Little Things In Life

Little Things

Too often we don't realize
what we have until it's  gone.
Too often we wait too late to say
"I'm sorry - I was wrong."

Sometimes it seems we hurt the ones
we hold dearest to our hearts.
And we allow foolish things
to tear our lives apart.

Far too many times we let
unimportant things into our minds.
And then it's usually too late
to see what made us blind.

So be sure that you let people know
how much they mean to you.
Take that time to say the words
before your time is through.

Be sure that you appreciate
everything you've got.
And be thankful for the
Little things in life...that mean a lot. 

Author Unknown

Source: mamarocks.com

Come And Do As The Lord Asks

Luke 7:6 - "And when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof . . For I also am a man set under authority . . I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it."  Jesus could have said to the centurion, "My servants are just as good," but Jesus didn't talk like that to people. Jesus was impressed by this man, not just because he had authority but because of the faith and confidence he had.  Jesus knew that this authority didn't come by birth or was purchased somewhere or found by chance.  "Coming, doing, going. " Isn't that what our life is about?  We come into this world, then we go sooner or later, and in between is the doing part. Sometimes we disengage ourselves, we get into neutral and don't do anything, but if we do that we are just wasting time.

This chapter starts off with a call that every one of us receives. If Jesus was here in person, He would be glad to look at every person in this shed and say, "Everyone has responded to my invitation to come." It is different when we come into this life.  No one asks us if we are ready for it or where we want to be, but coming into the family of God, we have input.  We have to decide whether we will come.  We read the word, "Come" many times in Isaiah, and also in Hebrews 4 it speaks of the wonderful opportunity we have to come boldly to the throne of grace.  In the same book, it speaks about coming into the holiest of all, because we received a call from God, "Come."  At first, this invitation may not seem suitable to us.  But when God calls, He gives us an open door and if we come when He calls, not when it pleases us, then we have wonderful liberty. 

I thought about Esther.  At that time, if you went too close to the king without being invited, it was the end of your life.  You would be trespassing.  So it is if you go past a palace or a house, no matter how big or small, if you are not invited in but you go in there, you make yourself a trespasser and have no liberty.  But if you walked past a palace and the king said, "Come in; I will show you around," it doesn't matter where you come from, it is a liberty you would not get any other way.  An invitation to come in opens up so much which would be closed otherwise.  If we respond, then we can get to know the King of kings, and He can get to know us.

The time comes when He says, "What if you go and tell people about this wonderful place? I want you to try and get other people interested so I can invite them, and not only to invite them but to see them respond."  When He tells you to go, you have authority and can say, "The King sent me; I am not on my own." And another thing, you have your testimony and can say, "I have been there, I have seen part of it; I like it and want to be nowhere else except in His presence."  I don't know most of you but I presume that all of you came gladly to this convention.  It is only for a limited time and maybe you are a bit like Peter, thinking, "It is good to be here. Can't we stretch it out a bit more?"  It is a good feeling but Jesus didn't take the bait and say, "Yes, why not?"

I appreciate Peter's life very much, especially the way he started to walk with Jesus and how he learned.  Then you have the two letters he wrote at the end of his life and you see what wonderful changes took place in his life. But at this time he was listening to his emotions, a little bit selfish and forgetting about the other people down the mountain.  It seems that Peter and the other two didn't do so well at that wonderful place.  Luke 9:32 - "But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep."  So, when Peter said, "Let us make three tabernacles," he didn't know what he was saying, and we are not always sure of what we are saying.

Some years ago, I remember a Bible study about the time Peter denied Jesus.  The more I listened to what was said, the sorrier I felt for Peter and was glad he wasn't there because he got one knock after another.  Afterwards, I made a suggestion that we should speak about ten good things in the life of Peter, not about the time Peter denied the Lord.  It wouldn't be very hard to find ten experiences where Peter made up for denying his Lord, for speaking before thinking and not knowing what he was saying.  "Master, it is good for us to be here."  Most likely, Peter didn't think all the way through and we sometimes make that mistake.  How would they build three tabernacles up there?  Maybe that is how we feel, but let us remember there is more to do than feeding our souls and getting reassured. God has another work; there are more people in this world than you and I, and who knows which one God wants to invite as soon as you get home?  Luke 8:27 - "There met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs."  This man was known as Legion and his past life was not a very nice one.  Some people tried to help him but nothing was strong enough to hold him.  He was possessed by all those devils.  Then the time came when Jesus came into his life and changed his life in a wonderful way.  It is not hard to enter into the feeling of that man afterwards, when he wanted to just stay with Jesus. Vs 38:  "Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying, Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee."  "Go, talk to your people and show them the wonderful change that has taken place in your life." 

This man, Legion, lived amongst the tombs, running around with no clothes.  Then the people found him sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind.  It is a nice combination.  Do you ever bump into people who try to tell you that what you wear is not important, that it is what is in the heart that is important?  This man could have said, "I have joy in my heart, I have a song of thankfulness on my lips, who bothers about clothing?"  Well, this little part of this verse should be sufficient to silence every thought along the line of whether the outside matters at all.  He was clothed and in his right mind, sitting at the feet of Jesus, feeling comfortable now and Jesus was feeling comfortable with the way Legion was clothed.  The way people dress shows the way they think.  There is some connection; do you dress to conceal or to reveal?  It is one or the other.

This man was clothed and in his right mind.  He wanted to be with Jesus, comfortable now amongst people and continuing with Jesus. Then Jesus said, "Go back to your people and show them by your life. If anyone is interested enough, they will ask you."  Like Peter said, just be ready to give an answer.  Don't go back and start preaching at them, but give an answer about the love and joy that has come into your life.  Show them first, then if somebody asks, you can tell them.  That is the right way.  Legion showed the whole city what Jesus had done for him and when Jesus came back there, the people gladly received Him.  It was a wonderful mission he was able to work just because he was willing to let Jesus come into his life, and to do what Jesus said, to go with a living testimony. 

We read of other people whom Jesus helped and He asked them to keep it quiet.  Now, how does that work?  To one person, He says, "Go and show what has been done."  To another He says, "Keep it quiet." Well, there might be things we don't understand but we can rest assured that whatever Jesus asks is always within the reach of possibility, not too hard and always the right thing.  It was just a test for each one and tests are different.  For some it is a battle to get up and say a few words.  For others, they have to be tested to see if they can keep quiet for some time.  It is individual.  So, every one of us have the same authority when we go out, but we might have a little different job to do whereby we can be a help to the Gospel story.

Most of you would say, "Coming here for four days doesn't make such a drastic change, like the life of Legion." You might look four days older, but who is going to notice that?  I hardly know any of you, or where you live or anything about your neighbors.  But when you left four days ago to come here, your neighbor may have watched you go or did you go and sign off, tell them you were going? Someone could have watched your life and said, "There they go again, like last year."  You came here and some of those who prepared here said, "Here they come again." Then in a few hours they will say, "There they go again," and your neighbors will say, "Here they come again."  Maybe there are some who might say, "They are back again, so in the next few weeks we can count on an invitation to a meeting." 

You know, if we do things year after year, people notice.  You might think, "I have invited them time after time, so now I have given up on them." But what about this wonderful change that took place in the life of Legion?  Do you have enough faith to believe that the same way God was working in your life long before you responded to the invitation, He can also bring about a wonderful change in the life of your neighbor?  Don't give up, just keep on.  Changes are necessary, but it is also wonderful to have certain things in life that don't change.  If it means you invite them, don't change it. God might work a change in that person and they might come this time.

John 9:1 - "And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth."  This was a blind man but that didn't stop him from getting in touch with Jesus, just as the legion of devils could not stop that man responding to the invitation of Jesus. Vs 6: "And he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam."  The blind man was obedient and this was a miracle in his life.  He could see. I think that, after he realized he could see, he would be heading straight back to Jesus. But before he got there, he ran into some of his neighbors.  Vs 8: "Is not this he that sat and begged? Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him: but he said, I am he."  He was not afraid of his past and he was not afraid of his present, either.  We never can predict how people are going to respond or react, and we don't just pick the ones where the chances are fairly high and say that all the others are lost anyway. 

Sometimes we are surprised by the responses we get from people.  We had Gospel meetings three years ago in a restaurant.  We didn't need more than ten chairs, and we got a room in a hotel with a sliding door between us and the restaurant. On the first night, we said, "We will have to sing softly so we don't upset the other people."  We didn't want to sound too religious to the people on the other side of the door who were drinking at the bar. It would not mix well, so we sang softly. The next week I was there a little early and the boss said, "Are you going to sing nicely, like you did last week?"  They enjoyed it!  We think we know how people are going to react and we jump to conclusions too quickly sometimes. Creation is a wonderful testimony of the power and wisdom of God.  I got thinking about a plant God created before anything else, something that grows and has a flower and seed in itself.  It is what sheep and kangaroos and cows eat: grass. Not just Kikuyu; I came up with 5 or 6 different grasses I could identify and then I asked Mr. Google and he told me there are no less than 10,000 types of grass in the world.  Going for walks in the mornings at preps, I saw grass everywhere and a basic instinct awoke in me to take some back and show how beautiful grass could be. So, I took a bunch of grass flowers back to preps and the reactions were different again. One was, "Wonderful flower arrangement!"  Not long after, someone else came along and said, "Have you been collecting weeds again?"

So, don't give up because you don't get the reaction you wish for. Just keep on and don't lose the focus of what God has created, because that is going to lead you further and take your thoughts towards the things God has prepared for all eternity.  The grass, herbs, trees and people will all come and go and God has planned it that way, but His plan doesn't stop there. He has something planned that goes on for ever and ever.  Isn't it a wonderful privilege to be able to work together with Him, to have a little part in helping somebody that might be blind to the way of God and blind to their own needs? You can be an instrument to help that person if you are just willing to go at the time Jesus tells you and to do what He tells you to do. 

Sometimes it is hard to get us excited about things, but once we have made up our minds we think we can do twice as much as others.  Maybe it is well meaning and we want to show how much this means to us, so we do more than we are asked.  Matthew 21:2 - "Go into the village . . ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them, and straightway he will send them."  These disciples were told what to do and what to say, and they did no more and no less.  I thought of the danger of two people saying between themselves, "A donkey for Jesus is not good enough; after all He is the King of kings and Lord of Lords and we want to be identified with Him. He must have a horse at least, or a chariot. We will do more than He asks."  But Jesus would have to say, "That doesn't line up with my faith or with God's plans," because God had already spoken about this time years before, through the prophets.

Had they changed that a little bit, it is like the thought that it doesn't matter what we look like on the outside.  That is a danger we have to be careful of, not to try and improve on things.  If they had changed things, Jesus would have had to find somebody else to go and bring the colt.  If they had changed what God had spoken so long ago, it would have opened a door for anybody to say, "If God wasn't able to fulfill that part of His promise, what about the other parts?" Little changes . . but at the end you have nothing left of what God has planned. 

I had another experience that describes the need of sticking to what He tells you.  Don't try to do better or be more efficient, just stick to what He tells you. Twenty years ago I was at convention preparations and one of my nephews, about 15 years old, wanted to come and spend time with us.  I was in the north of Germany and he was in the south, so I talked to his Dad and we agreed that he would come on a certain train and I would get on at a certain station and we would travel the last part together.  The express train came in and I got on at the front and walked through the whole train but did not find anybody who looked like my nephew.  So, I went to my destination and rang my brother to tell him I couldn't find my nephew. He said, "I told him, if he gets off at the station you are waiting on, you can take another train that will cost a few bob less."  But he didn't tell my nephew to get off at the front of the train; he got off at the back of the train, so we didn't see each other.  There was much confusion because they tried to save a little bit, but it made it more expensive.

When the Spirit says, "Come," drop everything because it is going to be a blessing and it can also give certain liberties which we would never get in any other way. Then, when the Lord tells you to go don't be afraid, because He gives us His authority. Just do what He asks, no more and no less, and He will give you the blessing. ~ ~ ~

 H. ROTHMUND - 2015 - Come and do as the Lord asks - 2nd Maroota, Australia         

The Tunnel Experience

This is the first time in my life I have ever stood on a platform to speak with a hairdo like this. I do not represent some other faction--there are no factions in God's Kingdom. Wherever we find the people of God, they are the same. My head cover has come as a result of my illness. It is a poor substitute for what God has given us to cover our head.  When I see all your hairdos, my heart says, "Don't abuse your hair." I lost mine in three days and that could happen to anyone. A turban is a poor substitute for what God has given us for our glory. 

I have been recuperating in Washington with my brother and sister-in-law and I have been going on some walks. I have enjoyed some meditations and reflecting back on them. A tunnel isn't always a pleasant experience, but it helps us on our journey. I look at the mountains and the difficult terrain that we would have to tread if someone had not cut a tunnel. As dark and difficult as they may be, tunnels are a help toward the end of the journey. It was getting near Gilroy time and my mind went back a year to the tunnel of grief, sorrow and loss when our two young brothers were taken and then the tunnel of concern for our other young brother, lying in the hospital. The influence of that tunnel went around the world and our feelings were shared in every part. A unity came out of it that had never been and it has bound us together and helped us. 

I have begun to realize there are a lot of tunnels in the scriptures I wasn't aware of before. Joseph started in a tunnel at the age of seventeen when his father thought he was dead and his brothers didn't care. He went through some very difficult experiences but had something in his heart that sustained him through that tunnel. "The Lord was with him." The presence of God came to him from that tunnel experience - a deep under­standing and consciousness of the presence of God. 

Job had a tunnel experience - everything he had naturally was taken from him and he was devastated and felt "Why go on?" but he was in the tunnel. He said, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust Him." That experience made trust so real to him. Grateful is the man or woman who passes through a tunnel on their journey and finds it solidifies their trust in the God of heaven. 

Psalm 71:4-5. The Psalmist was going through an experience every child of God goes through, maybe even more than once. He said, "Thou art my hope." That experience deepened his hope in the God who was able to keep and deliver him and bring him to the end of the tunnel. 

The day these thoughts were so real to me was the day after the doctor gave me the report of my tests. I should have been walking in deep sorrow and despair but I have to admit there was an unspeakable joy in my heart as I was walking. That joy was in my heart when I called Eldon about my report and plans were made for me to come to Gilroy. 1 was looking forward to seeing all the workers on the staff and meeting workers who before I had only heard of, and seeing so many of the lambs and sheep of the fold. I was in a tunnel but I was walking with joy. How grateful we can be when the tunnel experience deepens our fellowship. All of us will be going through tunnel experiences and may it be we can profit by them, that we can know more of a unity because of it, more fellowship with God, a deeper trust, a hope that goes beyond this world, that we can have this comfort that comes from fellowship with God and His people. 

I am in a tunnel these days and the doctor has given me reason to believe that the faint glimmer of light I see at the end of the tunnel is the shore of eternity. I do not know when that light will come into full focus, but I know the darkness of the tunnel will be past and the best is yet ahead.

C. BROWN – 1988 - Gilroy, CA

The Story Of The Dogwood Tree

When Christ was on earth, the dogwood grew
To a towering size with a lovely hue.
Its branches were strong and interwoven
And for Christ's cross its timbers were chosen.

Being distressed at the use of the wood
Christ made a promise which still holds good:

"Not ever again shall the dogwood grow
To be large enough for a tree, and so
Slender and twisted it shall always be
With cross-shaped blossoms for all to see.

The petals shall have bloodstains marked brown
And in the blossom's center a thorny crown.
All who see it will think of Me,
Nailed to a cross from a dogwood tree.
Protected and cherished this tree shall be.
A reflection to all of My agony.

Remembering Jesus

 I Corinthians 11:23-25 -"For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread; And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood; this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me." Jesus was declaring His death here; His own death to His own will and to His own plans, to do His Father's will. We declare our own willingness to die when we pass the emblems in our Sunday morning meeting to our brothers and our sisters, openly declaring we have nothing against them. This price of redemption has been fully paid, and we are no longer our own. When we consider Jesus, who paid the price, I sometimes forget He has bought me, and I fail to commend Him that paid the ransom price for me.  Verse 25 tells that the New Testament is His blood. We have been sealed by His blood, and it's valid. We have the privilege each Sunday of renewing our covenant when we partake of the Emblems.

When do we examine our self? Is it in a meeting, or is it daily? Keep a short account. We can make all things right in a few hours, or in one moment. Don't wait to make things right.  Do it NOW.  In Exodus 12 we read of the first Passover. The yearling is the best time for a little lamb. Some sought for spots in Jesus but they found none. When the lamb was in the home, they had no fear that it would bite, scratch or kick them.  They weren't by the lamb because it was meek, pure and safe.  Everyone loved the lamb. It was hard for the little children to see that little lamb die. Jesus never resisted His death on the cross.

At the Passover Feast, the lamb was roast with fire, then it was eaten. That was like the righteousness of Christ.  When righteousness is fulfilled, persecution follows, but the result is glorious. The lamb was always eaten with unleavened bread, not with anything worldly or any leaven of the Pharisees. Many religious organizations have so many rules and regulations that their members carry around terrible burdens.

The lamb was all eaten, not just the good parts.  The head included the eyes, ears, mouth and words; the inwards are likened to the seat of all our affections; the heart, our feelings; the feet, our walk. Do we love the Lamb; do we love His mind, His words, His walk and His love?  We become what we feed upon. In that day, people wore loose garments which they wrapped around themselves during a sand storm.  Belts placed on a loose garment always had a purpose. Their feet were shod. When we partake of the emblems in a Sunday morning meeting, we have a purpose and we are going some-where. The feet being shod showed they were ready for the journey. They leaned upon the staff (God's Word, not our own understanding) when the going got rough. God's people didn't go out of their homes until morning. We, too, are on a journey, because our Bridegroom has not come.  We're under His protection, and we are waiting. No one was to go out from a house that had the blood sprinkled doorposts.  We know what happened to the Egyptians outside.  There was death, darkness, coldness, sorrow, remorse and those wishing they had believed. Inside the blood-sprinkled home was safety, security, hope of an everlasting life, warmth, fellowship with God, and with our brothers and sisters. Whenever there is a problem, send for the Lamb.  He will keep you under His protection.

 In Acts 4:16 ".....What shall we do to these men: for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it." A miracle was done but it spread no further. Peter and John were beaten and imprisoned nearly 2,000 years ago because men didn't want the Gospel to leave Jerusalem, but those men couldn't stop the furthering of the Gospel.  An earthquake released Paul and Silas from prison. How can men stop the Gospel? Who can stop the Spirit from leading His people? Who can stop His people from praying? Some even tried to stop Jesus from rising from the dead.

G. Pinkerton 1996 Happy, TX

Come Unto Me And Labour

I’m Glad for my privileges here. Simeon Sarmiento and Jim Girton came to visit us in Holland and was a big help to us. Now it’s my turn to give back.
Gen 24. This is Abraham sending his servant to look for a bride for his son, Isaac. The most important choice we ever made is the choice on how we spend our life. That choice is to live for God. We can fill a precious place in God’s kingdom. The work is the greatest privilege we can have in this life. The next greater privilege is to have an open home. This is what we read in Gen 24, the bride and the bridegroom. Jesus is the bridegroom and the church is the bride. Abram called all his servants – a picture of the workers going into the world. Our acceptance and willingness to go with the servants is the most beautiful to behold. Yes - is the best word in any language.
V.3; God is the god of heavens. In the heavens there is truth. Heaven is the safest place for us to be. The Sun rules during the day. The Moon rules during the night. But God rules day and night. The mercy of God is like the moon. It is a reflection of the Sun. Abram made his servant swear by the LORD, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth. The God of Abram is the god of promise. The God of Isaac is the God of fulfillment of the promise. The God of Jacob is the fruit or the result of the gospel. This is the fruit of the spirit. And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?. And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again. Servants are sent to sow the word. God is concerned with quality more than quantity. Find a bride for Isaac. Gospel went to find a bride for Jesus. We must keep Gods words in our hearts. Isaac didn’t go with the servants. We bring the truth to the world if no one wants to accept it, bring Isaac back. It is something holy and not to be mixed with the world. We are glad Jesus himself came into this world to look for a bride. If we want to make choices in the future, be sure to find someone who is serving God. Servant came to the well. He asked for water from Rebecca. He asked for a sign. God will help to confirm what his will is. Rebecca was willing to serve. Rebecca was beautiful. God was in her heart. Willingness to serve in her spirit says...“what can I do?” God is pleased with this kind of spirit. It is hard to work with people who are not willing. I need to be willing first. Rebecca was very willing to help. Servant wanted to make sure that this is the maiden chosen for his master’s son..v21. He held his peace. He was waiting for another confirmation. Servant was happy because she was from Abram’s family who also serve God. God took Abram away from his family and now God giving a wife for his son from his own family. God blessed Abram so much. God blesses all his children as they obey.
Mat. 11:28-29, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” God invites us to come through the gospel. This is the way the servants are looking for a bride for the Son of God. We learn from him as we journey to meet the bridegroom of our soul.
Gen 24:27 - And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the LORD led me to the house of my master's brethren. The servant being in the way, God has led him. God can only lead us if we are in the way. His mercy and his truth are the same as in the New Testament. Servant went to Rebecca’s parents. Servants first told of his purpose before he ate; his message was more important than his needs. He introduced his master Abraham. This is God’s will leading him to the well. V49. Servant asked this question, “And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left.” To take Rebecca or not he wants Rebecca to come on her own free will. V,50. This is from the Lord. This is how we all feel. We can’t say good or bad about this. Whatever God says we want to do. There’s a blessing in believing in God’s words. Rebecca has her own free will to choose. Truth can make a very big change in a life. Need to be very careful. Time came to make a choice. Rebecca made her choice. This is very important. Concerning the gospel is for the kingdom’s best. I’m thankful for my time here in the Philippines. If God speaks we should be ready to hear and obey. We started on a journey to be with our bridegroom... Isaac…is like Jesus. Jesus came to earth to find his bride...he saw the possibility. One day he will come again to get his bride. We have a friend in Norway who used to be the leader in a group who studied the Bible. She organized this group in the village so they could come together to study the Bible. Since reading the Bible, she understood that adults should be baptized and not babies. After she professed, the people in the village lost the best they have. The gospel takes the best from the world. I am the only one professing in my family. I have four brothers and four sisters. Why God did choose me? I do not know. I have no answer. It is only God who can answer. It is only of God’s mercy. Another friend in Norway is an old lady who has to walk to a mountain place to be in meeting with the friends. Someone asked her, “Where are you going?” “Why go there?” She points to the house on the hill, “I’m going to that house where the light is burning. My heart is there and I want to bring my body where my heart is.” Jesus said, “Where your heart is, there where your treasure be also.” If our heart is in heaven we will go there. We would have a desire to journey to get there. Trust God and go further. Think of Jesus’ sacrifice. He went all the way. Jesus has gone farther than anyone of us can go. Jesus is waiting for his bride. Isaac waited for his bride. Isaac was comforted after her mother died. Sarah was in heaven and the treasures there increased. We can think of Jesus on the cross. The one whom he loved most was his mother, Mary. She understood the will of God has to be first. Jesus understood the pain in his mother. When you go out with the gospel you must come back with the truth. Abram blessed his servant and he found a bride for Isaac. Jacob was born. This is like the fruit of the spirit – the fruit of the gospel going forth. God was at work and is still working today. Luke 19:26, “For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.” This is like convention. They that receive will have more. God blesses his children at convention and gives more. In 1982, was my first convention and I felt my heart was flooded with the love of his servants; God’s spirit and peace; and I feel like I was on a beach and waves coming and kept on coming to me like God’s love. Think of this wedding – the future we look forward to – It is our preparation for the wedding day. We can be blessed if we are willing to go. The bride is the most important. The day the bride meets the bridegroom is the happiest day of all. Clothe in white and cleansed by the blood of Christ. We would like to be found like Rebecca who was willing to go with the servants.

S. Leyte Convention – March 28, 2015, 9:00 A.M.

M. Miltenburg

The Seed And The Sower

I don’t think we can ever fully understand the interest our Sower has in every piece of ground! What will the reaping be? It all depends on 2 factors: we need good seed and good soil. We have no doubt about the seed, which came from heaven, and at a price! In this seed is the potential of eternal life, and the possibility of producing the same fruit that was found in Jesus. But, the soil is something else! In not one of these 3 classes that didn’t produce a harvest, was the seed at fault!! It was the soil!! There’s no soil so poor that it cannot produce something, if it’s separated and yielded, and willing to be worked.

Matthew 13:4 – “Some fell by the wayside.” This ground was too hard – not soft enough for the seed to penetrate. Like those who listen in a careless way. The seed then will just be taken away – no impressions made. Seed by the wayside is just stepped on and trodden under foot. Like despising the word spoken. One man said, for example: “I listen to anything, as long as it’s God’s word, and the things I don’t like, I just let them go over my head!!” Many are like this: “I will decide what I’ll take notice of!” The seed growing by the wayside doesn’t reach maturity. It has no chance of maturing because of the traffic on the road, or the cattle, and the wheels of the carts, breaking it off. There’s no respect for the tender things, like the tenderness that God wants to produce in our hearts. The wayside soil is not separated for a specific purpose. If we want to yield our lives to God, there has to be a measure of separation from this world.

Verses 5-6 – “The stony ground.” The soil looked, and was, good on the surface, but underneath there was a hard layer. It’s like those who listen, being emotionally moved at the time, and maybe have an immediate reaction, but not moved to faith nor obedience. This class had no depth of earth – shallowness! Casual listening is dangerous, without having understanding from God. It’s the cause of unfruitfulness in a life. Jesus didn’t say much about how much time we should spend in prayer, but rather, how to pray! Shallow prayers don’t mean much to God. If we could only realize the power in prayer, we’d be faithful, and never miss praying. It’s not a matter of changing God’s thoughts when we pray, but to give ourselves over to Him again, so that our thoughts can be in line with His. It’s the opportunity to give God the opportunity to change our will to do His will. This is the deep soil. The answer is in finding the presence of the Giver – that’s where our salvation begins! Superficial soil doesn’t require much preparation. The preparation before the meeting – this is deep soil.

Verse 8 – “The good soil.” This is soil that is willing to have the right put in, and the wrong taken out. No soil left to itself will produce good fruit. So, the teaching to give the children what they want isn’t good. Freedom without restraint is destruction. Liberty is not good. It takes nourishment out of the soil. Weeds take the light away from plants, like sapping one’s strength. Then we fall asleep and cannot get through, when we do have desires to seek God. It’s a slow process, until there’s no more love nor peace. The good ground is ground that is willing to be worked over, time and time again. -South African Convention

Matthew 13 – The Seed and the Sower: