It Is Well

Yesterday, the Lord blessed our family once again with a baby! Walker River Berry was born to my brother and sister-in-law! Although life is a miracle that only the Lord can give, the Lord truly gave them a miracle. According to doctors, they were not supposed to be able to have him. But, the Great Physician "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul." (Gen.2:7).
  In the book of II Kings 4:18-37, is the account of the Shunammite Woman. The prophet Elisha had stayed at her home in prophet's chamber she had made him. The Lord had promised to bless her with a child for taking care of the man of God. She didn't believe him at first because she wasn't supposed to be able to have children. But God was true to His Word as He always is, and gave her a son. He went to the field one day with his father, then came to him with pain in his head. He sent him home, by another lad to his mother. Then he sat on her knees until noon, and died. The mother laid him on the prophet's bed and closed the door on him and went to the man of God. She told her husband she needed one of the young men and one of the donkeys to ride to the prophet. When he asked why, said replied " It shall be well." The prophet saw her coming afar off and sent his servant to see what was the matter. She replied "It is Well." She went on to Elisha and told him in grief what had happened. Elisha went with her to the child, but sent Gehazi his servant ahead of them to lay his staff on the child. But, nothing happened. Only when the prophet went in the room with the child, prayed unto the Lord, stretching himself over him 2 times, after pacing back and forth in the room, did the life of the child return! The child sneezed 7 times and then Elisha called his mother. God had blessed her faith in believing that the Lord had heard her prayer: that He would raise her child from the dead, because He had promised him to her. The Lord used her in a great way as a witness to His Power and His blessings on His children!
 
The Lord gave these verses to me, my sister-in-law, and brother when they had tried for years to have a child. After much prayer, the Lord DID BLESS THEM with a daughter. They later learned that she was very sick. We claimed these verses the Lord had specifically given and waited on the Lord. He blessed Olivia, their daughter, and them with her short life of almost one month. We didn't understand why, after the Lord gave us those verses. All we knew is that He HAD, and that HE is ALWAYS true to HIS WORD! Looking back, we now see what the Lord did through Olivia, and the lives she touched. Her passing resulted in the salvation of our nephew! We may not even know all that the Lord did through her life until we are in Heaven one day! But, the Lord was not through working! They stayed faithful to the Lord, giving HIM ALL THE GLORY! Within one year, the Lord blessed them with a daughter in working out only what He could, through adoption. Then within another year, He blessed them with TRIPLET BOYS! Then to every one's amazement, the Lord ONCE AGAIN blessed this year with a son, that they were not supposed to be able to have! The Lord had remained faithful to the promise He had made them, just as He did to the Shunammite woman! All of these last 4 years of knowing that "It shall be well", now _"It IS WELL!" The Lord has blessed their faithfulness and honoring Him, and blessed as He HAD PROMISED! ONLY OUR SAVIOUR COULD DO WHAT HE HAS DONE! ALL GLORY GOES TO HIM!

Has God made you a promise? HE WILL NEVER GO BACK ON HIS WORD HE CANNOT DENY HIMSELF! Stay faithful to the Lord. God ALWAYS honors faithfulness and HIS WORD! IN HIS TIME, HE WILL WORK! Then you too can say, "It is WELL!"

Preserves!

Harvest time is near. Crops will be brought in soon. This reminds of the end of every summer, when we (my brothers, sisters, and cousins) would help shake down the pears from my Granny's pear tree. Then, we would help her make pear preserves. We LOVED doing this! We had fun shaking the limbs and filling the buckets with pears! We would help wash them, and I don't know how many were eaten that never made it to the kitchen! Thinking back on this and the process that she used to create the preserves, made me stop and realize- CHRISTIANS ARE PRESERVES! They are a great type of what the Lord has done and IS doing in our lives!

Recipe for  Pear Preserves: 

1.  The pears have to be harvested FIRST! "Then saith he unto his disciples, The HARVEST truly is PLENTEOUS, but the labourers are FEW; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that HE will send forth labourers into His harvest. We have to be brought in, or saved, first! If you are not saved, you can be right now! Call on the Lord for salvation and HE WILL HEAR! He is not willing that ANY SHOULD PERISH, BUT THAT ALL SHOULD COME TO REPENTANCE! ( 2 Peter 3:9). If you are saved, now it is YOU THAT MUST GO AND BRING THEM IN,  as our Saviour instructed. The fruit MUST be brought in to be preserved!
2. When the fruit is harvested, it is gathered together with all of the other fruit! When we are saved or "brought in from the fields of sin," we are instructed to join together with our new family in the Lord. "Forsake NOT THE ASSEMBLING OF YOURSELVES TOGETHER, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another; AND SO MUCH MORE, as ye see the day approaching." Hebrews 10:25. We need to be together to help each other and grow stronger spiritually through exhorting one another. There has to be more than one pear to make a jar, or 'FAMILY' of preserves! They depend upon each other to get the job of filling the jar DONE! I Corinthians 12:12-31.
3. After they are brought in, they have to be washed. Just as the dirt and soil from the earth is washed once they are harvested,  we have to be washed as well. The Lord cleansed our hearts when we were saved, but once we are saved, we have to rid ourselves daily of our sins and leave our "earthliness" or "worldliness" behind. The Lord cannot use a dirty vessel. "That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the WASHING OF WATER BY THE WORD!" Ephesians 5:26. "And such were some of you; but ye are WASHED, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." I Corinthians 6:11.
4. The pears are cut into pieces or slices. NO WE ARE NOT LITERALLY CUT INTO PIECES! But spiritually, this would mean that we die to self! Just as the pear is lessened in size when it is sliced, so should we be lessened of self as we draw closer to the Lord. "HE MUST INCREASE, BUT I MUST DECREASE!" John 3:30.
5. Next, the pears are placed in a pan or bowl, and covered with sugar to soak in it over night. Once we have been cleansed and die to ourselves daily (I Corinthians 15:31), we need to soak and absorb the "sweetness" of the Lord's Word. "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom;" Colossians 3:16a. " How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"
6. After soaking, the pears are cooked on the stove slowly. This softens the pears and creates the preserve jelly itself. The Lord will place us in the spiritual fire and heat as well, to prepare our hearts, so we can be used. "But He knoweth the way that I take; when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold." "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." Psalms 51:17.
7. Then, the pears are poured into a jar and a SEAL is placed over the top of the jar and the top ring of the jar secured over it. This SEAL is what actually preserves the fruit. "In whom also AFTER THAT YE BELIEVED,  ye were SEALED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT of PROMISE." Ephesians 1:13. At the moment of salvation, we are SEALED with the Holy Ghost, which is the earnest of our salvation, Ephesians 1:14. We will be kept until He gathers us home to heaven as PROMISED in  John 10:28 &29 " And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall NEVER PERISH, NEITHER SHALL ANY MAN PLUCK THEM OUT OF MY HAND. My Father, which gave them me, is GREATER THAN ALL; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand."
8. After all of the jars are sealed, they are gathered together into the storehouse. "Whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Matthew 3:12. "....and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we EVER BE WITH THE LORD." I Thessalonians 4:16a&17.

Have you been harvested into the Lord's storehouse? If not you can be. He does not want any fruit to perish! "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord SHALL BE SAVED." Romans 10:13. Don't wait. Today is the day of Salvation! The Lord could return TODAY! Then you can say "The Lord shall PRESERVE thee from all evil: He shall PRESERVE thy soul. The Lord shall PRESERVE thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore." Psalm 121: 8.



He's Still In The Boat!

 The Lord first gave me this thought 10 years ago while at a friend's house for the weekend, from Bible college, and it has been in my journal. This past Sunday, our preacher preached on this very same thing-same passage and even the same title! So, I think this is the one the Lord wanted me to write today!(And no, I'm not giving you HIS outline! (haha)).  I love how the Lord speaks to others about the same thing He has spoken to us about!

Mark 4: 35-41 gives the account of Jesus and the disciples as they were in a boat crossing over the Sea of Galilee. The Lord had just sent away the multitude and instructed the disciples to enter into a boat. He gave them a PROMISE. "And the same day, when the even was come, He saith unto them, Let US PASS OVER unto the other side." vs. 35. When the disciples entered the boat and Jesus WITH THEM, He clearly said THEY WOULD make it to the other side! When we accept the Lord as Saviour, HE HAS PROMISED "....I will NEVER leave thee, nor forsake thee." Hebrews 13:5. Once we have entered the boat, THE OLD SHIP OF ZION, of salvation, He is there to stay with us! There is nothing that we can do to lose it, as it is HIS SALVATION-HE ALONE HAS SAVED US!. We had nothing to do for it-it was a GIFT. We were made HIS CHILD! Just as you can no more change the fact the you ARE YOUR PARENTS' CHILD, so can we not be taken out of God's family (Galatians 4:5). Once we are saved, He is FOREVER WITH US, and He will be where HE SENDS US!

After the Promise, came the Predicament. Seemingly out of nowhere a great storm arose. The Sea of Galilee is known for its strong storms that pop up because of it's geographical location.  It is nestled between two mountain ranges, at lower elevation, in essence making it a "valley." It is a prime area for the cooler air coming off the mountains and mixing with the warmer air over the water to produce storms. Is this not where the storms of life hit us? They had just been on the mountains with the Lord preaching to the multitudes, and now they were down on the water in the valley. Sometimes we can see the problems coming afar off, and sometimes we are blind-sided by them. They appear out of nowhere." They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; These see the works of the LORD, and His wonders in the deep. For He commandeth , and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths; their soul is melted because of trouble. " Psalm 107:23-26.  The disciples may have been taken by surprise by the storm, even though they were skilled fishermen and had fished many times in this Sea. All of us have gone through trials before, but sometimes we are still shaken to our core by the next one that comes along. Why is this? It is because we are human first of all, and secondly because the Lord is trying to help us grow. Our faith needs strengthening. He wants us to ALWAYS DEPEND ON HIM! He is the One that has allowed them to come and IS IN CONTROL of them.

Even when it seems that He is nowhere to be found, HE'S STILL IN THE BOAT! HE HAS NOT GONE ANYWHERE! The Lord was in the back part of the ship asleep. Did the Lord care that the disciples were struggling in the boat against the storm? Yes! "Casting all your care upon Him; for HE CARETH FOR YOU!' I Peter 5:7. In Mark 4:38, I see His PILLOW. The prophets before Him slept on stones for pillows, which was a picture of resting  on Jesus the ROCK, or the Promise! He was in FULL CONTROL, AND KNEW THEY WOULD REACH THE OTHER SIDE, JUST AS HE HAD PROMISED THEM!  He had given HIS WORD, OR THE PROMISE, to the disciples, and knew that they would be fine. The Lord Jesus wanted them to rest upon that PROMISE as well.  

The disciples went to Jesus with their PLEA. As the waters were beating the ship on the outside, so were the waters coming IN as well. Isn't this what happens in trials? We face problems from without AND within! Outside we fight the world, and inside we fight spiritual battles! Verse 37 says that the boat was full. How many times do we fill that we are "maxed out," and cannot take anymore? We come to our wit's end. "They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit's end.  THEN THEY CRY UNTO THE LORD IN THEIR TROUBLE, and HE BRINGETH THEM OUT OF THEIR DISTRESSES!" Psalm 107:28. We wants us to come to the end of ourselves, and admit that we have to fully rely on Him! He is our strength and salvation, Psalm 27:1.

When they made their Plea to Him, JESUS BROUGHT PEACE! "....Peace, be still! And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm." vs. 39. When we cry out to the Lord of a contrite spirit, He will deliver us! He wants us to come to HIM FIRST in the storm, NOT AS A LAST RESORT! He is waiting for us to come to HIM as the disciples did. "Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and HE bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still." Psalm 107: 28 & 29. The Lord asked "Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have NO FAITH?"vs.40. It's ALL ABOUT FAITH IN HIM AND HIS PROMISE!

After the Peace came their Puzzlement! "What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" vs. 41. "Then are they GLAD because they be quiet; so HE bringeth them unto their desired HAVEN." Psalm 107:30. How the Lord amazes us also when He answers OUR prayers! Our faith is strengthened and as a result, we SHOULD GIVE HIM PRAISE. "OH THAT MEN WOULD PRAISE THE LORD FOR HIS GOODNESS, AND FOR HIS WONDERFUL WORKS TO THE CHILDREN OF MEN." Psalm 107:31.

Rest in His Promise today if you are in a Predicament. Rest on the Pillow of His Word. When we bring our Pleas to Him, IN HIS TIME He will speak Peace. Praise the Lord Jesus today for His Wonderful works to us, His children! Remember-HE'S STILL IN THE BOAT!







Being "Prepped!"

If you know me, you know that I have not been a stranger to the science of medicine. Besides the fact that I have undergone surgery 12 times, I have always loved the field of medicine! I was going to college to be a surgical technician before the Lord called me into full-time Christan service. This was to learn of the position in the Operating Room that assists the Surgeon in preparing the tools and tables they would use during the procedure, and delivering them to the doctor. The doctor would have his certain protocol to follow, and everything would have to be in the order HE wanted it to be. Nurses would also PREP the patient to get them ready for the doctor to be ABLE TO DO the procedure. As I was reading my Bible the other day, I read a verse in Ezra-7:10 that made me think about this- "For Ezra had PREPARED his heart to seek the law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments." Just as a patient has to be PREPARED, OR PREPPED, before the physician can perform the operation, so do WE have to PREPARE our HEARTS before the Lord, our GREAT PHYSICIAN, in order for HIM to do a work.

The first thing that has to be done to the patient is sterilization, or to be CLEANSED. They are scrubbed with Iodine type solution to cleanse the area that will be worked upon. Without doing so, infection is sure to set in. Every precaution is taken to keep this from happening. Sin is our heart's infection, and before the Lord can work in our hearts, they have to be cleansed. We have to be cleansed for salvation first of all. "....unto HIM that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood," Revelation 1:5. "That HE might sanctify and CLEANSE it with the washing of water by the word." Ephesians 5:26."And such were some of you; but ye are WASHED, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified..." I Corinthians 6:11. Only after we are cleansed for salvation can the Lord use us for His Work. But, as HIS children, we have to DAILY keep our hearts clean and prepared before the Lord. If we regard sin, or infection, in our hearts, the Lord cannot work. "If I regard iniquity in my HEART, the LORD will not hear me." Psalm 66:18. We need to make sure to keep short accounts of sin. We need to ask God for forgiveness as soon as HE smites our hearts after we have sinned. "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sin, HE is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to CLEANSE us from all unrighteousness." I John 1:8&9. Once we are clean before the Lord, our hearts will be PREPARED for the work to begin.

The patient is also PREPARED and put into constraints. This is to protect from further harm if the patient moves or wakes during surgery, BEFORE the doctor wants them to. If they move their arms or legs during the work, they will further hurt themselves and slow the work that is being done. We need to do the same to ourselves! We need not to move before the Lord wants us to in HIS PLAN for us! He will not hold us down out of force, but HE wants US to "Be STILL and know that I AM GOD..." Psalm 46:10. Paul said in II Corinthians 5:13-15 "For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God; or whether we be sober, it is for your cause. For the love of God CONSTRAINETH us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead; And that He died for all, that they which live SHOULD NOT HENCEFORTH LIVE UNTO THEMSELVES, BUT UNTO HIM which died for them ,and rose again". Paul declared that it was for the love of Christ that they withheld , or kept themselves from doing what they would want to do, or say to others. It was simply to allow the Lord to lead and work. If we get ahead of the LORD'S PLANS for us, we can ruin what HE is working to accomplish in our lives for HIS GLORY!

Lastly, the patient is put to sleep with anesthesia. The patient in essence is resting while the doctor works. In order to "be still and know" that HE IS GOD, we have to PREPARE to REST IN HIM while HE WORKS! "Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I WILL GIVE YOU REST." Matthew 11:28. "REST in the LORD and wait patiently for HIM.." Psalm 37:10. The change in us can only come as the Great PHYSICIAN is allowed to do HIS WORK in us.

Are you "prepped" today? Have you been cleansed, constrained and comforted in His REST while He is working in your life? May we ever keep ourselves PREPARED for HIS WORK!  "....PREPARE YOUR HEARTS unto the LORD, and serve HIM ONLY..." I Samuel 7:3.