From: Suzianty Herawati "My expectation is from Him." --Psalm 62:5
It is the believer's privilege to use this language. If he is looking for aught from the world, it is a poor "expectation" indeed. But if he looks to God for the supply of his wants, whether in temporal or spiritual blessings, his expectation" will not be a vain one. Constantly he may draw from the bank of faith, and get his need supplied out of the riches of God's lovingkindness. This I know, I had rather have God for my banker than all the Ro thschilds. My Lord never fails to honour His promises; and when we bring them to His throne, He never sends them back unanswered. Therefore I will wait only at His door, for He ever opens it with the hand of munificent grace. At this hour I will try Him anew. But we have "expectations" beyond this life. We shall die soon; and then our "expectation is from Him." Do we not expect that when we lie upon the bed of sickness He will send angels to carry us to His bosom? We believe that when the pulse is faint, and the heart heaves heavily, some angelic messenger shall stand and look with loving eyes upon us, and whisper, "Sister spirit, come away!" As we approach the heavenly gate, we expect to hear the welcome invitation, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." We are expecting harps of gold and crowns of glory; we are hoping soon to be amongst the multitude of shining ones before the throne; we are looking forward and longing for the time when we shall be like our glorious Lord--for "We shall see Him as He is." Then if these be thine "expectations," O my soul, live for God; live with the desire and resolve to glorify Him from whom cometh all thy supplies, and of whose grace in thy election, redemption, and calling, it is that thou hast any "expectation" of coming glory. CH Spurgeon ===================================================== From: Bayo Afolaranmi Dearly Beloved, IF NOT FOR GOD... "Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23, NIV). We are already in the eight month of the year. Have you ever looked back to see what God has done in your life this very year? I did, and I realized that if not for God, especially for His faithfulness over my life, probably I would have been no more by now. I have a first cousin that grew together with me. Our intimacy then made people to refer to us as "husband and wife." However, marital and other commitments of life kept both of us away from each other for many years, though we do communicate regularly on phone. Her recent visit to my family was a reminiscence of our childhood years. We looked back to when we were growing up and now that both of us are happily married with children. We discussed our experiences in the past years. As a practicing nurse, she recounted many experiences of dying people who died in her presence. She noted that many of such people were younger to her in age. What normally comes to her mind whenever such people die is that what makes her better than these people that makes God to still preserve her life until the present. I also looked back and remembered many times I have travelled especially on the dangerous road from my school. Why has God preserved me from all sorts of dreaded accidents that have claimed the lives of many people? My cousin and I concluded that it is the grace of God that makes us to still be alive today. If not for God's faithfulness and grace, we would have been consumed by the storm of life! If you look back, you will see many things that God has done in your life. In that popular hymn, "Count Your Blessings," Johnson Oatman, Jr. wrote, "When you look at others with their lands and gold ... count your many blessings money cannot buy.... Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, See what God has done; Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessings, see what God has done." If not for God's faithfulness and grace.... In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor). ===================================================== Glory of Your Presence http://www.lyricstime.com/ron-kenoly-oh-the-glory-of-your-presence-lyrics.html ==================================================== From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] A Christian Several years ago, a preacher from out-of-state accepted a call to a church in Houston, Texas. Some weeks after he arrived, he had an occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change. As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, 'You'd better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it.' Then he thought, 'Oh, forget it, it's only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? Anyway, the bus company gets too much fare; they will never miss it. Accept it as a 'gift from God' and keep quiet.' When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, and then he handed the quarter to the driver and said, 'Here, you gave me too much change.' The driver, with a smile, replied, 'Aren't you the new preacher in town? 'Yes' he replied. 'Well, I have been thinking a lot lately about going somewhere to worship. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change. I'll see you at church on Sunday.' When the preacher stepped off of the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, held on, and said, 'Oh God, I almost sold your Son for a quarter.' Our lives are the only Bible some people will ever read. This is a really scary example of how much people watch us as Christians, and will put us to the test! Always be on guard -- and remember -- You carry the name of Christ on your shoulders when you call yourself 'Christian.' Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny. I'm glad a friend forwarded this to me as a reminder. So, I choose to forward it to you - my friend. God bless you; I hope you are having a wonderful day! If you don't pass this on to anybody, nothing bad will happen; but, if you do, you will have ministered to someone. The Will of God will never take you to where the Grace of God will not PROTECT you... Stay FAITHFUL and Be GRATEFUL!
