There's No Place Like Home

"There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home."

Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale, The Wizard of Oz, 1939

Most of us grew up with that iconic chant, and most of us say those same words when we are away from home for too long.  I remember, as a child, always being ready to be back home after vacations or trips to see family or friends who lived in different States; it was always fun to go, but after a while, I was ready to be back home again.  I still feel that way today.  It's fun to go away, but it's always better to come home.

My husband will soon be on his way home from his recent Missions Trip to Germany.  I remember saying goodbye to him; he looked at me and said, "I'm ready to be home."  and he hadn't even left yet. 😀

As I see our world and Nation changing, I'm ready to be home too.  Home with my Heavenly Father.

I'm reminded that even though I have a home to dwell in while here on earth, this is not my permanent home.  

"For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come."  Hebrews 13:14

I'm looking forward to going home one day, when the Lord calls my name...

    Are you?

        But that's just me!

"He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly.  Amen.  Even so come, Lord Jesus."

Revelation 22:20

    This World is Not My Home

Jim Reeves

Verse 1

This world is not my home,

I'm just a-passing through,

My treasures are laid up,

Somewhere beyond the blue,

The Angels beckon me,

from Heaven's open door,

And I can't feel at home,

In this world anymore.

Verse 3

Just over in Gloryland,

We'll live eternally,

The saints on every hand,

Are shouting victory,

Their songs of sweetest praise,

Drift back from Heaven's shore,

And I can't feel at home,

In this world anymore.

Chorus:

Oh, Lord, You know,

I have no friend like You,

If Heaven's not my home,

Then Lord, what will I do?

The angels beckon me,

From Heaven's open door,

And I can't feel at home,

In this world anymore!

The Observation

This morning, while waiting for the tire of my car to be patched at our local Tesoro Gas Station//Garage/Convenience Store, I visited with a very good friend of mine who was working.  As the morning rush of teenagers made their way in and out of the grocery section of the store, buying their snacks and drinks that would get them through this school day, a young girl placed her goodies on the counter to purchase.  My friend rang up the Sale and told this young lady what she owed, and she soon realized she didn't have enough money to pay for what she had wanted to buy.  I asked my friend, "How much does she need, I will cover it for her?"  The teenage girl looked at me and said, "No, that's ok, I will put something back."  As the group of girls left the store, one of her friends looked at me and said, "I didn't think there were any kind people out there anymore."

I smiled as they walked out the door and headed to school, and thanked the Lord that I had that opportunity to show kindness to someone today, but at the same time, it broke my heart; these girls have never been shown kindness.

And then I was reminded of Luke 18:8b: "Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" A question asked by Jesus.

Will He? Or will He be like this young teenager today and say, 'I didn't think there were any people of faith out there anymore?"

Christian, this world is watching...

    They are searching...

        What will they see?

            That's a good question...

                But that's just me!

"Let them see You in me,

 Let them hear You when I speak,

 Let them feel You when I sing, 

 Let them see You,

 Let them see You in Me."

Jason Clint Weeks/ Scotty J. Wilbanks 2013

        

Fear Not Man

"So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me."

Hebrews 13:6

Because this verse begins with the word, 'So,' first we must read verse 5b.  It says, "...For he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

Because Jesus is always with us and because He will never leave or forsake us, we have the confidence to claim Him as our Helper!  When we do that, the results will be NOT to fear what man can do to us.

Usually when reading this verse, it brings to mind what man can do to us 'physically.'  But while reading this verse today, I was thinking of other ways man can hurt us.

They can hurt us:

    -with their words-

    -by their opinions towards us-

    -gossip against us-

    -if they reject us-

I'm sure you could also add different reasons that would allow us to fear man, however, when God is enough, when Jesus is enough, when His presence in our lives is enough...

we don't ever have to fear anything man can do or say or how they treat us ever again.

He is our Helper and we can boldly say so!

 Wow!  What a pep-talk for whatever giant we might face as we begin our day...

                    But that's just me!

"We do not have to persuade God to help us-

    He delights in doing so!"

        Dr. Paul Chappell

The Mission

 "And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not."  John 1:5

Five days ago, a Team of ten members from our church spent over seventeen hours of airtime to help our Missionary serving in Berlin, Germany.  The Mission:  To pass out fifteen thousand John/Romans.  In their first two days, they walked over twenty-five miles and passed out over four thousand copies of these two books from God's Word each day.

Exhausting, but worth it.

The wife of our missionary sent me a text this morning and she wrote:  ""As I read this passage today, I thought of all the people who will just throw the John/Romans away.  They have been given light and most will disregard it."

It's true.  All the money, effort, sweat and hard work going into distributing these John/Romans, out of fifteen thousand copies of this book, perhaps only one will read what they were given; perhaps only one will accept Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour.  Only one.

Was it worth it?

YES!

The wife of our missionary went on to say, "But it doesn't matter how many rejects it, we are to keep shining the light.  Jesus came and died even though He knew few would follow Him.  What a gracious Saviour we serve!"

My husband is part of this Team, and he said the same thing.  As exhausting as this work has been, if only one will receive Christ, it will be worth it all!

Christ would have died for only one...

    I had to ask myself, 'What am I willing to do to bring one soul to Christ?'

        What would you be willing to do?...

            But that's just me!

The Mission

Steve Green 1989

Jon Mohr/John Randall Dennis 

There's a call going out

across the land in every nation

A call to those who swear allegiance to the cross of Christ

A call to true humility, to live our lives responsibly

To deepen our devotion to the cross at any price

Let us then be sober, moving only in the Spirit

As aliens and strangers in a hostile foreign land

The message we're proclaiming is repentance and forgiveness

The offer of salvation to a dying race of man.

Chorus:

To love the Lord our God is the heartbeat of our mission

The spring from which our service overflows

Across the street or around the world

The mission's still the same

Proclaim and live the Truth 

in Jesus' name

As a candle is consumed by the passion of the flame

Spilling light unsparingly 

throughout a darkened room

Let us burn to know Him deeper

Then our service flaming bright

Will radiate his passions

And blaze with holy light.

Chorus

Stepping in the Light

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.

Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

a Psalm of David.  Psalm 27:1-3

Webster defines 'light' as something that makes vision possible.

Because the LORD is my light and salvation, I have nothing and no one to be afraid of.  When I read this verse today, the first thing that jumped off the page was the fact that the LORD is my Light! 

So, what exactly, does light do?

    It removes darkness-

    It allows me to see what is before me, beside me and behind me-

    It allows me NOT to be caught off guard or be unaware of my surroundings-

    It illuminates the course of my steps-

    It allows me to step forward in confidence! (Verse 3)

In verse 2, an interesting thing happens...

    The very Light that keeps us from falling, causes our enemies and foes to stumble and fall!

The very ONE Who keeps us from falling, causes our enemies to lose their footing!  Their footholds!

Vs 3-My heart-my very being will not fear even when I am surrounded:

    By enemies-

    By foes-

When circumstances I find myself in seem to overwhelm me, deep down inside I will not be shaken.

Though war should rise against me, in this one thing I will be confident, sure, certain!  That with Christ I shall have no fear!

My Light vanquishes all darkness.

What a promise!

    But that's just me!

    Stepping in the Light

E.E. Hewitt 1890

Trying to walk in the steps of the Saviour,

Trying to follow our Saviour and King;

Shaping our lives by His blessed example,

Happy, how happy, the songs that we bring.

Pressing more closely to Him who is leading,

When we are tempted to turn from the way;

Trusting the arm that is strong to defend us,

Happy, how Happy, our praises each day!

Walking in footsteps of gentle forbearance,

Footsteps of faithfulness, mercy and love;

Looking to Him for the grace freely promised,

Happy, how happy, our journey above!

Trying to walk in the steps of the Saviour,

upward, still upward, we'll follow our Guide;

When we shall see Him, 'the King in His beauty,'

Happy, how happy, our place at His side!

chorus:

How beautiful to walk in the steps of the Saviour,

Stepping in the Light, stepping in the Light;

How beautiful to walk in the steps of the Saviour,

Led in paths of light!

    

"Quotes"

 "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers."  Ephesians 4:29

I love quotes.  I love to read what famous historians have had to say, what famous people have had to say, I just love quotes!  Often times, at the end of each Blog, I search diligently for a great quote that will illustrate the theme and go along with the topic or verse that was selected.

Sometimes I find great quotes, sometimes not; and sometimes I find quotes that probably should not even be repeated, but something happened today that made me think about quotes on the flip side.

I love when that happens.

A dear friend of mine and I are doing an email bible study together.  Every day, we read the same verse, and then we email one another to share what the Lord placed on our hearts.  In her email to me this morning, she put something that I had written to her in quotation marks and put my initials beside what I had said.

She turned a thought that I had said, into a quote.

It made me realize a few things:

    -My words matter to those who hear them-

So, are my words worth quoting?

Do they bring glory and honor to my Saviour?

Do they encourage those who hear them?

Or would they rather I had not spoken anything at all?

    It gives me something to think about...

        But that's just me!

   

𝅘𝅥𝅮 "Oh, be careful little tongue what you say, oh, be careful little tongue what you say, for the Father up above is listening from above, oh, be careful little tongue what you say!"  𝅘𝅥𝅮 

(Traditional Children's Song)

P.S. Our bible verses for today were from Ezra 7:27-28

My quote?

"God never asks anything of us that He cannot do through us."  TH