PASS THE MUSTARD PLEASE!

Matthew 17:19
“- - - if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”
 

What is the most difficult thing you are facing in your life right now? What task or tribulation is so great you feel like it is ready to flatten you out? Who is looming over you ready to do you harm? What mountain threatens to collapse on you?
 
Faith is not measured by the bushel, but by the seed.  Let me repeat that again: Faith is not measured by the bushel, but by the seed. All God asks of us is a tiny seed of faith and He steps in to do the miracle we need.
 
The Lord is eager to bless those who open their hearts to His blessing. We sometimes feel that the challenges we face are too great for God to handle. That is a lot of baloney! Nothing is impossible with God! Even the disciples of Jesus felt they were not up to the task of working miracles.
 
Before we are too critical of these disciples, what about the situations in our lives?  Do we have mustard-seed size faith to turn our problems into the opportunities for God to bring about His deliverance?  Are we committed to trust in His strength and wisdom rather than trying to do things ourselves?  By faith we can say: "Pass the mustard, please!" 

 
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
- - - Pastor Cecil  A. Thompson

Confusion

1 Cor.14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

An “author” is some one who creates, directs, and finishes a project. The project can be a book, some construction structure, or creation of all things as God did in the book of Genesis

 

If you want to find God, find peace. This “peace” can be a place, such as a church. It can be a person, such as a Godly person you have trust in. This “peace” can all so be a state of mind. If we pray all the time, as our Bible tells to, if we stay busy doing the work our LORD has directed us to do, and, if we live every day expecting Jesus to return any time, then we begin to have the peace that passeth all understanding.

You can easily tell if God is in a church. There will be peace, not confusion nor ill will. There will be coorperation, not dissension. There will be a common goal of trying to do God's will, not the will of someone who think they have a monopoly on what God wants.

 

You can also recognize a Godly person. They are usually peaceful, helpful, and charitable.

 

A Godly person does not continually criticize everybody and everything. They don't find fault with all things, and, they don't wish harm to others.

 

A Godly person desires others to be saved and go to heaven with them.

 

DO YOU?

 

God Bless;

Walter D. Hill D. Min.

NAKED CHRISTIANS

by David Wilkerson [May 19, 1931 - April 27, 2011]

“Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies)" (Exodus 32:25). The Hebrew word used here for naked is para, meaning "to loosen up, expose, dismiss all restraint." It also means "a new beginning." The Israelites were saying, "Things are not happening as they should. We're tired of this battle, tired of waiting on God. And now we're going to enjoy ourselves. Out with the old! We want new freedom, a new start—and we want it now!"

Nakedness in the Bible also has to do with not having one's shield for battle. Every man who did not have his shield was considered naked. These Israelites were literally naked—stripped down and dancing before the golden calf, yet they also had laid down their armor.

Can you imagine their enemies, the Amalekites, looking down on this wild scene from the surrounding mountains? The Amalekites once trembled at the very sight of Israel. God had put a dread in their hearts toward His people but now they saw Israel taking off their armor and stripping off their garments. The Amalekites were mocking and laughing at them: "Look—they're just like us! Their God has no power. They don't trust Him. See? They're throwing off all their strict ways. They want to lust and party and play just like the rest of us. Some holiness! What hypocrisy!"

In that one act of nakedness, Israel belittled their God in the eyes of the ungodly. They made the Lord seen heartless, cruel, uncaring, helpless. They besmirched His honor, His majesty, His omnipotence. They were no longer an example to the world.

That is exactly what we do when we strip off our robes of faith and let go of our confidence in God. Without childlike trust in God, a Christian stands naked before the world, exposed to all doubts, fears and unbelief!

The LORD Cometh

Matt.24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
 

We need to be ready, prepared, expecting, and looking toward the future. We don't know for certain what our future holds, but, we do know who holds the future.

 

During my military service I once was in a S.A.C. Unit. We had to be prepared, “ready”, to go anywhere in the world to fight in some conflict. We kept a bag packed we could take at a moment's notice. We were prepared physically and mentally to leave within a few minuets.

 

In our verse today Jesus is telling us to be ready for the time he will come again. YES, I do believe Jesus our LORD will come again and take “born again believers” to be with him. Some people don't believe that teaching, but, its because they have blinded eyes to see the truth in the Bible. Many folks have an opinion of what the Bible says, but then, they haven't read the Bible for themselves. They take the word of other so called “scholars” and never look it up themselves.

Christian friends, I want to encourage you to read God' Word every day. Pray every day. Witness to some one, of God's blessings, every day. Be ready for Jesus to come at any time.

We live in a very dangerous, wicked world. The Evil one is out to destroy whoever and whatever he can; by any means he can use.

 

Let us stay strong in our faith, active in the Lord's work, encouraging other Christians, and, trying to win people to Christ. The Lord will bless you!

 

God Bless;
Walter D. Hill D. Min.

Heritage

Psalm 127:3 Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

I have three children, two boys and a girl. Trying to raise them often made me wonder, “ What kind of heritage and reward do I have here”? It takes so much money to provide for them! They often try your patients until you are on your last nerve! Makes you wonder, “Why me Lord”?

 

Please understand, I do love my three children and six grandchildren. I now know I'm a better person because of them. I learned to get by with what I have. I also learned to be calm in the mist of a storm!

 

We often think a “heritage” as some good thing we get after another person dies. We also often think a “reward” is a good thing we get after working hard.

 

Now, for the rest of the story!

A heritage can be things, but, it can also be memories others have of you! We know our children look some what like us. They often talk and act like us. They come to believe in things much as we do. That is the heritage of the Lord. What will our children say about our living for the Lord and trying to serve our Savour? Will they be able to say, ” My parents were good and honest toward everyone?” OR, will they hang their head in shame?

 

A reward can be good or bad. We can be rewarded for our good works and service. We can also be rewarded with punishment for our evil doings.

What kind of heritage and reward of the Lord will you receive?

 

God Bless;

Walter D. Hill D. Min.

True Heart-Energy

Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them, that thy profiting may appear to all. - 1 Tim 4:15

 

This is, practically, a promise that, by diligent meditation and the giving up of our whole mind to our work for the Lord we shall make a progress which all can see. Not by hasty reading but by deep meditation we profit by the Word of God. Not by doing a great deal of work in a slovenly manner, but by giving our best thought to what we attempt, we shall get real profit. “In all labor there is profit” but not in fuss and hurry without true heart-energy.

If we divide ourselves between God and mammon, or Christ and self, we shall make no progress. We must give ourselves wholly to holy things, or else we shall be poor traders in heavenly business, and at our stocktaking no profit will be shown.

Am I a minister? Let me be a minister wholly and not spend my energies upon secondary concerns. What have I to do with party politics or vain amusements? Am I a Christian? Let me make my service of Jesus my occupation, my lifework, my one pursuit. We must be in-and-in with Jesus, and then out-and-out for Jesus, or else we shall make neither progress nor profit, and neither the church nor the world will feel the forceful influence which the Lord would have us exercise.

Source: Daily Faith

Grief

“Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows.” - Isa 53:4
 

Whatever the cause of grief may be, there is rich comfort in the remembrance of the sorrows of Christ. It assures us that Christ understands our pain. In the garden he went a stone’s cast farther than any of his disciples went. The picture is a parable to us. It is always so. Wherever you bow in the deep shadows of grief, you have but to lift up your eyes, and you will see Jesus in still deeper shadows–a stone’s cast beyond you. His sorrow was sorer than yours.

There is comfort also in the remembrance that blessing comes out of suffering patiently endured. All the world’s peace and hope, and all heaven’s joy and glory–are fruits of a great sorrow—the sorrow of Christ. Blessing will come always out of sorrow, if we but accept it submissively and reverently.

While we think of the sufferings of Christ, we must remember also that he came from them all unharmed, his life shining in divine radiance, lifted to glory, too, as a fruit of his suffering. This reminds sorrowing believers, that they too shall pass through their time of tribulation, that no scars and no manner of hurt shall be upon their souls because of their sufferings–but that they shall shine in fairer beauty and diviner glory, and shall be lifted up to higher honor, because of what they have suffered with Christ.

Source: Daily Comfort

Faith

“That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” - 1 Cor 2:5
 

True faith I may call the grand tidal wave of the soul. I will endeavor to explain the expression. We see the river Thames day by day ebbing and flowing. What causes this change? You answer, “It is produced by the sea in the Channel alternately coming up and retiring.” It is a true explanation. But what makes the sea of the Channel alternately come up and retire? There is what is called “a grand tidal wave” that comes across the Atlantic Ocean, which, as it ebbs and flows, affects all the minor tides of the neighboring seas; and thus the tide of the Channel, and that of the river Thames, ebb and flow in unison with this huge Atlantic wave.

In the same way faith is the tidal wave of the soul; and all the graces and fruits of the Spirit ebb and flow just as faith rises, or just as faith sinks. If faith rises in the soul, all the graces and fruits of the Spirit rise with it; light increases, life is deepened, the fear of God strengthened, hope brightened, and love augmented. And when this great tidal wave of faith falls in the soul, all the minor tides of the Spirit’s graces fall in unison with it. Thus when faith recedes and becomes low in the soul, all the other graces of the Spirit sink with it; consolation ebbs out altogether, hope recedes to a narrow streamlet, life dwindles to a scanty current, and love is reduced to a shallow channel. And as in the Thames we see, at low tide, the muddy banks which the stream has forsaken, so as faith sinks to a low ebb in the soul, there seems little else left but the mud and mire of corruption.

But what makes the grand tidal wave itself move? There is a cause for that also. It is drawn up by, and obeys the attraction of the sun. And is not this true spiritually of the grand tidal wave of faith in the soul? Is it not drawn up by the Sun of righteousness, as the natural sun draws up the wave of the ocean, and makes it ebb and flow? And when that glorious Sun ceases to draw up faith, does it not ebb and sensibly sink in the soul, as the natural sea sinks when the sun recedes from it?

Source: Daily Blessings

God’s Easter Promise for You

By Rick Warren

“By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also” (1 Corinthians 6:14 NIV).

Millions and millions of Christians around the world celebrate Easter every year. But for far too many of us the story has become boring and rote. We have the basic facts down. Jesus was arrested. He was crucified. And three days later, God raised him from the dead.

Yet we miss something very important. We miss what turns Easter from a one-dimensional holiday to a multi-dimensional, life-transforming way of life.

We miss that the story of the Resurrection isn’t just Jesus’ story -- it’s our story as well.

You see, you are a part of the Resurrection. Jesus’ death and Resurrection didn’t just prove there was life after death. The Resurrection proves you can have life after death, that there’s life beyond your grave.

Jesus says, if you trust in him, death becomes a transition, not an ending point.

One day your heart will stop. That will be the end of your body. But it will not be the end of you. God made you to last forever. That’s why you often have a feeling there’s more to life than this. Jesus made this amazing promise in John 11: 25-26: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die” (NIV).

That’s quite a promise! Jesus proved he could do it by resurrecting himself. Otherwise, we would have no reason to believe it. If Jesus hadn’t died on the cross and been resurrected more than 2,000 years ago, you would have zero chance of getting to Heaven -- no hope of the afterlife and no eternal life.

The Bible says, “By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also” (1 Corinthians 6:14).

As Easter comes our way this year, that’s a truth to hang our lives upon. It’s great news that Jesus rose from the dead. But what turns that truth from black and white to living color is that one day -- if you trust in him -- he will raise you from the grave, too.

That’s the promise of Easter.

Talk It Over

• Why do you think the story of Jesus’ Resurrection grows stale for many believers?
• How does internalizing “the promise of Easter” transform how you live your life?
• How can you help others understand how they can have eternal life through Jesus’ Resurrection this Easter season?

What the Enemy Intends for Evil, God Will Use for Good

by Debbie McDaniel

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” Genesis 50:20

At just 16 yrs. of age, St. Patrick was kidnapped by pirates and taken from his British homeland to Ireland where he was sold into slavery. He worked in the fields as a shepherd for 6 years under terribly harsh conditions, until God miraculously provided a way of escape for him to flee. As difficult as that time must have been, it was during those lonely years of enslavement, where he faced hunger, freezing temperatures, and pain, that he met with God, and found deep closeness in His Presence through prayer and meditation.

Who would have ever dreamed how God would turn around this tragedy for good?

After months back at home, recuperating and seeking direction for his future plans, St. Patrick felt strongly led to go back to Ireland. He knew God had brought him there for a purpose and he was burdened to share Christ with a lost nation.

History tells us that thousands were saved. Revival broke out among this pagan people, lives were changed, as many came to know Christ as Lord and Savior.

Though God is not the author of evil in our world, and though often He does choose to shelter and protect us from the evil attacks of the enemy on our lives, sometimes...He takes us straight through dark seasons. And it’s never to leave us there for no purpose. He will always have purpose and hope through what we may experience, however difficult it may be. He will always be faithful to bring greater good.

Both the lives of St. Patrick and Joseph in the Bible remind us of this truth. Sold into slavery, held captive, and imprisoned, yet set free for the “saving of many lives.”

If you find yourself in a difficult season right now, find encouragement through this reminder: God will turn it around for good. Somehow. He is faithful to His Word, and He is crazy about you. He will see you through, don’t ever doubt it. You will step out to the other side of the darkness. And who knows, but that many lives may be affected for the kingdom’s sake, because of your difficult season of struggle.

Intersecting Faith & Life: Sometimes the most difficult times we walk through can feel like captivity to our hearts and minds. If you find yourself there today, be assured that God is with you and leading you through. Even if you can’t see the how the whole story will unfold, His plans for us are good, He gives hope and purpose. Choose to thank Him today that He will turn your struggle around for good. Pray that He will use it as a blessing in your life and for many others to know of His power and great love.

Expressions of Praise

Psalms 34:1-3 Glorifying the Lord is not limited to worshipping in church. In fact, praise ought to permeate the believer’s life.

One obvious way that we praise the Lord is with our voice. We can either speak or sing our worship. Psalm writers put adoration into words and set their love to music. True worship also flows from the mouths of believers who are focused upon God’s attributes. They desire to honor Him because of who He is, what He has done, and what He has promised for the future.

Genuine worship allows the Lord to fill our hearts and minds with His presence. But praising the Lord with wrong motives is an empty act. For example, if we’re lifting our hands and singing loud only because doing so feels good, then what we’re after is an emotional high. That kind of selfish “praise” falls far short of heaven.

Our God is praised when we serve Him. People are created for the purpose of bringing glory and honor to His name. Therefore, nothing should limit our willingness to work for the King, particularly when we have a chance to share Him with others. Christ is honored when His followers speak boldly about His grace and His work--believers’ testimonies are an amazing form of praise that magnifies God’s name.

Jesus Christ is worth more than any treasure this world offers. Loving Him and understanding what He’s done for you should be all the motivation you need to praise Him with your life. Don’t just sing; serve His kingdom and share the gospel. Help to make God’s throne room ring with worship.

from Dr. Charles Stanley

 

The Sad Part Is.....

The Height of God’s Love

By Rick Warren

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39 NIV).

There is no place that you can go where God’s love isn’t. You’ll never be separated from God’s love.

Nothing -- no circumstance, no situation -- can separate you, because God’s love is everywhere: “Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39 NIV).

If you want an antidote for loneliness, here it is: You will never be separated from God’s love. The fact is, we do lose loved ones. Even if you’re married, one of you is going to die first, and you will grieve over that.

But if you’re a Christian, God is with you always and forever. You can look to his love for you whenever you feel lonely. I’m not talking about religion. I’m talking about a relationship with Jesus Christ. His love lasts forever, and his love is everywhere.

Talk It Over

• God’s love is high enough to overlook your mistakes. Have you accepted his offer to forgive you and help you start over?

• How do you tune into God's love in difficult circumstances or when you feel lonely?

• What is the difference between religion and relationship?

Waiting for Resurrection

And there was Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre  (Matthew 27:61).

How strangely stupid is grief. It neither learns nor knows nor wishes to learn or know. When the sorrowing sisters sat over against the door of God's sepulchre, did they see the two thousand years that have passed triumphing away? Did they see any thing but this: "Our Christ is gone!"

Your Christ and my Christ came from their loss; Myriad mourning hearts have had resurrection in the midst of their grief; and yet the sorrowing watchers looked at the seed-form of this result, and saw nothing. What they regarded as the end of life was the very preparation for coronation; for Christ was silent that He might live again in tenfold power.

They saw it not. They mourned, they wept, and went away, and came again, driven by their hearts to the sepulchre. Still it was a sepulchre, unprophetic, voiceless, lusterless.

So with us. Every man sits over against the sepulchre in his garden, in the first instance, and says, "This woe is irremediable. I see no benefit in it. I will take no comfort in it." And yet, right in our deepest and worst mishaps, often, our Christ is lying, waiting for resurrection.

Where our death seems to be, there our Saviour is. Where the end of hope is, there is the brightest beginning of fruition. Where the darkness is thickest, there the bright beaming light that never is set is about to emerge. When the whole experience is consummated, then we find that a garden is not disfigured by a sepulchre. Our joys are made better if there be sorrow in the midst of them. And our sorrows are made bright by the joys that God has planted around about them. The flowers may not be pleasing to us, they may not be such as we are fond of plucking, but they are heart-flowers, love, hope, faith, joy, peace--these are flowers which are planted around about every grave that is sunk in the Christian heart.

'Twas by a path of sorrows drear
Christ entered into rest;
And shall I look for roses here,
Or think that earth is blessed?
Heaven's whitest lilies blow
From earth's sharp crown of woe.
Who here his cross can meekly bear,
Shall wear the kingly purple there.

 

 

How to Face Your Fears with Faith

by Pastor Jack Graham

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

1 John 4:18

The well-known newspaper column “Ask Ann Landers” has received thousands, perhaps even millions, of letters over the years from people asking for advice. One day, the woman who wrote under the pseudonym Ann Landers was asked, “What’s the number one problem the people who are writing to you face?” She thought for a moment and said, “Fear... people are afraid.”

Fear is as pervasive in our culture as breathing. We who live today are arguably safer than anyone who has ever lived in history. Yet whenever we seem to eradicate one problem, our minds will simply jump to the next one.

This is because fear is inevitable. But as believers, we can choose whether we will fear the right things or the wrong things. As today’s verse tells us, “perfect love casts out fear.” But as we read Proverbs 9:10, we also see that the “fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.”

Fear is good when it’s a healthy respect for something that is bigger than you. But when your fear is focused on things that really have no power over you, then your fear is actually idolatry, because you’re ascribing power to something that’s powerless.

Don’t fear things that are powerless. Instead, have a healthy, fearful respect for God, who is bigger than everything and empowers you to overcome any fear you face!

PLACE YOUR FEAR IN THE HANDS OF THE ALMIGHTY GOD WHO LOVES YOU AND GIVES YOU THE POWER TO FACE YOUR FEARS WITH FAITH!

The Priority of Relationship

by Dr. Charles Stanley

Revelation 2:1-7

Ephesuswas the home of a tremendous ministry. Despite harsh persecution, the church planted by Paul endured opposition, spread the gospel, and was quick to challenge false prophets. But 30 years after the apostle left, John’s revelation included a stern warning for those believers.

Imagine how the words of Revelation 2 must have struck the Ephesians when they read them. After complimenting their service to the gospel, Christ said, “But I have this against you . . .” That phrase was no doubt extremely disconcerting. The Lord warned them that they had left their first love. In other words, all of their work was being done with wrong motives.

Christ called the Ephesians to remember their love for Him and their delight in His salvation. Service is no substitute for an intimate relationship, but modern believers continue to fall into this subtle trap. The commendable things that we do count for nothing unless they stem from a vibrant personal connection with God. Our work can’t be effective or fruitful unless He is in it.

In fact, God is more interested in you and your personal relationship with Him than in a thousand lifetimes of good works. He desires to be the satisfaction and delight of His children so that their service is a result of loving devotion.

There are plenty of wrong reasons to labor for the kingdom. However, God is satisfied only with service motivated by love for Him. He wants those with selfish intentions to return to their first love. In that way, hearts and minds can be renewed, and service to the Lord will be more fruitful.

Love Is a Skill That Can Be Learned

by Rick Warren

“Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7 NLT, second edition).

Love is a skill that can be learned. In other words, it’s something you can get good at, and that means you get better at love by practicing love.

You may think you’re a good lover, but God wants you to become a great lover, a skilled lover, a master lover. Yet, most people never learn how to love.

You can become an expert at relationships. Wouldn’t you like to become known as a person of extraordinary love? When people speak of how you love others, they might say, “He doesn’t care who you are or what you look like” or “She doesn’t care where you’ve been or what you’ve done or where you’re from.”

The only way you get skilled at something is to practice. You do it over and over. The first time you do it, it feels awkward, but the more you do it, the better you become.

The same is true with love (1 John 4:7). Let’s practice loving each other. The Bible says, “Practice these things; be committed to them, so that your progress may be evident to all” (1 Timothy 4:15 HCSB).

Talk It Over

• Think of someone you know who loves others well. How can you learn from him or her?

• In what specific ways can you practice loving others well this week?

• What can you learn from Jesus about how to love others?

Winter in My Heart

"In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold." (Ephesians 4:26-27)

Where we live we boast we're having a dose of winter if the temperature drops down into the fifties, which it did last week. Within a few days we will no doubt be back with our tropical warm winter weather. But recently, I felt as if it were winter in my heart, big time.

I didn't realize I was harboring resentment. You could not have gotten me to admit I was even a smidgeon angry. However....I began to notice thoughts, and critical remarks on the tip of my tongue, that were less than kind. How subtle these destructive things are. How casually anger and unforgiveness can seep out, like water in a pot that is on a low heat and then boils over.

Fortunately something happened to jar me into reality. I began examining what was going on inside, heart and head. I’d learned about owning and taking responsibility for anger, for making a decision regarding forgiveness of others as well as self, and how critical that is in a spiritual faith walk.

So, even though I didn't really feel like it at the time, I made the decision to forgive; also that I would put a watch on what I said. Before long I began to notice a difference. The sting of anger was missing; there was a change in my attitude. A difference in the way I was seeing things, and then, naturally, in my speech. Spring had sprung, no longer was it winter in my heart.

It’s good to know we are not out on a limb by ourselves trying to do something that’s impossible, such as an attitude adjustment. When we make a decision in line with God’s word the Holy Spirit is more than willing to help us. That’s good news.

Sally Kennedy
www.sallyikennedy.com

Isn’t It Wonderful How God Leads?

George Young was a carpenter. He and his wife were dedicated to following the Lord wherever He led. "He does the leading," they often said, "and we do the following." God led the Young's to the rural Midwest, and they traveled from church to church in revival efforts. Their finances were always tight, but "through the many years, we never went hungry!" as Mrs. Young said years later. "Oh, sometimes we didn't have too much of this world's goods, but... we always had so much of Jesus."

Finally they saved enough to buy a small piece of land on which George built a cottage. Though humble, it was the fulfillment of a life's dream, and when they moved in they dedicated the house to God and sang the Doxology. But some time later, when the Young's were away on a ministry trip, a thug who had been offended by George's preaching set the house on fire. Returning home, the Young's found a heap of ashes. All their worldly goods and cherished possessions were gone.

As George gazed at the ruins, he recounted the precious possessions fire could never destroy - his family, his relationship with Christ, his ministry, his eternal home. There and then, the words of a hymn began forming in his mind. Within a few days, he had written all three stanzas of the great hymn "God Leads His Dear Children Along." The chorus says...

Some thro' the waters, some thro' the flood Some thro' the fire, but all thro' the blood. Some thro' great sorrow, but God gives a song In the night season and all the day long.

Years later, music publisher Dr. Harold Lillenas decided to track down George's widow. Driving to the small Kansas town where she resided, he stopped for directions and was alarmed to hear that Mrs. Young was living in the rundown county poorhouse. Lillenas was deeply troubled that the widow of the author of such a powerful hymn about God's guidance should spend her final days in the poorhouse.

Mrs. Young only smiled and said, "One day God took my sweet husband home. Oh, how I missed him, for we had always served the Lord together. In my heart I wondered, where will God lead me now? Dr. Lillenas, God led me here! I'm so glad He did, for you know, about every month someone comes into this place to spend the rest of their days, and Dr. Lillenas, so many of them don't know my Jesus. I'm having the time of my life introducing them to Jesus! Dr. Lillenas, isn't it wonderful how God leads?"

David Jeremiah
www.davidjeremiah.org