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| We always wanted a place with a nice front porch! Who knows, it may be coming soon! |
Philippians 2:14-15 ~ 14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings: 15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; KJV
What happens to us when we start moaning and groaning about our "current situation"? For me I can say I begin to moan and groan about a lot of other things as well. It's almost like once the "snowball" starts rolling we can see all kinds of things to complain about. Our jobs, our friends, our circumstances, our environment, our government, our leaders, world leaders, in excusable cruelty, death, an out of sorts husband or wife, a friend that has betrayed you . . . you name it, we can complain about it. But what Paul is trying to tell us here is - these "things" are in the Christians' life by GOD's design and plan. WHAT? God wants us to live in a world full of corruption and evil; He wants me to have cancer, broken home, death of a loved one, meanness to me and my family, this unexpected and unexplained move Tom and I are going through! It's terrible for both of us at 79 and 72 with a busted-up shoulder and a wounded hip who wants to move; believe me it isn't us; 30 days get out. . .no homes to rent or buy for ANY reasonable amount! God wanted this for US? We are His missionaries; the Preacher and his wife, what in the world!
That's right; what in the world! We always and repeatedly say, when God brings you to it, He will bring you through it. Paul is reminding us that how we handle these situations in our Christian lives is so very important. We are to maintain our faith in God as His "shining lights." We could complain, moan, groan, and carry on. Or we can trust God and His guiding hand. His love for us and care for us is so much more than the "world" can do for us. And that is the main point of today's ramblings. I don't know your situation, but I do know that when we give it all completely to God, He will give peace, comfort, and direction. He will help us to keep our "shining light" for Jesus. Our testimony is so important as Christians. Tom said just yesterday, he would rather be basically sleeping on the streets than to harm his testimony for God. We have trusted him all our years as Christians, and this is NOT the first BIG bump in the road we have faced, and He always brings us through. We know a good woman who always says, "I am God's most favoured!" No, she isn't. We continually disagree with that statement. It is like a mother saying she loves one child over another. God is God! He loves us all equally - and we can trust Him to continue loving us, providing for us, guiding us, protecting us, and continually caring for us.
What big hurdle are you facing Christian? Will the world see Christ in you as you travel this path God has chosen for you? Or will they see a complainer, groaner, murmurer, disputer? No, this is not what we wanted to do at Christmas. It is the time of year we devote all of our energy to honor our Lord's birth, celebrate His arrival so many years ago, and His soon coming again! We still did that, and in between we packed. And God has sent help along the way! We will move our things to storage for a while and live in a couple of places where people have opened their doors. It will be like traveling to a meeting with a few bags for a hotel. That is God's design. We told you about Sister Cora Kern (please continue to pray for her) basically at 90, going home from a nursing home with a healing broken hip, and we will be there to help her for as long as the Lord sees it necessary. A home for us will open up, but it will be a home with no strings attached! We praise the Lord for His goodness over these years and our lives, and we look forward to a continued journey for Him. How about YOU?
Tom and Linda Milam
"HE IS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD!"
1 John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.
The Light of the World is Jesus
The whole world was lost in the darkness of sin,
The Light of the world is Jesus!
Like sunshine at noonday, His glory shone in.
The Light of the world is Jesus!
Come to the light, 'tis shining for thee;
Sweetly the light has dawned upon me.
Once I was blind, but now I can see:
The Light of the world is Jesus!
If you don't know Him, come to Him today!
Philippians 2:16
Philippians 2:16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.
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