“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to
you, not as the world gives do I give you. Do not let your heart be
troubled nor let it be fruitful” (John 14:27). “For thus says the Lord,
“behold, I extend peace to her like a river” (Is. 66:12).
Hey Gang: I have been blessed in my life
to find two places where I feel God’s peace deep in my soul. Now,
before you take me to task for making such a brash statement, let me add some
meat to that statement. I am certain that some of you would say
when we are in the arms of Christ, we should feel perfect peace at all
times. I certainly wish that were true and, if you experience that kind
of peace, I envy you. But in my lifetime I struggled when I heard a
pastor preach on Philippians 4:7 that tells me “And the peace of God,
which surpasses all comprehension (understanding), will guard you hearts and
our minds in Christ Jesus”.
I am writing this Gramps Morning Message from
the African Inland Mission, known by the residents as ‘Media’, meaning half way
between the mission field and heaven. Media is the retirement residence
for seventy-seven missionaries that spent thirty or more years in Africa as
warriors for Christ. Several have invested more that forty five years
seeking out the lost and giving them the Good News that there is God in heaven
who loves them so much He sent His only Son to die on a horrendous cross that
they might live eternally with Him.
It has been my privilege to come here several
times and invest a small piece of my life in helping to expand the campus so
that others can come. What joy there is in having seventy-seven children
of God praying for you when you are hanging shingles or suspended thirty feet
in the air, painting trusses. Visiting with them in their homes and listening
to their stories are experiences I will never forget.
I might add, referring to these dear people as
retirees is indeed a misnomer. Prayer is the joy of their lives when they
connect with their Heavenly Daddy. We see them taking their daily walks
with prayer list in hand. All those who have the physical stamina to “go
into all the world” are involved in the surrounding churches, schools and lives
of the local people.
Sooooo, when I tell people we are going to
Florida the response Is always the same - to do what? Your not going to
spend time on the beach, or go to Disney Land? I mean you are eighty
years old, isn’t it time to relax and enjoy your retirement years. And
our response is always the same, we will do some of those things but our focus
is to “be about our Fathers business”. I wonder how many sheep will be in
heaven because of the commitment of these 77 warriors for Christ. How
about you?
Blessings,
Gramps
P.s. On our last working trip here there was a
dear lady that was cared for in what we would call the extended care facility
by the name of Florence. She was blind and had multiple infirmities but
she was joy to spend time with. And then one day her systems began
to shut down and they moved her to the hospital where they stabilized her and
added a few more days to her life. It is said that she ministered to
every nurse, doctor and aid in those days and then one day she announced to the
chaplain, “Today I am going to go and meet my Jesus face to Face.” Wow,
what an awesome testimony.
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