NEVER-LEAVING, EVER-LIVING LORD

Never-Leaving, Ever-Living LORD

THE apostle Paul, wrote to Timothy in his first letter,chapter1,

verse 17, “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible,

the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen!”

THE theme of this message is THE LORD’S eternality! He always was,

and always will be!  In 2008, there was a movie in the theaters by

Ben Stein—EXPELLED!- It got me thinking about how blessed I

am to KNOW the LORD GOD CREATOR of the universe! I urge

each of you to take time to REJOICE in the offer of personal                  access to THE LORD!  If we try to “live” life without allowing ourselves

 to learn of, and accept, the faithfulness, graciousness,

and compassion of THE LORD, we are truly lacking all HE intends for,  and through us.. It’s great to anticipate all HE desires for us to receive as we choose to believe HIM, having perceived our need.                                                                             (In EXPELLED, individuals are harassed due to their admission of recognizing how THE LORD intends for us to commune with HIM.) We are not some sort of ‘happened-to-become-being’ that ‘evolved.’ In fact, Ben Stein actually gets the world’s #1 atheist, Dawkins,  to a point in an interview where Dawkins can’t deny that he can’t explain life from an evolutionary point-of-view!

PROVERBS 2:1-6 offers this in contrast to Dawkins’ dilemma..

1My son, if you accept My words and store up My commands within you,

2turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding—

3indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding,

4and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure,

5then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.

6For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.                              JEREMIAH 9:23-24 urges us to “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, 24but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know Me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight, declares THE LORD.”

 One of my favorite Christian singers, Damaris Carbaugh, effectively conveys some of what my heart(soul) is hoping to share today. The chorus is spoken by THE LORD-

“I’m the ONE Who stands behind you, and the One Who goes before;

I am yesterday’s AMAZING GRACE and tomorrow’s ‘Open Door.’

From the ‘First Foundation’ to the ‘’Last Forevermore,’ I’m the ‘Never-Leaving, Ever-Living Lord'"         LORD, I praise you for your eternal steadfastness known to me! Please help me to respond to You                                                                   willingly! In Jesus’ Name, AMEN!

THREE SIXTEENS

SHEILA’S SHARING SHEET    TO YOU, FROM ME, BECAUSE OF JESUS!     Week of 5-16-16

As I typed the date on this sheet today, I decided to change the message I’d intended to share. I was going to write about, ‘What Is IT?’ (In Proverbs, chapter 2) But, I’ll save this query for next week’s offering to all who read this..

So what about the date I typed today? Well, the presence of the number 16 twice in it, reminded me of how I like to speak of three sixteens in the Bible.. (a play on JOHN 3:16)

MOST all of you are familiar with JOHN 3:16 as it’s “out there” to be known by many. ‘For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son...” but, I’d wager that 1 JOHN 3:16  is not ‘on the tip of your tongues,’  nor is JOHN 1:16.                                            1JOHN 3:16 provides a great definition of just what LOVE is.            “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.”  MY desire is for every one of us to rejoice as we frequently realize HOW MUCH the LORD loves us, for as we do, our ability to love all those around us is multiplied!

Along THIS LINE OF THOUGHT, JOHN 1:16 delights me by sharing how, “Out of the fullness of His grace, HE pours out blessing upon blessing!” Verses 14, and 17 offer further truth by conveying, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth… For the law was given through Moses; Grace and Truth came through Jesus Christ.” I encourage all to WELCOME HIM as HE desires to meet all needs for truth and grace in your life. Personally, I am very grateful for HIS provision of all I’ll ever need!  Not only that, but I love how HIS blessings are lavished upon me (us)as  I (we) respond to His graciousness!

Now, let’s re-visit JOHN 3:16-17 as it famously states, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” DO YOU KNOW PEOPLE WHO say that God is a ‘kill-joy?’ He is sort of a tyrant who lacks compassion, mercy, grace, and all we need? They are very wrong and very deprived..                                                                                                 Are you glad you are not? I sure am!!!          One final fact I take delight in is knowing how it was ‘for the joy set before HIM, He endured the cross..scorning its shame!’ (HEBREWS 12:2).Our LORD JESUS knew the joy of delighting each time a sinner acknowledges their need for forgiveness, and gratefully receives HIS GIFT of  Eternal LIFE, as well as His gift of His life within us here on Earth.. A life Full of PEACE, HOPE, JOY, PURPOSE, MERCY, and SO MUCH MORE!

GOD BLESS US EVERYONE!!

A TRUE FRIEND

SOLI DEO GLORIA           A TRUE FRIEND Bible Devotional       CYPRESS GARDENS 5-11-16

PROVERBS 17:17    A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

This topic of FRIENDSHIP is very important to me since it was the reason I came to the LORD personally in 1968. A new ‘friend’ of mine saw my hunger for meaningful friendships which were not simply acquaintances from Girl Scouts, YMCA camping, marching band, or other ‘groups’ of people where I ‘belonged.’ She then informed me of how JESUS living inside of me would/could lead me into relationships which were/are rich in depth and meaning since HE is my BEST FRIEND FIRST! For, you see, He meets every need I will ever have.. He is especially near and dear when experiencing adversity.. ‘When Jesus is all you have, you have ALL YOU NEED.’ Consider these beloved lyrics we sing frequently!

‘What a FRIEND we have in JESUS, all our sins and griefs to bear…  Do thy friends despise, forsake thee.. Take it to the LORD iN prayer..’                              ‘Jesus is all the world to me, My Friend in trials sore; I go to Him for blessings,  and He gives them o’er and o’er.

He sends the sunshine and the rain, He sends the harvest’s golden grain;
Sunshine and rain, harvest of grain, He’s my Friend.’

A whole year before I welcomed the LORD into my life personally, (as opposed to simply having believed in ‘the facts’ of my need for salvation through HIM,) I needed to write an original poem about FRIENDSHIP as an English class assignment..  This is what my heart spilled onto paper.. 

SOMEONE ‘A friend is someone who can see just what a friend can truly be..               Someone to whom you can speak whenever you feel spiritually weak..                Someone who loves you ‘in your real,’.. who knows how you truly do feel..                            Someone who cares about you in all you do… This is my friend.. Could it be you?’

This poem conveys how the LORD knew I was becoming ‘spiritually’ aware..      I’d been told how mankind is a physical, mental, social, and spiritual ‘being,’ and that we consist of a body, soul, and spirit, but had not yet been told how I needed to be ‘born again,’ by inviting the LORD into my inner person as an act of my will..

One year later, a mature Girl Scout was the one who told me how she’d met JESUS as her best friend a year earlier.. The results were obvious as she told me of an incident where she called her closest girlfriend (a sister forever in JESUS!) to come pray with her in this time of adversity.. Of course, her friend drove the 20 miles as soon as was possible to join her. I really envied her and that’s how my new friend introduced JESUS to me as the best friend I’d ever have.. and how this would allow true FRIENDSHIPS while earthbound.            In I SAMUEL 20:42, Jonathan says to David,  “Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord is witness between you and me..’

It never ceases to amaze me how in JOHN 15:15, JESUS said to his disciples, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.                                           Finally, EXODUS 33:11 lets us know how “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.” 

Lord, may we confidently proclaim, ‘Jesus is all the world to me, My LIFE, My JOY, My ALL!

BLESSED BEYOND MEASURE.. A SHEILA'S SHARING SHEET

SHEILA’S SHARING SHEET   TO YOU, FROM ME, BECAUSE OF HIM  Wk. of 5-10-16                                               

Recently, I’ve ‘taken a liking to’ answering those who ask me how I am with a heartfelt, “Blessed beyond measure.”(!) For, you see, I’ve had the joy of trusting, relinquishing, and yielding my life to the wondrous, compassionate, merciful, gracious, sacrificial, marvelous, and overall phenomenal, LORD GOD ALMIGHTY as HE is faithful and true in His care and purpose for me for over 48 years now! I was 15 when my ‘religious’ training and beliefs held in my head made the ‘12” trip’ into my ‘heart.’(soul) As an act of my conscious will, I chose to Thank the LORD for His sacrifice which made possible my reconciliation to HIM.. No longer did my sinfulness separate me from the joy of walking with, and coming to know HIM personally. Having made this decision, I soon learned 2 keys as to why HE desires us to KNOW HIM.. HE has shown me how it’s His pleasure to do so since we are His treasure!  In 2006, HE delivered this poem to/through me.. May its content confirm to you the wonder of HIM as it’s truly His pleasure grant blessings beyond measure!

TREASURED

While out on a walk one glistening day, I was listening to hear You say,

“Dear one, you’ve been thinking about My chest full of treasure

and, you know that it’s truly filled beyond measure!

But first, come join in My pleasure as I let you see,

just what a treasure you are to Me!

You see, I value you so much that I promise to provide,

true peace, hope and joy as you walk alongside!

Peace is yours, as you learn that there is never a need to fear-

Hope is yours for the keeping, no matter the cause for weeping.

Joy is yours as you focus on knowing that My devotion to you is always                      !                                                                                             overflowing!

Rejoice dear one, as you recall that the treasure in My chest is realized best

as you relax in the essence of being welcome in My presence!”

Most are familiar with the beloved 23^rd PSALM in which we state, THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD..  When JESUS described Himself as THE GOOD SHEPHERD, He stated His intention to lead us in ABUNDANT LIFE (JOHN 10:10b)! Finally, for now, JOHN 1:16-17 state, ‘Out of the fullness of His grace, He pours out blessing upon blessing. Grace and Truth came through JESUS! Joy is knowing HIS PLEASURE as we are His TREASURE! Are you allowing yourself to be His? If not, welcome HIM soon…

WHAT IS MAN, or, WHOSE AM I?

 WHAT IS MAN? Or, WHOSE AM I?     Week of 4-25-18

When pondering the above questions, PSALM 8 helps me realize                        Whose I am, and What I am…    8:1 O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth, Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!    3When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have  ordained;    4What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him?                                                                                                       5 ..You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You crown him with glory and majesty!

GENESIS 1 also inspires me as I read, 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”27So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.

Blessedly, we can know WE ARE HIS, and that we are created in God’s image to glorify, know, serve, and love HIM now and forever!

            As we look at WHAT, and WHOSE, we are, I think of 3 key Scripture passages..                            ROMANS 12:1-3 ‘(Therefore,) I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.’  In these verses, we learn how, as HIS, we are to worship Him through our bodies and minds as we welcome God’s will and work in our lives. Humility is crucial..Hmm..

JEREMIAH 9:23-24 reminds us, ‘This is what the LORD says: Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they know and understand Me, that I am the LORD Who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight.’    If we are HIS, we can be vessels of His kindness, justice, and righteousness.

Finally, GALATIANS 2:20 answers well for us today. ‘I have been crucified with Christ, therefore it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives within me. The life I now live in my flesh, I live by FAITH in the One Who gave Himself up for me!’  Practice Forsaking All, I Take, Trust, and Thank Him!

FREED FROM FEAR

Hello dear readers.. As I said recently, I apologize for the formatting of these recent posts.. I copy/paste the SHEILA'S SHARING SHEETS which I distribute via email attachments and also in 'hard copy' to many individuals I cross paths with each week.. I love knowing there are some of you out there who do read this blog.. So.. Here is the current one! VERY TIMELY!

SHEILA’S SHARING SHEET   FREED FROM FEAR    Week of 4-18-16

(I am typing this the day after a terrorist bomb exploded in a bus in JERUSALEM.. Very near where I was just a few days ago!!)

Having just returned from our much-anticipated trip to Italy and Israel, I can now share how we were able to go ahead and actually take that trip in spite of Americans having been warned to avoid European airports and subways, etc in the wake of the Brussels, Belgium terrorists’ attacks a few weeks ago..

The ‘HOW,’ actually has 3 components which apply to anyone who learns to live in the LIGHT of Jesus who makes peace, hope, and joy everyday realities for us.

First off, I think of His understanding of our initial tendency to FEAR.. When it was time for the birth of JESUS to become known, the angels appeared, immediately telling the shepherds to ‘FEAR NOT!’ This year, I came to realize God’s compassion towards us (them) as HE addressed their natural reaction. So, welcoming His compassion towards me (us) is ONE way to deter FEAR..

Secondly, I fully trust in the truth of God’s numbering of my days.. PSALM 139:13-16 reminds, and assures me how the day I pass out of this body will not merely be matter of ‘chance,’ (unforeseen events, threats, etc!) but will be HIS perfect timing for my eternal reunion with HIM in GLORY!  What a joy it is to read, “13For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 16Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” In fact, the psalmist continues by recording, “17How precious to me are Your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! 18Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you!” I am secure in HIS commitment to me.

Thirdly, I find refuge from FEAR in knowing how HE is my shield, fortress, protector, and SO MUCH MORE! PSALM 18:30 says, “As for God, His way is perfect: The LORD's word is flawless; He shields all who take refuge in Him.” II SAMUEL 22:31 reminds me, "God's way is perfect. All the LORD's promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to Him for protection.” 

There are many more references to how and why we are meant to be free from fear’s bondage, but I will close with ISAIAH 41:10. “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Finally, in JOHN 14:27, JESUS told us believers, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Consider praying, "LORD JESUS, please help me to grow in my trust in YOU solely!!                           In Jesus' Name I pray! AMEN"

HOW CAN IT BE? POST-EASTER SHEILA'S SHARING SHEET..

SHEILA’S SHARING SHEET   TO YOU, FROM ME, BECAUSE OF HIM    Week of 3-28-16

Now that Easter Day, 2016 has passed by, let’s look at JOHN 10:11-15,17-18, a passage I don’t think I’ve ever heard presented at Easter time. “¹¹ I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.¹² He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. ¹³ He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. ¹⁴ I am the good shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me, ¹⁵ just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep…  ¹⁷ For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”                            As I re-read it, I realized the EASTER message..                                                     NOBODY TOOK HIS LIFE FROM JESUS! HE LAID IT DOWN WILLINGLY!                                        Yes, He still had authority to save his physical life, but at what cost? Our text lets us know WHY He yielded to death on the cross! He needed, and desired to, protect us. For, as His sheep, we are very vulnerable to the THIEF, who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy us eternally! He knew of the ‘JOY set before Him’, as the PERFECT SHEPHERD who was making permanent provision for our care possible! We can all delight in JESUS’ final words, “IT IS FINISHED!” He knew He’d rise again.. breaking the power of sin and death for all who will receive Him through His gracious, merciful, sacrificial act, resulting in our reconciliation with, and to, HOLY GOD ALMIGHTY! For, you see, HE was THE LAST SACRIFICE required by (acceptable to) the LORD for this restoration of relationship to HIM. Prior to JESUS’ death, the blood of animals was what it took in order for people to atone for their sins..

A beloved hymn, AMAZING LOVE, asks a couple of key questions which can help focus us here..The first one is, “And can it be that I should gain and interest in the Savior’s blood?.” Then, the chorus begins with,                                                                  ‘AMAZING LOVE, HOW CAN IT BE THAT THOU MY GOD SHOULDST DIE FOR ME?’

The HOW, is that HE KNEW HE’D be completing the necessary sacrifice so we, as humans could then answer the most important question of our lives..

Will we decide whether to REJECT, RESIST, and REFUSE HIM,                                         or to RECEIVE HIM in ALL HIS GLORIOUS, GRACIOUS, MERCIFUL, WONDROUS, and COMPASSIONATE ways and character?        

   Simply acknowledging, “The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not want..” is a great way to anticipate an abundant life for, as His sheep, we can GROW, GLOW, AND GO forth each day, knowing we are fully cared FOR, .. not simply, cared ABOUT!      

My  ‘LIFE’ verse is JOHN 10:10.. I have included it in its parts on this sheet, but here it is in full. “The thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, but I have come so you may have abundant LIFE!” (I am amazed at HIS ways!)