Zing! Opportunity Missed!

Peter said, “To sum it up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might receive a blessing” (1 Peter 32:8-9). 

Hey Gang, I have said it before, and am sure I have written it in past Gramps Morning Messages - I like to cut the grass!  Yes, I know that sounds rather weird, but you see my mower is very noisy and I can sing at the top of my capacity and no one will hear me.  And how many know that when we bellow it out at the top of our lungs to the Lord, there is a sense of comfort and peace that fills the heart. 

I always begin with the Kermit Christian Anthem that I learned as a little twerp, ‘Jesus loves me this I know’.  I don’t recall how I learned this reassuring song but I suspect it was my Grandma,  who lived with us during those formative years.  She had no inhibitions about bellowing out to the Lord and anyone within ear-shot, words of praise and worship that came from the depths of her heart.  I recollect that she did not have a harmonious or melodic voice, but she certainly had an angelic voice that filled the air with her praise to her Lord.

How I wish Jesus Loves me this I know was the national anthem for our nation.  IK suspect if every child began their school day by singing Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so, little ones to Him belong, they are weak but He is strong.  Yes, Jesus loves me, Yes Jesus loves me, Yes Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so. 

Hey, you moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas who have ankle bitters in your home, be a seed-planter and fill the air with words the dig deep into the heart of a child.  I have left instruction that three songs that have impacted my life are be sung at my funeral.  My anthem song, Jesus Loves Me this I know, This Little Light of Mine, I am going to let it shine and Lord,  Prepare Me to be A Sanctuary.

When God placed the “Go for it” sign on the Village Property and we were in the building stage of our first house, I thought we would have six months to prepare for the coming days when the kids would begin to arrive.  But He had a far different plan in mind.  A dear lady, who happened to be a Juvenile & Family Court Judge, and an avowed grandmother called and said, We have kids who desperately need help right now! Can you do anything?

What transpired in the next thirty days can only be placed in the miracle file – God provided all we would need, band-aided it together and the Eagle Boys Village Camp provided a shirt-tail to hang on to for more than ninety kids.  We certainly did not have any of the conveniences of the modern camps but we had all we needed  to give the kids what they wanted the most, someone to love them and walk with them through the valleys they were dealing with in their lives. 

And as I look back on those early camps, I firmly believe the Word of God was planted in the heads and hearts of every child who found his or her way to the camps through the words, Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so.  We did not have them long enough to spend much times planting words from the Word, but God took the seeds that were planted through Scripture songs that penetrated deep into the souls of each child.

One burly young lad let me know he did not believe in that stuff and wanted no part of it.  I agreed with him and said, just sit quietly and, if necessary, plug your ears.  A few days into the program I happened to be walking through the camp and heard someone singing- it was that young lad! 

So, my message to you this day: turn to Galatians chapter six and pay special attention to verse seven, “Don’t be deceived, God is not mocked: for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.” What are you sowing?

Blessings,

Gramps    

 

P.S. In seed planting, preaching is not an essential ingredient, what you model and do is!