Come Home

The following short story was posted by Nancy Leigh DeMoss on her site: http://www.seekinghim.com/

(I added the 2 passages from Ephesians)

Lorna Wilkinson had just left her alcoholic husband of twenty-one years when she came across our radio program, Revive Our Hearts. There she learned about the forgiveness God is willing to extend to us. Soon she came to faith in Christ.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)

Right about that time she also received news that her husband had suffered a heart attack and was in the hospital. She was convicted to go there and forgive him for the pain and chaos he had brought to their home.

“The Lord spoke in my heart and said, ‘Go and whisper in your husband's ear that he doesn't have to worry about a place to live, to come home.’"

Lorna’s life and marriage were miraculously transformed. Four months later her husband had another heart attack and was suddenly taken home to be with the Lord.

Now Lorna says, “I can’t imagine where I’d be today if I hadn’t made the choice to forgive.”

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace
Ephesians 1:7 (NIV)

Final Thoughts and remembering 911:
Sometimes forgiveness is the one of the hardest things for us to do. Many times we devote "lip service" to the act of forgiveness, but in our hearts we may not truly mean it.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Psalm 139:23 (NIV)

God makes it very clear that if we do not forgive others their trespasses that He will not forgive our own. (Luke6:37 & Matt6:15).

On this 8th anniversary of the Sept. 11th 2001 attacks, take a moment to stop and pray for the families of those that lost friends and loved ones. Then pray for those that selflessly came to the rescue of those in need (firefighters, police officers, paramedics, and all volunteers). Finally, take another moment to pray for those that committed that terrible act. There cannot be any room in our hearts to say "never will I forgive them for what they've done". The Lord will judge each of us and He alone will have vengeance.

Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, "I will take revenge; I will pay them back,”says the Lord.
Romans 12:19 (NIV)

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

The Wisdom of Hesitation

Please bear with me on the formatting for this post. The preview looks fine, but for some reason I am unable to get it to post in the proper format.

The following story is provided by Jim Shaver from West Virginia!

"On a cross-country journey in the summer of 2009, I stopped at a rural
New Mexico freeway rest area. I noticed an elderly gentleman with a
small dog climb into his pickup truck and leave. Moments later an
elderly woman approached the parking space with a confused expression. I
asked if she was looking for the man in the white pickup.

She confirmed and I explained I'd watched him drive onto the highway. It
was her husband; she asked to use my cell phone. When she dialed his
number his phone rang in her purse; she was unable to call him.

For nearly an hour, I and several truck drivers patiently waited with
her. Quite a crowd gathered. At times, she appeared angry and
frustrated, other times more confused and worried. Finally, a truck
driver and wife escorted her to their rig for coffee, while he used his
CB to notify other drivers to be on the lookout.

Then I saw the white truck pull back into the same parking spot. A
frantic elderly man jumped out. I let him know where his wife was. I let
his wife know her husband had returned.

They both hurriedly approached each other from across the lot until only
a few steps apart. Suddenly, they both stopped and just looked at each
other. The standoff lasted several seconds, neither uttering a word.

Then the man began to weep. He ran to her arms and sobbed
uncontrollably. After several attempts of his unintelligible attempts at
speech, she gently took her husband's cheeks into her hands, forcing him
to look into her eyes.

Over and over she said, "It's OK." I looked around through my blurring
eyes to see numerous tears flowing in the nearby crowd.

After a few moments of tears and hugging, he regained enough composure
to explain he'd realized his error within seconds of merging onto the
highway. However, there was no safe place to turn around on the divided
highway until the next exit, 12 miles away. Needing to backtrack again,
he'd driven 48 miles to return.

The wife is the real hero in this story. When the couple both first saw
each other, she had every right to unleash her anger for being
forgotten. She had every right to chastise, and belittle until her heart
was content. Most people would have vented anger on first seeing the
perpetrator.

But at that moment, even though she had every "right" to lash out, she
hesitated. By delaying her tirade, she transformed a situation of anger
and bitterness into one of unforgettable mercy and kindness. Even though
only observers, those of us who witnessed this event were graced by her
demonstration of forgiveness and genuine love.

To this day, whenever I feel slighted and ready to lash out, I think of
this experience and hesitate. Just because I have every right to be
angry, doesn't necessarily mean it's the best choice."

-Jim Shaver

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Matt 6:14-15

God bless you. And this is for His Glory!

Are you with Him?

The following is a true story -

After giving a sermon and finishing up all of his duties the preacher was on his way out of church. Before the preacher was able to get out the door a man came up and introduced himself. The man said that he was a secret service agent and asked the preacher if he would be interested in visiting the Oval Office. The preacher agreed and met the agent the very next day. As the preacher walked with the secret service agent they passed through one of the main gates that allowed them to enter the White House grounds. Immediately, they were met by other secret service agents who said, “You with him? Then go on through.” As the preacher followed the agent down the endless hallways of the White House they saw several other agents that looked him over and asked, “You with him? Then go on through.” Finally the preacher and the agent made it to the door directly outside of the Oval Office. A single guard stood there at attention and looked at the preacher. He said, “Sir, you are with him, so you may enter.” So the preacher entered the Oval Office with the secret service agent that he had only met the previous day. The preacher smiled in wonder and amazement at both the beauty and history of the highest office in the land.

Now let’s look at this in a slightly different way…

Let’s say that your time has come and you are standing outside the gates of Heaven. Immediately, you are met by Jesus and He joyfully embraces you. Jesus turns and you feel compelled to follow Him. He passes through the magnificent front gates of Heaven and as you follow Him you see a dozen angels standing guard at the gate. They look you over and say “You with Him? Then go on through.” As you walk through Heaven you come up to a large mansion that is guarded by more angels. Jesus walks through the door and they look you over. “You with Him?” They ask. “Then go on through.” So, you follow Jesus into the mansion and pass many other angels that nod at you since they know you are with Jesus. Finally, you come to a great door of magnificent brightness that resembles no color ever seen on the Earth. Jesus walks through the door and you feel compelled to follow. As you take a step, you see a very large angel looking down upon you. The angel says, “Blessed are you, for you walk with Jesus. You may enter.” So, you walk through the door and into the glorious presence of God.

The previous story of walking with Jesus was provided by the very same preacher that visited the White House. I wish that I knew his name.

God bless you. And this if for His Glory!