Dear Father in Heaven, what a great day You gave us, just wonderful. Thanks, Lord, for being with us each step of the day. Please, Lord, forgive me of my sins, and Lord, today I pray for all those going to work in Your fields of Harvest. Please watch over pastors, singers, and all others who work those fields. Thanks for protecting Dolores this day, all honor and glory to You. Please now help me with the message and then help me dispatch it for us. May I honor You this weekend by living for You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Dear brothers and sisters, another very busy day, very busy. Up early again, and after the chores we set out to place food carts in locations in our area. God was with us each step of the way. My cat wants to help type. He just came up on my lap. Okay, he's back down. I must tell you this. We have a high table in the living room and we have high chairs to sit on at the table. Today Dolores sat on one of them to eat. This evening I was talking to her, and I put my hand on the chair and it fell apart, the leg fell off of it. Had it happened a few hours before that, Dolores would have been dumped to the floor. Praise God, it did not let go when she was on that chair. After the message Monday, some very important dates about the food pantry and Santa's House.
Brothers and sisters, I am sorry, I must take a break, I am sitting here falling asleep ......................................................................................................... Okay, I am back, 5:30 AM. I wanted so badly to get the message out on Friday. In doing Jesus Loves Me, I just know I cannot finish this in one week. So if God does not change the subject on me for next week and He does not return for all of us and I am still on the green side of the grass, I will be on that same subject Monday. Please keep this line in your prayers and also all who work for Him. Now, Jesus Loves Me!!
Friday, November 1, 2013, Jesus Loves Me, Day Four.
Romans 5:3 - Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His LOVE into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us. (NIV)
Romans 5:8 - But God demonstrates His own LOVE for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (NIV)
Romans 8:28 - And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who LOVE Him, who have been called according to His purpose. (NIV)
Brothers and sisters, Jesus LOVES me, and brothers and sisters, each one of us can say that. Jesus LOVES us and us = you and me. Put your name in it, and see how it sounds. Jesus LOVES Dan! Jesus LOVES Grant! Jesus LOVES Danelle, Leann, LeaAnne, and I could just keep going on and on and on. You put your name in that place.
When you sing "Jesus Loves Me," put your name in place of "me." It would sound like this ... "Yes, Jesus loves Dan. Yes, Jesus loves Dan. Yes, Jesus Loves Dan. The Bibles tells Dan so." Now I bring that out like that because to get into heaven you must have a personal relationship with Jesus. While Jesus loves each one of us, not all will get into heaven, only those with that personal relationship. I often tell our flock at The Bridges that if Jesus were to return as we sit in church, I pray all would be taken and the room would be empty. The same goes at churches across the world, and I would pray all the churched folks would be taken up with Jesus. I would say this to all pastors that once in awhile they might tell their flocks just that. Maybe like this ... Brothers and sisters, if the Lord came right now, right now during this service, would you all go, or would you be sitting here alone asking "what happened?" It was years and years ago, and this time of year. I remember because we had turned the clocks back (that happens tonight, folks, turn that clock back one hour.) Anyway, the pastor, Dr. Richard Denison, and one other person arrived at the church and no one was there. He told me that he had joked with the other person, and I believe it was Patsy, but I'm not really sure, but he had stated and even told me later, "maybe the Lord came and we missed the call."
I want to roll you back to 1985 or 1986 (the streets are now paved) and Dolores and I went on a bus trip, or so to speak. A tour bus with "Brotherhood" Gospel singers, with Doug Boyer, Tim Beitzel, along with long-time Courier Duane Nicholson on board. The bus was full and Dolores and I purchased seats and told them to go ahead and sell two more seats on the bus, as we wanted to follow on one of our motorcycles. It was a wonderful trip, and I could write a book about that trip. However, I just want to bring out this one part. On the way back it was a straight run from Nashville, Tennessee, back to New Bloomfield, Pennsylvania. This would call for a bus driver change, and one long day on the motorcycle for Dolores and me. On the way back we stopped at a truck stop to eat, and we all gathered around the bike and anointed it with oil, yes, right on this truck stop parking lot. Then back on the bike, and we would be leaving the group soon to find a place to sleep. In the meantime, the storms came and Dolores and I got really wet, the kind of rain on a bike where you are "soaked to the skin," so we pulled into the front of this really big motel and under the drive-thru roof. I went in to check on a room, and it was out of our money range, we needed a Motel Six. Anyway, we were out under the roof drying out. It had now stopped raining. A man came past and went in and checked in. He came out and handed us the key to his room and told us to go in and take a shower as he was heading to a church conference of some type. We found out that this man was a long-time pastor and had been preaching for years and years. He was walking on "Cloud Nine" and was really praising the Lord, as he told us how long he had been preaching and he just found the Lord. My point to this long story is we just do not know in a church setting if even the pastor is saved. Jesus will be the judge, not us, but we surely can ask people, that is our job. Do not be afraid if you are not sure, to ask even your pastor if they are indeed born again. I had asked Pastor Dr. Richard Denison that question years ago, and at first he was taken aback and his answer was yes, he was born again. Later he preached on the subject of being saved and told how he was upset at first but then he said I cared enough to ask. All honor and glory to God for where He has used me over the years. Again, God loves us all, but we must love Him back.
Now let me get to the scriptures.
Romans 5:3 - Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His LOVE into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
Brothers and sisters, these verses talk about how our sufferings build us to be a better person, so as you pray for God to heal you and He still heals, rejoice in your pain, REJOICE IN YOUR PAIN. The scripture also tell us that all of this builds up hope and that hope will not disappoint us, and the reason it will not disappoint us is due to the LOVE that God put into our hearts. Yes, He put this Love right into our hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit. And the Bible tells us that God gave us the Holy Spirit. So brothers and sisters, if you are hurting while you are reading this, rejoice in that pain, and yes, keep praying for God to heal you, and He will, but while in pain, PRAISE God for that pain. Now I often said that God gives me messages that point right back at me. This is one. I have been in pain and I have not been rejoicing in it lately. I need to adjust my attitude on this.
Romans 5:8 - But God demonstrates His own LOVE for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
I love this one, I really do. God demonstrates His OWN LOVE for us. While we were still sinners and He forgives us daily if we ask, but folks, we are not to be doing that same sin daily. How did He demonstrate His love for us? You had better know this one. He died on the cross for us. I also want to point out this. For those who do not think of God in Three Persons. See, God demonstrated His own Love, and Christ died for us. Jesus Christ was/is and always will be. He is one and the same. So you see, God, The Father, God, The Son, and yes, God the Holy Spirit.
One more scripture. Hang in there with me.
Romans 8:28 - And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who LOVE Him, who have been called according to His purpose.
My dear online flock, this scripture so often is quoted short. It is quoted "All things come together for good." And the one who makes the quote gives the scripture Romans 8:28 and then says it and I will repeat it, they say, "All things come together for good." But that is not correct, it really is not. You must see it all and honor it all. Yes, all things come together for good, if indeed you LOVE Him. Yes, while God loves us, we must love Him. You know that personal relationship I talked about? And again it is for those who have been called for His purpose for us, and if we LOVE Him, we will answer the call. Brothers and sisters, let me wrap today up by asking you ...
He Loves you, do you really love Him? You are called by Christ into His service, each one a different way! Did you answer His call? And there will be times when the call gets changed. Are you willing to change when God changes your calling? On Monday, more on Jesus Loves me, and maybe on answering the call. Let's see what God gives me.
Now go forth and share your blessings, knowing Jesus Loves us. And yes, I love ya. Please pass that on.
Pastor Dan
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