ABUNDAWONDERFUL!!!

I've been wanting to compile this message for several weeks now.. Even as it's been processing in my soul..(my mind, emotions, and will!), much has happened to confirm its message... Blessed reading!!!

    ABUNDAWONDERFUL is the title of a song our daughters sang  as children in a musical about how we are sheep under the care of our perfect shepherd! Even, over 25 years ago, my soul could truly testify to how HE truly does desire the truth of this creative adjective to apply to our lives! In fact, for my nearly 46 years in the LORD, my 'LIFE VERSE' has been, (and still is!), found in JOHN 10 where JESUS presents Himself as the GOOD SHEPHERD, contrasted with a bad one. In verse 10, He states how a thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but HE comes to give us life abundant!! Needless to say, 'my' part of the verse is the second half! I wasn't even aware of the first half for over 25 years or so!! The volume of my gratitude compels me to share further! Where to begin?..

  Since today is leading us into 'Holy Week,' I will do so by pointing out how our SHEPHERD was able to stay on THE OLD RUGGED CROSS, as it relates to this theme of ABUNDANCE. In my humanity, I 'can only imagine' the magnitude of 'the JOY set before HIM' which enabled Him to 'endure the cross, scorning its shame!'(Hebrews 12:2) WHAT A LIMITLESS VOLUME OF JOY He must have known as HE was making it possible for me to be one of the multitude who would/could be writing this today!   Moving on.. Just in the past 6 days, two accounts of financial ABUNDANCE have 'come my way!' One need was for $6,000, but HE sent $7,000! The other was a church falling into the red, which ended upover $1,000 in the black the next month after 2 gals began an early morning prayer time once a week! Most of you, as well as me of course, can testify to how HE meets our needs at all times when we humble ourselves, obediently giving back to Him, and pray! In MALACHI 3:10, we are instructed to let HIM show his character as it pertains to abundance!  "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it."  In fact, this verse leads me to a good closing thought.. In JOHN 1:16, John the Baptist declared how 'out of the fullness of his grace, the Lord pours out blessing upon blessing,' followed by stating how GRACE and TRUTH  came through CHRIST JESUS!(vs.17)   Remember, the ABUNDAWONDERFUL life is far from limited by the material world!  How abundant is his GRACE, as received by you?     As I close, my challenge to all of us is to 'COUNT OUR BLESSINGS, NAMING THEM ONE BY ONE.. LETTING HIM SURPRISE (DELIGHT!) YOU BY WHAT OUR LORD HAS DONE!' (and desires to do continually, if we but pay grateful and obedient, attention!)  Because He Loves Us SO MUCH! Sheila

HE REALLY DOES SHOW UP!

Around 3-4 weeks ago, I indicated I'd let you know just some of what "The Lord's been up to!" I can't recall a period of my life when I have heard of so many awe-inspiring accounts of current day evidence of his presence. So, here are just a few to'fuel' your love for our LORD a bit, or, a whole LOT more! 
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The one which delighted me THE MOST, is how THE LORD really DID show up in a courtroom in order to perpetuate his work in a young lady. This gal had been convicted of some sort of wrong-doing, and seemed to be headed back into the world of incarceration, thus, a probable tail-spin in her emerging life of hope she'd found while 'out.' HE made sure the victim, and the victim's prayer group, were there in the courtroom so she could intervene in a manner resulting in the gal's release from jail time.. I don't know any more, except  the gal is being mentored by a neat Christian outreach worker who loves to help establish 'street' youth in lives of hope because of JESUS CHRIST. 

Secondly, one lady I sing with shared how during her stay in her last nursing facility, The LORD made Himself known after she'd been moved to a different room (out of her 'comfort zone' where she'd been situated for awhile.)  At 2:45 AM, she awoke to a lady by her bed who had miraculously walked into her room. (She'd been wheelchair-bound for several years!)  Offering the visitor a seat, she offered to read from a great book she read daily.  After reading Psalms 23,24, and 91 to the gal, a staff member entered, exclaiming something like, "Well, so-and-so, how DID you get in here!?" What my friend didn't know was that her non-conversant roommate was also awake to hear the Scriptures read. In the morning, the roommate spoke clearly about what she'd heard. My friend offered to read more, resulting in the gal coming to the LORD!

Thirdly, a dear, wheelchair-bound saint REALLY needed to be taken to the bathroom, but got no response to her call-light for a very long time! Finally, when truly desperate, she noticed a lady in her room who did what was necessary. Afterward, no one knew who she'd been, nor where she'd come from! HOW MANY WAYS CAN I SAY "HALLELUJAH?"

Finally, 2 brief accounts of true physical healing.. ONE, is of 'my very own,' dear husband's! His shoulder was getting increasingly worse over a period of months. While watching 700 CLUB at our athletic club one day, he received a word of knowledge about a shoulder being healed.  He's had no pain since!!  WOW!   Then, only yesterday, a gal I visited with shared how, as a young mom, she'd had serious tooth pain. Having no money to pay for a dental visit, she pressed her hand to her face, prayed with faith,  and received healing of the tooth!    I know there's one more story I have to tell, but it's escaped me for the moment! These should keep all of us smiling LOTS for awhile!