Thursday, December 29,
2011
I have
said it before and I say it again, we have been truly blessed to have been used
by God to send out Gramps Morning Thoughts – 395 of them. But I sense it is
time to stop, at least for a season. We are packing the car preparing to
head to Bartlesville, once again, where we will work \volunteer at the Voice of
Martyrs ministry for three weeks and then off to Kansas for a month or so with
family.
The
work at VOM is hard for folks that are older than dirt and we probably should
spend more time in a rocking chair, but we thoroughly enjoy being with the
people and knowing that each piece of mail that we touch is an opportunity to
send a blessing along to a persecuted Christian someplace in this world.
And the neat part of the hard work -God gives us the strength to put in
eight hours of hard labor five days a week!
As I
write this final message, my bride is out (you might have guessed it)
volunteering her services at a local ministry. I do not know how
many hours we have spent in such services this year but do know we have driven
over 4500 miles in getting to and from projects and will surpass the 5000 mile
mark before the year turns.
Luke
6:38 has been our guide and the foundation of all that we have tried to do with
our lives.
Luke
wrote, “Give, and It will be given to you”. Wow, I like that
Lord! You mean I have something to say about the blessings I will
receive? I believe that is what He is saying; “They, (the
blessings) will pour into your lap a good measure- pressed down, shaken
together, and running over”. Now notice these final words of this
text, “FOR BY YOUR STANDARD OF MEASURE IT WILL BE MEASURED TO YOU IN RETURN.”
Does that not deserve a double Wow?
The
rock on which we have tried to build our lives has been based on Paul’s words
in Galatians where Paul warned, “We will reap what we sow in our lives!” (Gal
6:7) Matthew adds to this in the ‘parable of the sower’ when he tells us we
will reap more than we sow and it makes a difference where and how we
sow. (Matt. 13:3-9)
Returning
to Paul for the fringe package that goes with ‘Seed Planting’, “Now this I
say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows
bountifully will also reap bountifully.” Now, notice the power part
of this verse- “Each must do as he has purposed in his heart not grudgingly
or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver”.
Do
you want grace to abound in your life? Do you want to have all
sufficiency in your life? Do you want to have ‘abundance’ for every good
deed in your life? Then know “He who supplies seed to the sower
and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase
the harvest of your righteousness” (2 Cor. 9:6-11).
Soooo,
my good buckaroos, my prayer for you is that you, too, will be a “seed
planter”, and that you will have a hunger and thirst for His Word and be a
sacrificial giver to those who are not as fortunate as you are and need to see
God’s love and plan of salvation through you. For those reading this who
might not know Jesus as Savior, we pray that you will read John 3:16, ask Jesus
to be your Savior and Lord, and seek out a friend or pastor who will help you
grow.
There
is a season for farmers to sow, wait…. Then comes the Harvest. The time for Spiritual Seed planting is NOW….
And nurturing and mentoring…(encouraging
and sharing the Word… But Harvesting is up to the Holy spirit. Gma J
Blessings,
Gramps
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