God's cloud of protection: ~Christian Art~

Diring world war II, one of our mighty bombers took off from the island of Guam with it's deadly cargo. It's target was Kokura, Japan. The sleek B-29 circled above the cloud that covered Kokura for half an hour, then three-quarters of an hour, then 55minutes.
Finally, their gas supply reaches the danger point and they were ordered to fly to a secondary target and have to pass it up, but there was no choise.
  With one more look back, the crew headed for the secondary target, where the sky proved clear. "Bombs away!" - and the B-29 headed for home.
  Weeks later, an officer received information from military intelligence that sent a chill through his heart. Thousands of Allied prisoners of war, the biggest cocentration of Americans in enemy hands, had been moved to Kokura a week before the suspended bombing!
   "Thank God," breathed the officer, "Thank God for that cloud."
     The city which was hidden from the bomber was the site of a massive prison camp, and a simple cloud saved the lives of thousands of Americans. The secondary target that day was Nagasaki. The bomb intended for Kokura was the world's second atomic bomb!
    You must make choices every moment of the day. Often those choices affect the lives of others, and at times these decisions are heart wrenching. In these moments, it is important to remember that you can trust God for His Guidance, His wisdom, and His divine protection. Even when we can't see beyond the circumstances and may be afraid to go on, God can see and will lead you in the right path.
 ~ Psalm 48:14~
    
For this God is our God for ever and ever; He will be our guide even to the end.
                            Quiet Moments with God: `Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The darkest night gives way to a new dawn: ~Solly Osrovech ~

Weeping may remains for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. ~Ps.30:5 ~
  Genesis tells us that, after God had created the earth, there was evening, and there was morning - the first day.(1:5). Since then every evening had been followed by a morning. God's master plan through the ages will end with a glorious and eternal morning - the light of God's presence will never fail. After the crucifixion of their Lord, the men of Emmaus despairingly walked toward the setting sun. The risen Christ joined them and their sunset became a never - ending dawn.
  The Bible often describes death as "falling asleep", implying the hope that we will be awakened on the of resurrection. Christ said of Lazarus, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up (Jn.11:11). Thus night ends and the eternal day breaks with joy. In 1 Kings 2:10 we read, Then David rested with his fathers. We note also that when Jesus died on the cross the tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised (Matt.17:52)
   When we suffer loss, we find it hard to believe that the sun will ever rise again to dipell the darkness around us. Yet the Bible assures us repeatedly that the night will pass and that a new day will break. In Revelations Jesus says of Himself. "I am the Root and Offspring of David, and the Morning Star (Rev.22:16)
  Don't withdraw into the night of your sorrow and court despair. Fix your eyes upon the horizon where the loving Creator's new dawn breaks in beauty and joy. Take courage and praise God for the glory and comfort of each new sunrise.
  
    EARTH HAS NO SORROW THAT HEAVEN CANNOT HEAL. ~Thomas More ~

Growth Through Pain: ~Solly Osrovech ~

The same fire that consumes coal, purifies gold. Both are mined from the earth, but gold has certain quilities which are absent in coal. These quilities make gold so much more precious than coal. In the same manner, people who are placed in the crucible of affliction differ from one another.
 Those who place their trust in the Lord, are purified and strengthened. They received the grace to adapt to the high demands made on their emotions. Because they bend in the wind of God's will, they do not break.
   Believers who endure God's furnace with dignity find new strengh in the dark night of sorrow: their characters are moulded according to God's will and evantually they taste sweet victory. On the other hand, doubters experiens confusion and despondency and are heading for self destruction.
  How do you react to the tragedies of life that befall you? Do you blame God and turn your back on Him, or does it bring you closer to Him and allow you to partake of his comfort, love and healing? When we shoot off arrows of rage, frustrasion and bitterness at God, they simply wound our own hearts. If we seek his love in prayer and worship, our pain is eased, the wounds are and we grow in joy and ecceptance. To us who love and trust God, the time of affliction is the time for purifying the character and spirit.

      Dear Redeemer and Friend, may the burning furnace in which I find myself bring me closer to You, the heavenly Smelter, so that my life can produce pure gold and reflect the image of my Master. Amen:

And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. ( Zech. 13:9. Revised Standerd Version )

If I think about the cross I have to bear, of my trails and tribulations. I am ashamed that they copare so bleakly with the suffering of my blessed Lord, Jesus Christ! ~Martin Luther ~

                    Drawn by the strength of thine own mighty love,
                     gladly we come to thee, thy healing touch to prove.
                       All power is Thine - we echo back thy word -
                      in heaven and earth, thou never- changing Lord. ~L F Woodford ~     

Daily Light on the Daily Path: ~New International Version.Ps.105:39.Pss.103:13-14; 121:6;Isa.4:6;Ps.121:5,8. Exod.13:21-22; Heb.13:8.

As a Father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
   The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night - It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.
   The Lord watches over you - the Lord is your shade at your right hand;....The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore - By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left it's place in front of the people.
   Christ is the same yesterday and today  and forever.
       N.B. About the Daily light on the daily Path:  It was compiled by the descendants of the London bookseller, Samuel Bagster.
   Bagster's grandson, Robert, who died in 1924, wrote of the origins of this book, and was prepared entirely within the family. (over 500,000 copies in print)

Open the Door: ~Tea Time With God ~

Revelation 3:20 ~ "Behold I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
  A Nurse on duty in a pediatric ward often gave the children an opportunity to listen to their own hearts with her stethooscope. One day she put the stethoscope into a little boy's ears. She ask him, "Can you hear that? What do you suppose that is?"
   The little boy frown a moment, caught up in the wonder of this strange tapping inside his chest. Then he broke into a grin and responded, "Is that Jesus knocking?"
    Another story is told of a group of students who went to visit a great religious teacher. The wise teacher asked the young scholars a seemingly obvious question. "Where is the dwelling place of God?"
   The students laughed among themselves and replied, "What a thing to ask! Is not the whole world full of His glory?"
   The learned old man smiled and replied, "God dwells whereever man lets him in."
    The little boy listening to his heart through the stethoscope seemed to have more wisdom than the group of students. With his innocent, trusting faith, he had no problem believing that Jesus was knocking on his heart's door.
     Imagine your life to be a house of many rooms. Each room represents a different aspect of your life, Some of the rooms are messed up, others are clean and tidy. The doors that are locked represent areas where you have not invited Jesus to enter.
    Like the little boy, when we hear Jesus knocking at the closed doors of our life, it is up to us to open the door and let Him in. Even those rooms that are dark and frightening are filled with light and inderstanding when Jesus enters. ~ Quiet Moments with God ~

How will I ever cope with my sorrow?: ~Solly Osrovech~

For many years Job enjoyed the respect and love of his children and in return he gave freely of his love and tender care. In spite of his confusion and sorrow in the dark hour when he lost them all to death, he bore no thought of rebellion against God in his heart.
   To rebel against our "unhappy fate" is in actual fact revolt against God Himself. Death is part of God's plan for our life. Acceptance of it in faith is a sign of Christian maturity.
     To turn away from God is to bear your cross of sorrow and pain alone and without the support of others. This leads to despair. It causes a rift between you and God, because a rebellious heart resist God's love and comfort. Neither can your problem be solved by immersing yourself in your daily task. This would be like taking a tranquillizer to still your pain; at it's best it brings but temporary relief, it does not address the cause of your problem. The more we deceive ourselves, the more unbearable and painful the truth becomes.
   God never puts his children in a fiery furnace without being there with them. If we do not learn and do not grow spiritually in our times of tribulation, our suffering holds only loss.
     The only way in which a Christian can cope with his or her sorrow is to follow the example of our Lord and Master: exccept life calmly, courageously and with dignity, raise your cross with a fearless hesrt and a straight back. Deliverance from grief is found in the certainty that the true meaning of life is not found on this side of Calvary or the crave, but on the other side!
   "Shall we eccept good from God, and not trouble?" In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. (Job. 2:10)

Hope, Patience and Prayer. ~Solly Osrovech ~

Patience and steadfastness in prayer are gifts of the Holy Spirit to the faithful children of God. To remaine patient when tribulation and distress suddenly overshadow your life, to keep on trusting in God with a vibrant hope in your heart reveals a very special relationship with Jesus Christ.
   The true meaning of Christian hop, perseverance in affliction and faithfulness in prayer are portrayed in a very special way in a time of sorrow and loss through death. May we never live like people without hop, but draw our strength from a deep-rooted faith in and commitment to God.
    By the work of the Holy Spirit we know without Christ death is a hopeless end; with Him, however, life The Spirit enables us to go forward courageeouly and not to falter under the cross of our affliction.
    We know that our faith cannot protect us from sorrow and pain, but it makes it possible for us to be cictorious in his Name.
      Patience does not mean surrender to circumstances or to a blind fate. Rather, it is a sure trust that, however dark the night of sorrow may be, our faith will evantually triumph. By standing steadfast in our trails, by hoping joyously and by praying, we remove the sting from our sorrow even though the pain does not disappear..
  In Jesus Christ we have the assurance of final victory. Present sorrow is but a cloud that soon will vanish, and we will once again walk in the sunshine of God's Love.
  Rom. 12:12~ Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer..
     Talk to God in prayer about all your needs and problems- to Him you can never talk freely or too trustingly ~Francois Fenelon. ~
    

Blessed assurance: ~Solly Osrovech ~

Job 19:25: I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.

        We have virtually only three options in times of affliction and tribulation. We can either fret our life away in selfpity; or become entangled in our circumstances; or we can concentrate on the greatness and goodness of God.

      If you tend to focus on yourself, you will become increasingly aware of your own limitations and you'll punish yourself for your faults and failures. The result is self-condemnation. 

      If you concentrate on your circumstances, you'll  only realise your inability to change them. The result is despair. But if you turn to God, you'll see One who is greater than you are under all circumstances. The result is faith and joy!

    Faith is knowing the God who holds the future and placing your weak hand in his almighty one. The person who has faith, does not have all the answers, but he or she knows Someone who does. Although faith does not enables us to see into the future, it allows us to see many things about God which we would not see otherwise.

     Unbelieve starves the soul. Faith finds food in famine and a table in the wilderness. In the face of danger faith says, "I have a great God!" When outward strength is broken. faith rests on the promises. In the midst of sorrow, faith draw the sting out of every trouble and removes the bitterness from every affliction.

     Faith sees God's benevolence, which ensures that eventually all tragedies will turn to triumphs. It sees God is just. Therefore, all the evils, injustice and the pains of this world are temporary and will in the end give away to the permanent peace of his everlasting kingdom. Faith enables you to see God as your Provider who will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Phil.4:19) He is able to take care of you under all circumstances.

      Through our faith we see God's hand in everything. the result of faith are immediate and rewards ultimate. This faith secures our peace and joy.

From Caterpillar to butterfly: ~Solly Osrovech ~

An old proverb says, "What is death to the caterpillar, is a butterfly to God!"
    Compete fulfilment of life comes only by experiencing death. The writer of Hebrews says, Man is destined to die once (9:27). If God has purposed that all should die, there must be something good in God's intention, because God's will for us is only good. Our destination is not death, even though it is the one thing all human beings have in coomen.
     Death, for true believers, only means their promotion to a higher dimension of life. For this reason we need not fear death, not for ourselves nor for those loved ones we have put in the grave. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men (1Cor.15:19) Through the risen Christ we have gained victory over death. For this reason we have the assurance that our lives, as flowers in spring, will break out in full bloom. Our Lord has written the promise of the resurrection not only in books alone, but in every leaf in the springtime" ~Martin Luther ~
      Death brings to completion the salvation of man. Our initial faith in Jesus Christ frees us from the penalty of sin. Growth and maturity in the Christian life remove us from the poqwer of sin.If we want to experience God's effective comfort in our sorrow, we need to comprehend something of His wonderful purpose. God's omnipotence tames even dreadful Death to be his useful servant for the good of those who love Him. Because we have to pass through death first in order to become the perfected creatures He intended, even death is immeasurable gain.
       Life is a journey, not a home, a road, not a habitat; and what enjoyments and blessings we have are but a little inns on the roadside of life, where we may be refreshed for a moment...so that with new strength we may push on - to the rest that awaits the people of God! ___

For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain ~Phil.1:21 ~

Nugter, liefdevol en sonder nonsens.

~ 1 Timoteus 2:8 ~ Ek wil dus he dat die mans by elke plek van samekoms met 'n skoon gewete hande in gebed tot God moet ophef, vry van onmin en twis.

"Watter soort vrou wil u dan he"? vra die leraar aan die moedelose man met huweliks probleme. Nugter,  liefdevol en sonder nonsens," antwoord die lidmaat.

Die ooreenkoms tussen die eienskappe wat Christus by sy bruidskerk soek en die eienskappe van 'n waardige Christenvrou is onmiskenbaar.

1. Wees verstandelik wakker en nugter---Soos Christus van sy bruidskerk, begeer my huweliksmaat van my om die lewenskrisisse met insig, kalmte en waardigheid te hanteer.
2. Wag op die koms van die Bruidegom--- Die verhouding met die Bruidegom is die nommer-een-verhouding in die lewe. Vir my huweliksmaat is ons verhouding belangriker as alle ander verhoudings.
3. Moenie meer leef soos vroeer, toe die Bruidegom nog nie saak gemaak het nie. Vir die gelowige is Christus Jesus die Middelpunt, die Hoof van sy kerk. En soos Christus die Hoof van die Kerk is, so behoort my eggenoot ook die voorreg te he om die geestelike hoof in die gesin te mag wees.
4. Beskeidenheid, betrokkenheid, liefde, barmhartigheid en eenvoud maak die kerk geloofwaardig.---My huweliksmaat gedy 'n vebintenis met 'n vrou wat hierdie spirituele eienskappe ook in haar vehouding met hom uitleef.
5. Die bruid van Christus is aktief aan die werk om die koninkryk te laat kom.---Geseend is die man wie se huweliksmaat aktief goedgesind is en in die liefde lewe. Teen so 'n huislike agtergrond en in so 'n atmosfeer kan my huweliksmaat sy hande dan "vry van onmin en twis" voor God ophef. ~Maretha Maartins. ~

Jy lewe, al sterwe jy

Julle moet nie onkundig wees oor wat met die ontslapenes gaan gebeur nie. Dan sal julle ook nie treur nie, soos die ander wat geen hoop het nie.

(1 Tess. 4:13)

Baie gelowiges verstaan nie dat die dood van 'n geliefde nie die einde van alles beteken nie. Daarmee wil ons nie vir geen oomblik ontken dat die dood droefheid en skeiding meebring nie. Maar die Christelike geloof leer ons dat, deur die opstanding van Jesus Christus, dat daar selfs in die dood vir jou hoop is - nie hopeloosheid nie. Met sy oorwinning oor die graf het die Seun van God alle vrees vir die dood vedryf en het nuwe betekenis gegee aan sy stelling enkele dae voor sy dood: 'Ek is die opstanding en die lewe, wie in My glo, sal lewe, al sterwe hy ook; en elkeen wat lewe en in My glo, sal in alle ewigheid nooit sterwe nie' (Joh.11:25-26).

Vind ook troos in Jesus se woorde aan die sondaar langs Hom aan die kruis: 'Vandag sal jy saam met My in die paradys wees' (Luk.23:43)

In Jesus se gelykenis van Lasarus en die ryk man is Lasarus direk na sy dood na Abraham toe geneem. Tydens die verheerliking op die berg het Moses en Elia aan Jesus en sy dissipels veskyn. Dit beteken al hierdie mense het gelewe, al was hulle lewe op aarde beëindig.

Die dood van 'n geliefde is pynlik, maar kyk in die krag van die Meester verby die beperkings van die aardse lewe. Al is die lig van jou geliefde se tydelike lewe miskien uitgewis, is die doel daarvan om nie om jou in die duisternis van wanhoop te werp nie, maar om hoop aan te kondig vir die een wat geroep is - die begin van 'n nuwe, heerlike lewe wat deur die lewende Christus beloof is aan almal wat in Hom glo.

Dit is wat die hooploosheid van die dood transformeer in hoop vir 'n lewe in Christus anderkant die graf.

Seënwense

Susie