here is a Gospel of help for people that have to live in this every day world with real and ordinary surroundings, and a thousand practical conditions which have to be met in a thoroughly practical way.
God's promises and God's providences do not lift us out of the plane of common sense and commonplace trial, but it is through these very things that faith is perfected, and that God loves to interweave the golden threads of His love along the warp and woof of our every day experience.--Hard Places in the Way of Faith]
A Frenchman Entered Heaven
A Frenchman entered Heaven today,
Jesus met him at the gate.
He said, Jean, you’re right on time,
I knew you wouldn’t be late.
You’re time on earth was spent very well,
your family loved you so.
I know how hurt they are
to see you finally go.
I know their hurt will subside,
though it will never leave.
Your life on earth is now complete,
now you’re here with Me.
So come on in Jean Petrement,
your family will be right behind.
Eternity waits for everyone,
it’s only separated by time.”
E. P. Shagott
2/21/10
From God's heart, to mine, to yours,
Ed Shagott
Friday, February 19, 2010
Just Stay
I received this story via email from a friend this morning. A good message as you start your day. This is definitely a "Heart Print"!
*****************************************
A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside.
"Your son is here," she said to the old man.
She had to repeat the words several times before the patients eyes opened.
Heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack, he dimly saw the young uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen tent. He reached out his hand. The Marine wrapped his toughened fingers around the old man's limp ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement.
The nurse brought a chair so that the Marine could sit beside the bed. All through the night the young Marine sat there in the poorly lighted ward, holding the old man's hand and offering him words of love and strength. Occasionally, the nurse suggested that the Marine move away and rest awhile.
He refused. Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the Marine was oblivious of her and of the night noises of the hospital - the clanking of the oxygen tank, the laughter of the night staff members exchanging greetings, the cries and moans of the other patients.
Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words. The dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the night.
Along towards dawn, the old man died. The Marine released the now lifeless hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse. While she did what she had to do, he waited.
Finally, she returned. She started to offer words of sympathy, but the Marine interrupted her.
"Who was that man?" he asked.
The nurse was startled, "He was your father," she answered.
"No, he wasn't," the Marine replied. "I never saw him before in my life."
"Then why didn't you say something when I took you to him?"
"I knew right away there had been a mistake,
but I also knew he needed his son and his son just wasn't here.
When I realized that he was too sick to tell whether or not I was his son,
knowing how much he needed me, I stayed.
I came here tonight to find a Mr. William Grey. His son was killed in Iraq
today, and I was sent to inform him. What was this gentleman's name?”
The nurse with tears in her eyes answered:
Mr. William Grey.............
The next time someone needs you ... just be there. Stay.
WE ARE NOT HUMAN BEINGS GOING THROUGH A
TEMPORARY SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE.
WE ARE SPIRITUAL BEINGS GOING THROUGH A
TEMPORARY HUMAN EXPERIENCE.
THIS IS WHAT WE ARE PUT ON THIS EARTH TO DO ANYWAY. RIGHT ?
HAVE A GREAT DAY AND BLESS SOMEONE ELSE IN SOME LITTLE WAY TODAY!
GOD IS SO GOOD.
*****************************************
Please Stay
I was hurting and confused,
lost in every way.
A person came near me
and I said, "Please stay!"
This life is sometimes hard
when you are traveling all alone.
I grabbed onto this persons hand,
and said "I really don't have a home."
A home is filled with laughter,
filled with people that really care,
but when you are alone
it seems so very hard to bear.
So please stay with me just a little while
words of love maybe we can share.
I really need someone to be with me
just someone to show they care.
E. P. Shagott
2/19/10
From God's heart, to mine, to yours,
Ed Shagott
*****************************************
A nurse took the tired, anxious serviceman to the bedside.
"Your son is here," she said to the old man.
She had to repeat the words several times before the patients eyes opened.
Heavily sedated because of the pain of his heart attack, he dimly saw the young uniformed Marine standing outside the oxygen tent. He reached out his hand. The Marine wrapped his toughened fingers around the old man's limp ones, squeezing a message of love and encouragement.
The nurse brought a chair so that the Marine could sit beside the bed. All through the night the young Marine sat there in the poorly lighted ward, holding the old man's hand and offering him words of love and strength. Occasionally, the nurse suggested that the Marine move away and rest awhile.
He refused. Whenever the nurse came into the ward, the Marine was oblivious of her and of the night noises of the hospital - the clanking of the oxygen tank, the laughter of the night staff members exchanging greetings, the cries and moans of the other patients.
Now and then she heard him say a few gentle words. The dying man said nothing, only held tightly to his son all through the night.
Along towards dawn, the old man died. The Marine released the now lifeless hand he had been holding and went to tell the nurse. While she did what she had to do, he waited.
Finally, she returned. She started to offer words of sympathy, but the Marine interrupted her.
"Who was that man?" he asked.
The nurse was startled, "He was your father," she answered.
"No, he wasn't," the Marine replied. "I never saw him before in my life."
"Then why didn't you say something when I took you to him?"
"I knew right away there had been a mistake,
but I also knew he needed his son and his son just wasn't here.
When I realized that he was too sick to tell whether or not I was his son,
knowing how much he needed me, I stayed.
I came here tonight to find a Mr. William Grey. His son was killed in Iraq
today, and I was sent to inform him. What was this gentleman's name?”
The nurse with tears in her eyes answered:
Mr. William Grey.............
The next time someone needs you ... just be there. Stay.
WE ARE NOT HUMAN BEINGS GOING THROUGH A
TEMPORARY SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE.
WE ARE SPIRITUAL BEINGS GOING THROUGH A
TEMPORARY HUMAN EXPERIENCE.
THIS IS WHAT WE ARE PUT ON THIS EARTH TO DO ANYWAY. RIGHT ?
HAVE A GREAT DAY AND BLESS SOMEONE ELSE IN SOME LITTLE WAY TODAY!
GOD IS SO GOOD.
*****************************************
Please Stay
I was hurting and confused,
lost in every way.
A person came near me
and I said, "Please stay!"
This life is sometimes hard
when you are traveling all alone.
I grabbed onto this persons hand,
and said "I really don't have a home."
A home is filled with laughter,
filled with people that really care,
but when you are alone
it seems so very hard to bear.
So please stay with me just a little while
words of love maybe we can share.
I really need someone to be with me
just someone to show they care.
E. P. Shagott
2/19/10
From God's heart, to mine, to yours,
Ed Shagott
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