Monday's Message: His Eye is on the Sparrow

His Eye Is On The Sparrow

       Mrs. William Stillman Martin had experienced the protecting hand of the Lord during an illness. The incident was so precious to her that she wrote the song, “God Will Take Care of You.”

       Once she visited a friend, and related her story and hoping in some way to help relieve the friend’s depressed state. After hearing the story, the friend said, “You know, I shouldn’t worry, should I? We are promised in the Bible that God watches over the little sparrows.”

       They then had a little time of rejoicing over God’s wonderful watchful care and protection.

       When she arrived home, Mrs. Martin sat down and penned this song.

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Why should I feel discouraged?

(1) Why should I feel discouraged?

Why should the shadows come?

Why should my heart be lonely,

And long for heav’n and home,

 

CHORUS: I sing because I’m happy,

I sing because I’m free,

For His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He cares for me.

 (2) When Jesus is my portion?

My constant Friend is He;

His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He watches me,

(3) His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He watches me

Family Friday: Love of a Church Family

Love of a Church Family 

          I am blessed with an awesome church family!  Our church has a spirit of love and concern for each other that is probably not found in most other churches.  Many times I have heard our church members checking up on each others’ prayer requests or situations recently experienced.  I believe our church members genuinely care for each other and would go out of their way to help each other.  In fact, they often do just that!  There are many men in our church who have talents such as electrician, mechanic, plumber, etc., that they use to help others in need.  Our family has experienced that help many times!

          My question about love is this: do we exhibit that same love and concern for all, or just our close friends?  Do we check on the teens whom we know are going through a tough time?  Do we reach out and show Christ’s love to those who come only on Sunday mornings?  Do we pray about the prayer requests that are mentioned during prayer meetings?  Do we smile and forgive when we are offended? 

          Love is not just an outward show of affection, nor is it just the act of serving others through gifts or using of talents.  It is an everyday exhibition of the love of Christ to everyone we meet.  Keep your church family close by loving all of them.

We Pray Wednesday: Praying for your Children

8 things that parents should pray for their children

                Psalms 127:1 Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. 

It is such a blessing to be the father of the three beautiful children that God has given to me and my wife. When my children were just babies, my wife and I took turns praying with them every night before they went to bed.  We began to pray for some specific things that God would do in their lives.

1.  SALVATION

                It is my hope that every Godly parent would pray this for their child until God answers the prayer.  This is the most important thing that can happen in a person's life.  It's a matter of eternal life and death.  After they have been saved, you can begin to thank God for answering the prayer.

2.  SPOUSE

                The second most important decision that a child makes in their life is who they marry.  This means that we should pray that God brings the right person into their life at the right time for them to marry.  We should also pray that their spouse is saved and trusting God to bring along the right person for them to marry.

3.  WILL OF GOD FOR THEM

                We as parents should pray daily that our children would do God's will no matter what God wants them to do.  We should be careful not to direct them toward something that we think they would enjoy, or that would make them secure financially.  We should show them that God always has the best for them if they will believe and follow His leading.

4.  WISDOM

                The best way for a child to be wise is not by school or book knowledge, but by reading and receiving knowledge from THE BOOK every day.  The wisdom of God is far better than any piece of paper that they receive from a school.  This does not mean education is unimportant, but the wisdom of God is the most important.

5.  PURITY

                We should pray daily for the purity of our children.  Purity is not just being pure of body, but also of mind and spirit.  This will not happen by accident.  We must be vigilant of what they are seeing, doing and listening to on a daily basis.

6.  PROTECTION

                We should daily pray that God will protect our children physically, spiritually, and emotionally.  In this world that we live in, we cannot know everything that may happen to them on a daily basis.  God, however, does know what is coming, and our daily prayers for them could mean the difference between a tragedy and a miracle.

7.  LOVE FOR GOD AND HIS WORD

                If we as parents will love God and His Word, our children will have a taste also.  We must also ask God to give them a desire for it so that they will love it, follow it, and obey it their entire life.

8.  HATE SIN AND BE CAUGHT WHEN THEY DO SIN

                This is hard to pray for because your child may get in more trouble than others.  This will, however, keep them from having a lot of the guilt and baggage later on in life.  If they also hate sin, they will see it as sin, stay away from it, and go in the right direction.

Monday's Message: How Long Has It Been

How Long Has It Been

(Source) 

 

   “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep.  If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.” 

   This and other childhood prayers began to pass through the mind of Mosie Lister one wintry day in 1956. 

   “How long has it been since some people have talked with the Lord?”  he asked himself. “Some of us prayed in younger years, but have gotten away from that childhood faith.” 

   He picked up a pencil and paper and phrases began to flow as fast as he could write them down.  A tune came with them.  In about fifteen minutes a song was written.

—Lindsay I. Terry

 

How Long Has It Been

 

(1)  How long has it been

Since you talked with the Lord,

And told Him your heart’s hidden secrets.

How long since you prayed?

How long since you stayed on your knees

Till the light shone through?

How long has it been

Since your mind felt at ease

How long since your heart knew no burden?

Can you call Him your friend?

How long has it been

Since you knew that He cared for you?

 

(2)  How long has it been

Since you knelt by your bed

And prayed to the Lord up in heaven?

How long since you knew

That He’d answer you,

And would keep you the long night through?

How long has it been

Since you woke with the dawn,

And felt the day’s worth the living?

Can you call Him your friend?

How long has it been

Since you knew that He cared for you?

 

Monday's Message: When the Roll is Called up Yonder

When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder

(Source)  

   James M. Black was a Sunday school teacher and president of the young people’s society in a church in Canada, when he was quite young himself.

   One evening at a consecration meeting, when each member answered the roll call by repeating a Scripture text, a girl failed to respond. This situation brought the thought to Black’s mind—although the thought was not theologically sound—that it would be a very sad thing if our names were called from the Lamb’s Book of Life in heaven and we should be absent.

   When Black reached his house, his wife saw that he was deeply troubled and questioned him about his problem, but he did not reply. In fifteen minutes a new song came to his mind. He then went to the piano and played the music just as you will find it in the hymnbooks today—note for note. It has never been changed.

When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound and time shall be no more,

When the morning breaks; eternal, bright and fair;

When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore,

And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder

1         When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound and time shall be no more,

And the morning breaks eternal, bright and fair;

When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore,

And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

2           On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise,

And the glory of His resurrection share;

When His chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies,

And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

3           Let us labor for the Master from the dawn till setting sun,

Let us talk of all His wondrous love and care;

Then when all of life is over and our work on earth is done,

And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.

Chorus  When the roll is called up yonder,

When the roll is called up yonder,

When the roll is called up yonder,

When the roll is called up yonder,

I’ll be there.

Thoughtful Thursday: Septemer Harvest

September Harvest 

by Louis Gander

After the blizzards and after the drifts,
after the snowbanks and temperature shifts...
After the blossoms from light colored buds,
after the rainstorms and after the floods...
After the heat from the high summer sun,
after the grain that is ripe for autumn...
come September harvest.

When old farmer Elmer is out on his field,
reaping the harvest with plenteous yield,
reminding me fully of lost, lonely souls,
that we need to harvest from Satan's controls.
To he who repents and to he who believes,
to all who accept Him, to all of the sheaves...
come September harvest.

The harvest is plenty with laborers few
but these are the souls that we need to get to.
If we love our neighbors as we ourselves love -
(you must know by now what I'm speaking of...)
For though this big world is in stark opposition,
we recommit fully for this great commission...
come September harvest.

Monday's Message: We Shall Behold Him

We Shall Behold Him 

(Source)

       In 1981, Dottie Rambo had reached what seemed to be the zenith of her song-writing career. She and a young lady were traveling to a revival meeting from their motel. This is her story—

       As we pulled out of the driveway of the motel it was about sunset. I saw one of the most beautiful and unusual cloud formations. I have always loved beautiful cloud formations. I saw colors that I had never seen in my lifetime. It seemed that the clouds almost took on the form of angels. The colors were so brilliant and unusual—blues, azures, and amber.

       Presently the clouds parted. By this time I was weeping so much that I couldn’t see to drive. It seemed, as the clouds parted, as if I could see the Savior coming in the clouds, with trumpets sounding.

       I said to my young companion, “Patty, you’re going to have to drive. I can no longer see.”

       She didn’t know that the Lord was giving me a song. It was being written in my heart because I had nothing on which to write.

       Before we reached the tent meeting, the Lord had given me the whole song. When I got there I could play the entire piece on my guitar. Every phrase was exactly as it should be. Changes were not necessary. It just came like a dayspring:

The sky shall unfold, preparing His entrance;

The stars will applaud Him with thunders of praise;

The sweet light in His eyes shall enhance those awaiting;

And we shall behold Him then, face to face.

       Later Sandi Patti recorded “We Shall Behold Him,” and helped make the song well-known.

       Because of this song, Sandi Patti was named Vocalist of the Year in 1981.

       In that same year, Dottie Rambo received Dove Awards as Songwriter of the Year, and the song itself was named Song of the Year.

—Lindsay Terry

Family Friday: Attitude Problems

How’s your attitude?

                Your attitude is often reflected in your children.  Do you find that they are having trouble obeying you often times?  Perhaps you are having trouble obeying God.  Are your children having trouble with their speech? Perhaps you are having trouble with yours.  Are your children having trouble with anger?  Perhaps you are having trouble with often showing anger. 

                It has been said that the difficulties we have are magnified in our children.  Therefore, the sin issues with which we struggle will be even more apparent in our children.  I don’t know about you, but that alone is enough incentive for me to be careful of my actions!  Philippians 4:5 tells us, “Let your moderation be known unto all men.”  When I am tempted to “let loose” with my emotions, God tells me to exercise self-control.  When I am having a rough day, I cannot let that affect how I treat my children when I get home from work.  When I am not feeling well, that does not give me license to use unkind words and tones with others.  When I am frustrated with situations at work or with finances, that does not make it permissible to be angry with those around me.  I Corinthians 10:31 says “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”  Can I claim this verse if I am letting my emotions take control of me?

                Our children need to have a correct pattern of attitude and behavior; then they can model their lives after that pattern.  I want to do all I can, with God’s help, to be the right example for my children.  Perform an attitude check on yourself, then begin changing what needs changed.  Ask God for wisdom, then use it to improve your attitude!