Some people enjoy the mountains and the woods, but for me it is being on the water. I love the peace and serenity of the water. I enjoy fishing more than eating them. Just the challenge of feeling the tug at the other end of the line and knowing I may win the battle! I think Jesus enjoyed being around the water as well. Didn't He go to the fishing boats to recruit his disciples? Didn't he preach from a boat?
People need water for many reasons, drinking and cleansing for the physical body, but also the spiritual body is referenced in His Word. The scriptures say in John 4:1 "But whoever drinks from the water I give him, will never be thirsty again" and in Ezekiel 36:25 "I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness." John 7:38 "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water" tells us He is alive in us.
We have the promise of Him being with us in the storms Isaiah 43:2 "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through
the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you
shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you."
There is a lot in God's messages to us about the waters. Maybe that is why I feel so peaceful when I am by the water. When we started looking for a house, when my husband retired, we searched the internet for a house on the water, a place to relax and enjoy. We have been out in the fishing boat and we don't have to say a word, just enjoy the beauty of creation. Sometimes, God will allow us to see Him, like the day we saw a doe and her fawn playing in the edge of the water as we drifted pass. They did not even notice we were there, as they drank and splashed nearby.
Water is needed for survival on this earth. Organizations are in many places, bringing fresh, clean water to villages. In this same manner, the water Jesus spoke of is needed for eternal life.
After a very prominent attorney accepted Christ one day, he told me he felt warm and filled inside, but he said he couldn't explain his physical feeling. I was able to share with him, that he is now filled with the true living Spirit of God, that he now has the living water that Jesus was talking about flowing through his veins...like the blood of Jesus. He got so excited, knowing that the One true God lives in him now!
The scriptures guarantee that this water will be with us through eternity, Rev. 22:17 "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb."
My husband and his family used to sing this song....and it radiates the warmth of Christ.
Peace Like a River
Peace (peace like a river) like a river (peace like a river)
Flows (flows through my soul) through my soul (flows through my soul)
I've (I've been forgiven) been forgiven (I've been forgiven)
Cleansed (cleansed and made whole) and made whole (cleansed and made whole)
Chorus:
Peace like a river so gently is flowing
How sweet to my soul is this marvelous peace
Sweeter and sweeter each day it is growing
Like billows of glory it never shall cease
Filled (filled with the spirit) with the spirit (filled with the spirit)
I (I am so glad) am so happy (happy and glad)
Jesus (Jesus has given) has given (sweetly has given)
Wonderful (wonderful peace) peace (wonderful peace)
Peace (peace gently flowing) gently flowing (peace gently flowing)
Sweet (sweet and divine) and divine (sweet and divine)
This (this the assurance) the assurance (this the assurance)
Jesus (Jesus is mine) is mine (Jesus is mine)
Now...let's go fishing!
Blessings,
gs
Along with people around the world, we all watch the news in anticipation of what happened to Malaysian Flight #370. The sad, broken hearts and faces of families and friends, still clinging to hope across the television screen, penetrates our homes. How can they go on, not knowing what happened or where their loved ones are? Questions and more questions in their minds and no answers to be heard.
There will be another time of people disappearing from the face of the earth. The Lord Jesus will return to take His children home, we call this The Rapture of the Church. There will be meals left cooking on the stoves, shoppers disappear in the stores, drivers of vehicles vanish, babies taken out of their strollers, highchairs and even the wombs, utter chaos around the world.
The confusion of the Malaysian plane has hit the news big, which it should. It had 239 people on board, now missing. The mass millions of Christians missing will be confusion like mankind has never seen, except for those that are caught up in the air.
1Thessalonians 4:16-17 "For
the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice
of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ
will rise first.Then
we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the
clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the
Lord" assures us of the promise of His return.
The searching for the passengers and the plane will continue in the next weeks, days and months, until something is found. But the day of the rapture, many will know, because they have heard this spoken of by parents and pastors through the ages, but did not believe.
When flying on a plane, we know the 'risks' of a crash, they give you the safety tips prior to take-off and you can always review the card in front of you. As Christians, we hear the Word preached and can always read the scriptures and hear about the signs of the end times. According to the scriptures and everything I believe, as well as many scholars, there is nothing else to be fulfilled before the return of Christ and the Rapture. It is like, ok folks, it is time to buckle up, get out your floatation device, we are going down...but instead of down, we are to look up..because that is where we are going.
Luke 21:27-28 "Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a great cloud with power and great glory. But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
The question remains, where are those that are missing? What about the ones left behind? I don't have the answers for the plane's passengers and crew. Neither do I have the answers for how the families and friends of those missing will handle and endure the heartache. But I do know about those that will be raptured by the Son of Man, for they will be getting ready for the Feast in Heaven, celebrating around the Throne. Those that remain, because of unbelief ....need to prepare for a great tribulation.
If you are reading this blog, your name was not on the roster for flight #370. But, you could be reading this blog and your name is not written in the Book of Life, which is those that have repented, accepted and believed in the Son, Jesus Christ. One flight you were not on, but the next, you want to make sure not to miss.
If you have any questions or do not know Jesus, please contact me for more information. The main thing to know is that He loved you so much, He gave His life for you. (John 3:16) It is easy to know Him. Pray, repenting of your sin, (we all are sinners) and ask His forgiveness. Ask Him to become Lord and Savior of your life. He will write your name in the Book of Life, seal it with His blood. You are ready to fly!
If you do this for the first time, please write to us at gingersanders.com and let us know. If you have prayed to receive Christ already, we will meet you in the air or around the Throne.
Buckle up and look up! He is coming!
Blessings,
gs
We have a preacher friend who would look at a baby and say, "Boy, y'all marked that pup!" He never thought newborns were 'cute' so he just always said the same thing.
Let's think about the work 'mark' for just a moment. It's meaning is: a streak or defining line, to make visible, write a word or symbol for identification.
I used to think when the kids dropped something on the hardwood floor "it gave it character." Boy, my floors in the old house had a lot of character!
We have heard people say about someone, "They made a mark on my life."
What about you? Is your life a 'mark?' Think of the life of Jesus, it certainly made a mark on a lot of lives. His hands, feet and his back have the scars, or marks, showing how much He loved us.
When I think of dying, and we all will (unless Jesus comes first), I hope just maybe one person will be able to say I left a mark on their life. Some people die and it is sad that they die alone. Their life accounted for nothing to anyone else.
I don't think that is why we are here on this earth. We are here to tell God's story, to share with others His love. He wants us to be like Him, that means touching other lives.
He has a plan for each of us, some to be great evangelist like Billy Graham, some to be great missionaries like Lottie Moon, but others to be the simple Sunday School teacher that takes care of the babies in the nursery so the parent's lives can be touched as they go to learn about Jesus.
He asks us to live in His plan, to be obedient to Him. This does not mean we will live perfect lives, with no marks on it. We all will have trails in our journey. But those trails and marks on our lives, is what gives us character. They help to grow us to what He wants us to be. Yes, there can be tough days, but we should let the healing begin by leaning on Him. Seeing how this mark in our life will glorify the Father.
Can you remember an event that happened and you know where you were the moment it happened? For instance, 9/11 when the planes hit the towers and the towers came down. It still makes my stomach go sour. That event marked our lives. We didn't stop living that day, but it changed the security and methods we do things. We grow and move on, we cannot cling to the pain. If we cling to the hurt, we cannot help others...we are no good to the Father.
Think about the 'mark of the beast' that is spoken of in the bible. What does it represent? According to Revelation 13:15-18, it is the mark of the Anti-Christ. It will be put on the foreheads of those who worship him, in opposition of God.
Sometimes you can see a Christian and they have a glow about them and we recognize the Spirit that lives within them. I guess you could say that is their mark.
What about you? Are you leaving a mark in someone's life? Has Christ 'marked' you, so when others see you, they can see Jesus? When people walk by the 'marker' in the cemetery with your name on it, will it make a difference? Are you leaving a mark on this earth, one life at a time?
Start out today, tell someone that you love them. It does not have to be verbally, it could be a kind gesture. Just one step at a time, one day at a time, Christians can leave a mark...a footprint in time. Let us be the ones that have the mark of Christ on us. Let us be the ones that make a difference while we are on this earth.
"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but
Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by
faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" Gal. 2:20
Let the mark of Christ give your life some character, so you can make a 'mark.'
Blessings,
gs
We have been on deployment with the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team this week. As chaplains, we often hear despair after losing a home to a tornado or a flood. But this deployment was different, and we are realizing several had storms already in their lives. This was the ice storm that hit S.C., heavily damaging the beautiful trees and the beauty of His creation.
It reminded me of man, made perfect in the garden. God created man and woman to communicate with and walk with in the garden. The garden was of beauty and the man and woman had no flaws, pimples or wrinkles. All had been made in perfection, like that of it's creator.
Then entered evil, sin....despair. Once evil came into the garden and the lives of Adam and Eve, their world (and ours) changed.
While here in S.C. we still see the beauty of God's creation. We have seen some of the beautiful Live Oaks with the moss hanging low. The Mepkin Abbey's entrance is one of those places. The trees show their grandeur and beauty, shadowing the driveway entrance.
But the ice storm entered, causing havoc to many places of beauty here and dead branches are being pulled away to the street. Some of the trees are being cut away and now become firewood. Those trees are no more.
What about us? When the ice storms, or evil, is in our life...what keeps us going? Do we pull away the dead branches of sin, asking forgiveness? Or are we cut down and used for firewood? The answer to that, my friend, is what is inside you. If you have the grace and mercy, that has been offered by our God, you will withstand the storms of life. But, if you do not have Jesus, your tree will be cut down and burned as firewood.
It is simple. Stand tall, let the beauty of what Jesus has to offer show in your life. Get rid of those broken branches and ask forgiveness, let Him drag them out of your life. There is no sin, or branch, too big for God!
Trees" (1913) by Joyce Kilmer Mepkin Abbey Entrance
I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree
Blessings,
gs
THINK that
I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree
Read more at
http://www.poetry-archive.com/k/trees.html#kd40CchvxEgvSdXH.99
"For you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free" John 8:32
In his book 'How do you kill 11 Million People?' Andy Andrews says, "If it is correct that 'you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free,' then is it possible that if you don't know the truth, its absence can place you in bondage?"
In teaching our College and Career Sunday School class, we have been encouraging them to memorize scripture. Why? When you tuck the word of God in your heart, He is there. Sometimes verses will bubble up and you wonder where that came from. Young people don't understand that the older you get, the harder it is to 'remember'. But, if you have them already in you, the easier it is to recall them!
In the scriptures, God reveals Himself to us, His character, His promises which stimulate our faith and trust. He comforts us, as well as commands us and demands our obedience.
History tells us of faithful saints that had the scriptures in their hearts and what was accomplished throughout their lives. For instance, Fanny Crosby who was blind, began to memorize the scriptures when she was a child. By the time she was ten years old, she had memorized the first four books of the old Testament, as well as the four Gospels! This may be one reason she was able to write eight thousand beautiful hymns during her lifetime.
Corrie ten Boon noted that while imprisoned in the concentration camp, during World War II, they took away her Bible, but could not take away the scriptures stored in her heart. She said those scriptures gave her hope and endurance.
Several years ago, I remember attending a conference in Chattanooga, TN and met a lady from Dallas, TX. She felt God had laid it on her heart to memorize Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible. She had ridden from Dallas to Chattanooga with a friend, who said the whole way she heard Psalm 119! If her friend messed up, she started all over from the beginning! During the conference, this lady was asked to come up front and on the stage and quote what she could. Through the nerves and embarrassment, she recited Psalms 119:1-176 (the entire chapter!) without missing a word. She had tucked that chapter in her heart and her friend laughed and said that she too had learned most of it as well!
The Apostle Paul wrote "All
Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good
work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
We learn how to live, be more Christ-like, find encouragement, and are challenged when we are in His Word. Bible quizzes are good for children to learn the scripture, but it is not a game when it comes to His Word. The Bible is given to us to instruct, correct and grow us. It is so we can become the people of God, so that His love and goodness can freely flow through us.
If you feel it is IMPOSSIBLE to memorize the scripture, then just take the time to read His Word. Soak it up in your heart, let it speak to you. Prior to reading it, pray...asking Him to help you understand. The more you spend time with Him and His Word, the more you will grow in understanding. He wants to transform us to be more like Him.
We serve a mighty God Who does not want us in bondage to anything here on earth. He wants to set us free! It is in Him and spending time with Him, that we will know the truth!
Begin today a new walk with Him, in His word, whether by memory or reading. Be encouraged and know He is the Way.
Share with us, let us know what is your favorite scripture? Let us all be in this together!
Blessings,
gs
We all have heard the old saying,
And
yes, it is so true! Love is contagious! Several years ago, I attended
a ladies' book study where we put it to test. The ladies were instructed
to get something for their spouse, boyfriend, best friend or
parent. It did not need to be anything expensive, it could even be something
simple or homemade..like cookies. But the idea was to 'wrap' it like a
gift, make it special. It was to be a surprise, for no reason, except
that it was a gift of love. We were to do this for two or three weeks, see what happened and report back to class. It was amazing! Husbands
were bringing home flowers, boyfriends were asking them on extra dates,
parents were taking the family or grandchildren on special trips, the
'overflow' of love seemed to be endless! I remember one young lady stood
up and shared her new engagement ring!
I
remember another time, we had taken our children to Washington DC and
were on the elevator, going to the top of the Washington Monument. It was
my husband's birthday. On the crowded elevator, rising to the top, the
children and I started singing (loudly) 'Happy Birthday' to him. Folks
smiled and laughed and joined right in! It was contagious! The rest of
the day, as people recognized us, they would wish him a happy birthday!
Humans
are made to love, because He first loved us. We were created in His
image, is that not love? We love sure, but I think deep down inside, we
all want to be loved even more.
Have
you seen the television commercial where the young boy helps an elderly
lady carry her bags of groceries across the street and then the elderly
lady aids a young lady at the parking meter by giving her a quarter, the kindness just keeps going on and on? That is the way the love
of Christ should be in our lives. We should give it away, so that it
multiplies and multiplies and takes over the world!
Homes
would not be in so much anguish today if love was given away. I am
starting at the beginning with the parents and the torment that can be
stirred up in homes, the divorce rate, on to the finances and single parent homes. It is hard on everyone involved. Then, let's move to the children and
the lack of respect they have for parents and supervision. There is no
love shown in those families. It is heartbreaking to see families torn,
when if there was just one word of kindness, it could be the band aid that might start
the healing of the wounds.
There
are so many scriptures that speak of His love for us, but one of the
most quoted (and seen on the signs at ballgames!) is John 3:16 "For God
so LOVED the world He GAVE His only begotten Son." He 'gave' because He
'loved'. Can we not give because we love? We have heard of 'Paying if
forward' where people 'pay' for the vehicle in line behind them at fast
food places. Let us try to go bigger, let us try to be kinder, be
respectful, show the love. It is easier to 'pay' money than it is to actually
'give' self. Let us begin this week and give of ourselves, let us wrap up a
special time or gift for someone we love, show them you care.
Ending today with verses of a song..
We put smiles over frowns
And we laugh without reason
Live out loud
Cause our hearts still beating
Sing on the elevator
Watch how people stare
Capture reaction the moment’s still there
These are the times
That we live for
So do it big make it count
Reel it in slow
Cause the clock don’t stop
Time won’t stand still
You steal every moment that you can feel
Ha ha so we spread that love
Now everybody show it now
Do it all together now [2x]
(And it'll all work out)
Spread that love everyone and have a wonderful weekend with those you love!
Blessings,
gs
It seems every time you turn on the television, the top of the news is the weather. I live in the south and yes, I know everything came to a standstill when we received two inches! Our church recognized those folks that were stranded away from home during those couple of days! And yes, we did have heroes that housed and fed strangers!
Then, I listen to the weather for the central states, since we have a son in IN and another son in KY. They have been hammered with snow this winter! Our friends with Samaritan's Purse have been trying to help rebuild in Long Island and OK after Hurricane Sandy and the tornado in Moore. One friend posted a picture of a snowman wearing a orange Samaritan's Purse shirt!
What are we to do? Seasons come and seasons go, but man endureth the storms. Some are easy to bear; while others kick us
when we’re already down. For every moment in between this swinging
pendulum of life, there is one steadfast: God. His faithfulness never
changes, nor does the truth found in His Word (Psalm 100:5).
Have you ever thought that during the physical, winter storm it may be a time to look at your life? See if you are 'winterized' with the Word of God? We speak of being 'hot' and being 'cold', but what about our souls? His Word tells us "So because thou art lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my mouth." Rev 3:16
These winter months are a great time to snuggle up with a good book and stay inside. What better time to snuggle up with God our Father and read His book? Let Him keep your soul winterized, preparing for the storms that will come into your life.
If you wonder where to start, the beginning or the end? Either is great, but you can start in the middle at John as well. What about the prophets, they are good too! Love story...book of Solomon. War, murder, deceit...David's stories! Wit and wisdom...Proverbs!
So much adventure is to be had! Got to go read, winter will be over soon!!
Blessings,
gs
