We are walking through with HIM
Psalm 23:4 “yes; though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for you are with me; Even though I walk through the dark valley of death, because you are with me, I fear no harm.”
Let us see THE IMPORTANCE OF living right EVERY DAY in a story. Andre Previn said, "If I miss a day of practice, I know it. If I miss two days, my manager knows it. If I miss three days, my audience, knows it." He was talking about the piano, but the same is true about your devotional life. When you’re spending time with God on a consistent basis, it shows. When you aren’t, it also shows. You’ll notice it first, then those closest to you, and, pretty soon, it’s obvious to everyone. Paul said that you could be "transformed by the renewing of your mind" RM 12:2. This renewal, this transformation, occurs during those quiet moments we spend in the presence of God, when we open his Word and open our hearts to what the Spirit would say to us. No matter what one accomplishes, this time with God remains a daily priority. If Andre Previn needs to practice the piano every day to stay at his best, we need to practice the presence of God every day to stay at our best. Steve May
IS 43:2-3 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you: when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle on you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior:
We need to Hold Fast to our Dreams.
Poet Langston Hughes said, "Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly." Here is what gives this meaning. Auguste Bartholdi traveled to Egypt in 1856. He saw the grandeur of the pyramids, the majesty of the Nile, and the serene beauty of the Sphinx. While there, he met another man, Ferdinand de Lesseps. De Lesseps was there to sell the idea of cutting a canal from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean. He succeeded and began a ten-year project that became the Suez Canal. Bartholdi’s artistic genius was inspired by the idea of so grand an achievement. So he began designing a lighthouse to grace the canal’s entrance. He drew plans and built models. He discarded one plan after another until he achieved what he regarded as the perfect design. But how could his dream become reality? Who was going to pay for its construction? No one was interested. So the Suez Canal finally opened, but without a lighthouse. Defeated, Bartholdi returned to France. Ten years of his life and labor seemed totally wasted. Yet he never quite gave up his dream. Moses would have understood that sort of disappointment, wouldn’t he? After dreaming of the freedom of his enslaved race in Egypt, he acted at age 40. The plan blew up in his face. For still another 40 years, he appeared to be a defeated man scratching out a living as a desert nomad. But he never quite gave up his dream. Then God acted. And things happened. Moses’ timing had been all wrong. He had taken the initiative rather than waiting on God. Time passed. God called. He was empowered to live his vision. But let’s get back to Auguste Bartholdi. What became of his dream about the lighthouse? After he returned to France, his country’s government announced its intention to offer a gift to the United States. The timing was right to offer his design. It stands now in New York harbor and is known as the Statue of Liberty. Noble dreams eventually find the right open door. Their time comes. Circumstances change and makes what was once impossible into reality. Know anybody in these tough times with crushed dreams? Has your own life vision been blurred by something that has happened to make it seem unworkable? Don’t scrap your dreams. Hold to them through the dark hours. Keep them alive until God paves the way to their fulfillment.
Our God is an ever-present God. There is group out there that has a 60-60 plan to experience the presence of God. They set their watches to beep every hour. When they hear that beep they are to think that God is present with them right then. They are to do this for 60 days. Would this be a good idea for all of us so that we might keep our focus on Jesus and not all the problems we see?
I want us to look at who are the travelers that going through the valley of the shadow of death.
I. They are known as God’s sheep. They are no considered as some stray animal but a sheep that the songwriter put as “I Once I was lost but now am found was blind but now I see.” God’s sheep are under the watchful eye of God all the time and He takes care of every need.
II. The travelers Gods’ sheep and also they are His Children. His interest is in them.
PS 17:8 “Guard me as the apple of your eye. Hide me in the shadow of your wings. 32:8 “The Lord says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. 33:18 “But the Lord watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love.”
The hymn writer so stated: "God moves in mysterious ways his wonders to perform." A woman was at work when she received a phone call that her small daughter was very sick with a fever. She left her work and stopped by the pharmacy to get some medication. She got back to her car and found that she had locked her keys in the car. She didn’t know what to do, so she called home and told the babysitter what had happened. The babysitter told her that the fever was getting worse. She said, "You might find a coat hanger and use that to open the door." The woman looked around and found an old rusty coat hanger that had been left on the ground, possibly by someone else who at some time had locked their keys in their car. She looked at the hanger and said, "I don’t know how to use this." She bowed her head and asked God to send her help. Within five minutes, a beat up old motorcycle pulled up, with a dirty, greasy, bearded man who was wearing an old biker skull rag on his head. The woman thought, ’This is what you sent to help me?’ But, she was desperate, so she was also very thankful. The man got off his cycle and asked if he could help. She said, "Yes, my daughter is very sick. I stopped to get her some medication and I locked my keys in my car. I must get home to her. Please, can you use this hanger to unlock my car?" He said, "Sure." He walked over to the car and in less than a minute, the car was opened. She hugged the man and through her tears she said, ’Thank you so much!’ You are a very nice man." The man replied, "Lady, I am not a nice man. I just got out of prison today. I was in prison for car theft and have only been out for about an hour." The woman hugged the man again and with sobbing tears cried out loud, "Oh, thank you, God! You even sent me a professional!" Cited on Bill’s Punch Line.
III. The travelers get individual care. It is not a group care but to each person God loves. Do you know He loves you? He is with you; He sees you, hears you, knows you, understands you and helps you. He does not need a hearing aid. We see in the Bible that He heard the cry of a boy named Ishmael, Abraham’s plea for Sodom, a baby crying in a basket in a big river, the cry of a woman who wanted to have son, the cry of Elijah for fire from heaven, the voice of three in a fiery furnace and the dry of two beaten men in jail at midnight.
Have you had an experience of walking through the valley of the shadow of death? I want to share with you my walk through this valley in my life when I was eight years old. My grand mother was driving the car and I was in the front seat sleeping. She went a stop sign and a big car traveling fast hit us. I was ejected through the front window. We were 25 miles from the nearest hospital. I broke my left arm and right leg. They said they took a handful of gravel out of my mouth. I had many stitches in my head and it left scars. I was in a coma for a week. They had to do a tachometry and I was on a respirator. Some ladies from a church came as they heard about the wreck and took my name back to the church to pray over me. When I woke up my left arm was in a cast elevated. My leg was in traction to fix a broken femur. I spend a month and six days in the hospital. I then had a cast on my leg up above my hip for six weeks and had a hospital bed at home. This wrecked affected my right arm that it would tighten up and cause me pain. I had to learn how to use my left arm. The left side of my face was affected. Because of the traction, my right leg grew longer than my left leg and kept me from joining the Navy. I never could run right and this kept me from being good in sports. I could not write very good and even learned how to write left handed. I did learn how to type. I found some medicine that has helped me to be able to relax my right arm. I made it through college. When I was doing a paper for becoming a certified children’s minister I broke my right little finger so I had to type the whole paper with my left hand. God went through the valley with me although I was not saved until years later. When my children were growing up, I was able to teach them a few things about playing sports. My daughter played basketball in high school and went to state two years. In one game in high school, she scored 45 points. My son also played basketball and was on a team that went to state. They both earned scholarships that helped them in college. That valley of death was 53 years ago. I have been able to serve the Lord in 40 years of ministry. “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for you are with me.”
WHAT ARE YOU GATHERING?
On our journey through life, each of us has the opportunity to gather something to take with us. It’s up to us to decide what it is we gather. It is not unusual for us to gather up some things that we really would rather not have had in our lives. Often when this happens, people tend to blame it on something that "made them" do that or be that way. I’m not being critical of anyone or their problems; I know from experience how difficult it is to overcome some problems. The key however is not to use those problems as a crutch or an excuse not to gather good stuff into our lives. There was a sign hanging in a General Motors Plant one time that read this way: "According to the theory of aerodynamics, and as can be readily proven by wind tunnel experiments; the Bumble Bee is unable to fly. It is the size of its wings in relation to the size of its body that makes flying impossible." This is an interesting concept, but the Bumble Bee doesn’t understand these scientific facts. The Bumble Bee goes ahead and flies anyway and gathers a little honey each day. I believe it is a matter of perspective and goals that determines whether or not we gather the good stuff in our journey through life. Jesus gave us some insight into what we should be looking for in life in Matthew 6:31-33 where he said, "So do not worry, saying, ’What shall we eat?’ or ’What shall we drink?’ or ’What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Seek first the Kingdom of God! Set your mind on things above, look for the good things, and gather the sweet things. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it, that you are not built for it or not fit for it! God doesn’t make mistakes; he makes people in his own image! So, what are you gathering? Russ Lawson
Brother Dennis
