December 3rd edition of The Christian Candle.
Today's Christian Candle is written by Mrs. Jody Lewis, wife of Rev. James Lewis of word of life ministries.
We want to Thank Mrs. Lewis for allowing us to share her article for this month's Hand in hand ministry page with our readers.
God bless you and give you a wonderful week!
-Karen
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"What a Glorious time of the year"
By Jody Lewis
What a glorious time of the year! The child within us awakens with excitement. Driving in the car one day, I was thinking of the many things we could do during the holiday season. Of course it comes and goes so quickly, we have to be diligent to fit everything in.
There will be baking, shopping, decorating, visiting, concerts to hear, and movies to see. What grand cathedral could we visit to be more enveloped in the season? Grand cathedral? Stop!
That’s when I was taken back to that first wonderful night in Bethlehem. A stable, a barn, a lowly and humble place. No grandeur. The beauty came not in the surroundings, but in the amazement that God sent His son to us in the form of a baby to be the Savior of the world. He was not a child of royal earthly blood, but heir to a heavenly throne. In simplicity he came. No fanfare, no throngs of people, just the still of the night. The sky sprinkled with stars, and that one very special light that was orchestrated by God to lead lowly shepherds to welcome Him into the world.
How far removed we are today from that holy night. The devices of the world have come to deter us from what is important. There is not a more opportune time to share the gospel with others. People are more cordial, and their hearts are often more tender, being filled with wonderful memories. What a gift it would be for our Lord, to ensure a soul for the kingdom. It is the reason He came.
There is nothing wrong with going about doing things that bring us pleasure this season. Time shared with those we love is what we will remember in the future. What we can’t forget is the simplicity in which He came, and the peace He has brought to our lives.
This holiday let us make it a point to share John 3:16 with others, and with those we love, let us rejoice that He has saved us from a world of sin, and has given us an abundant life.
May God richly bless you. Jody Lewis
Visit James and Jody's website :www.wordoflifeministry.us
Please take the time to write a word of encouragement if you can to sister Jody our guest writer today and let her know if you enjoyed her article as I did.Brethren let us encourage one another. You can write to sister Jody at
[email protected]
October 22nd Edition of the Christian Candle :By Rev. James Lewis
Bid Me Come Lord.
Matthew 14:22-31
And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying,
It is a spirit; and they cried out with fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.
And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written down for our learning, that we through patience, and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. The stories that we read in the Bible, were written down and recorded for us to learn by. They were real life situations that happened to real people.
Daniel who was thrown into the lions den, the three Hebrew children who were cast into the fiery furnace, Paul and Silas who were thrown into jail and bound with chains of iron, yet God was with them and He delivered them out of all their troubles, as they put their trust and their faith in the Lord!
Now the disciples walked with Christ, and followed Him wherever He would lead. They watched Him as He gave sight to a blind man, and made a lame man walk. He healed a deaf man, the dumb man began to speak, He turned water into wine, and He fed 5000 people with two fish and a few bread.
Yet at this time, Christ forced his disciples to get into the ship and cross over to the other side without Him. And about 4 miles out into the sea, the winds began to blow.....Today, we are just like the disciples.
We are walking with Christ and following Him as He leads us along this journey. And from time to time, we find ourselves facing similar situations, in which we can relate to those in the Bible, and the things that they have went through. Times when our own faith will be put to the test.
At times we may feel just like the disciples, who found themselves all alone in their time of need, without any help. Tossed about by the winds and the waves, struggling to get the boat to safety.
We too become desperate in our own real life situations, we find ourselves asking, "God where are you".But the story tells that Christ did not forget about His disciples. Very early in the morning, right before the dawn, Christ came to them walking on the water! Jesus knows right where you are today.
He knows what you are going through. He knows what your need is right now. It may be the darkest hour of the night for you when things are at its worst, and you may feel like all hope is gone, but hold on my friend, Christ will come to where you are!
Peter stepped out of the boat that morning, he stepped out in faith! And he began to do the impossible, he walked on the water! Often times we stay in the midst of our struggles, never getting any where, never gaining any ground.
Christ is wanting us to take that step of faith, and get out of the boat! It may be today that He is bidding you to "Come" to Him, and begin to do the impossible!
Matthew 17:20 For verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
II Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.How important it is for us not to allow the things in our life to distract our attention from the Lord.
When Peter saw how strong the wind was around him he began to fear, and that is when he started to sink. When we start looking at the circumstances around us, we too begin to fear and doubt, but when we stay focused upon the Lord, and what His word says, then our faith is made strong.
Hebrews 10:35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward.It is my desire for you today to find hope and comfort in these scriptures. That we may all learn from the things that the disciples had endured, and through patience and comfort of these scriptures, we may find hope in our time of need.
James 1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.Psalms 30:5 Weeping may endure for the night, but joy cometh in the morning.
You may Visit James Website at www.wordoflifeministry.us
October 15th edition By Ben and Anna from Malaysia
Lift Up The Hands That Hang Down
Lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet,
lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
(Hebrews 12:12-13)
Wow! This verse is God's wonderful words of encouragement to His beloved Children. God reminds us to lift-up the hands of faith and to fortify the knees of prayer. Isn't it true, that all too often, many Christians' love for God grow weak, our faith become tired, weak and listless. Our prayers start to lose their power and effectiveness and we begin to feel so powerless and lifeless. Yes, the pressures of daily living buffet us left and right, hindering our walk with the Lord. Our focus on material riches, temporal gains and fame take its toll on us. Before we know it, they have quickly crept into our lives and render ineffective, the Christian's call to live a life that is pleasing and fruitful to God.
Beloved, let us be alert, keep our eyes and ears open, to detect the first signs of danger and take immediate steps to prevent falling into Satan's traps. The Devil is very cunning, and knows where to strike at the Lord's people to weaken our witness for God. Praise God, Jesus Christ has already conquered Satan and as Christ-redeemed people, we too, in the Name of Jesus has also conquered Satan and need not fear his tricks. Yes, as Christians, we need not let Satan deceive us anymore. By abiding in Christ we are victorious and can forge ahead with full confidence to shine for God at all times! Hallelujah! Praise God! Amen.
The Lord's illustration here is quite compelling. He is pointing out to us that when we become so discouraged and fearful that even one little obstacle, depresses and frightens us, we are tempted to walk around it. We would rather take the easy way than face it. Perhaps there is some physical ailment that God is ready to heal, but it requires exertion on our part. The temptation is to find help from someone else or to walk around the obstacle in some other way.
Friends and fellow believers, many times we tend to find many ways of walking around situations, instead of walking straight through them in the strength of God. Why don't we call on our God to help, or more sad, we may even forget to think about God until we have no way out, and try to solve important situations with our own strength. Ouch! So often too, many Christians having listened to God's Message and hearing God's challenge and call to serve the Lord, gets frightened and quickly seek to evade the challenge with the excuse: "I'm not quite ready for that now. Let somebody else who knows more about God's Word, answer that call. That brother or sister is better equipped for it. I'll wait for my time."
We all are probably guilty of this at one time or other in our walk with the Lord. Do not be discouraged. We are not here to judge anyone. Instead, we humbly seek God's forgiveness and ask Him to help each one of us rise up from our lukewarmness, and weakness, and to give us renewed strength to soar like the eagles again. God's Work is always ready and available to any Christian willing to obey the Lord's call to service. It is our prayer that Christians everywhere will awaken from our slumber and go forward, rejoicing, as we learn to serve the Lord everywhere and in whatever capacity God has called us into.
You don't need to go into the mission field to serve the Lord - cos' not everyone is chosen to be missionaries and full-time workers for God. But all Christians are chosen and called to share a part in God's service. How can we serve? Yes! You can - By praying faithfully and earnestly for God's servants, especially for missionaries working in the mission fields. In this way, you are sharing in fellowship with spreading the Lord's Good News to the world. Yes! You can - By making Gift Offerings as the Lord has blessed you. God's Ministry needs the love and support of born-again Christians both in prayer and in finance. How we apportion our gifts for the Lord's Work, in furthering God's Kingdom is between you and God. No one else needs to know.
It may require some sacrifice, or demand our obedience in some area. Perhaps there is some Jericho we are facing or we are lacking the courage to help someone else and to pray through his concen with him. Perhaps we have a prayer that awaits completion, or a physical problem that is partially healed and we continue to walk around it. Yes! Let the stronger Christian encourage, strengthen and help bear up the knees that are wobbling and raise up the hands that hang down. Share your love and concern for one another. We all need an uplift everyday, and what joy there will be when Christians come together as Children of God, to exhort, strengthen, comfort and edify each other in Christ! God will be very happy and there will be great rejoicing in Heaven!
God says, "Lift up the hands that hang down." We need to be conscious of our weaker brothers and sisters in Christ. We need to help them grow strong in the Lord, day by day. Focus on Jesus, and Jesus only, as we live our lives for God. Yes! Let us march straight through the flood in simple faith and trusting in the strength of God, and Behold! The waters will divide, the Red Sea will open, the Jordan will part, and the Lord will surely lead you through to victory and joy!
Beloved, do not allow our feet to "be turned out of the way," but let our body "be healed," and our faith be strengthened. Go straight ahead in the strength of the Lord, leaving no Jericho unconquered behind you, and no place where Satan can boast of having overwhelmed you. Continue to grow strong, remain faithful in Christ and shine mightily for Him! May God bless you richly and make your blessings overflow for His Glory and Honor. Amen.
(Some Thoughts Adapted From A.B. Simpson)
Visit Ben and Anna's website at www.anabensoft.com
October 8th edition of The Christian Candle
Dear Brothers and sisters in Christ,
Today's Christian Candle is by Deborah of Bethesda House of Grace Ministries. Her and her husband currently reside in Israel and are our newest recipients of Daily Bread. We wish to Welcome Abraham and Deborah today and would like to share this inspired thought with you found on their website at
We hope it is a blessing to you as it was to us.
Thanks to Rev.James Lewis:Because of Hand in hand ministries which made our meeting and fellowship possible.
Don't forget to visit James site at:
www.wordoflifeministry.us
Amalek
By Deborah
Exodus 17:1
"Then all the congregation of the children of Israel set out on their journey . . . and camped in REPHIDIM; but there was no water for the people to drink."
The children of Israel were tired of their journey and they were weak and thirsty. They camped in Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. We know that the Word is the "Water" which washes us and quenches our thirst when we read it.
Rephidim = Place of weakness; discouragement and feeble knees. When we come to Rephidim (place of weakness), we do not have to camp there and die of thirst. No we can take the Word (water) which strengthen us and move on. When we "camp" in Rephidim, Amalek (the enemy) will come because of our weakness, and remember there is no water (Word).
Exodus 17:8
"Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim". Deuteronomy 25
:17 "Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you were coming out of Egypt,
:18 "...how he met you on the way and attacked your rear ranks, all the stragglers at your rear, when you were tired and weary; and he did not fear God". I am going to stay out of Rephidim by staying at the water - the Word of God.
Exodus 17:14.
"Then the Lord said to Moses, write this for a memorial . . . I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven".
The Lord said here to Moses that He is going to destroy Amalek - the enemy (Satan and his kingdom). And when the Lord said He is going to do something, we can count on it. It will come to pass. Like in the days of Moses, God is looking for a man (woman) that will stand against Amalek in the Name of God. May God find us willing to do that. Years passed, but God said He is going to destroy Amalek and He found a man in Saul to do it.
1 Samuel 15:1-7
:2 "This says the Lord of hosts: I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he come up from Egypt".
:3 "Now go and attack Amalek and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them".
Are we ready to be found by God to go and "utterly destroy" Amalek (the works of the enemy in our and the body's lives)? Saul went out and attacked Amalek, but . . .
1 Samuel 15:7-9
:9 " . . . but Saul and the people spared Agag and the . . . and were unwilling to utterly destroy them . . .
:10 Now the word of the Lord came to Samuel, saying
:11 I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king . . . ". Samuel spoke to Saul.
1 Samuel 15:18, 19, 26
:18 "Now the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, 'Go, and utterly destroy . . .
:19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? . . . "
Saul had his answers ready for Samuel, ". . . to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal." (:21) and Samuel reminded him that "to obey is better than sacrifice"
(:22).
: 26 " . . . you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel. After Saul failed to do the Will of God "I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven", Amalek came back and attacked Israel again.
1 Samuel 30:1, 2, 3
David's Conflict with the Amalekites
1) Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire,
2) and had taken captive the women and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way.
3) So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. David knew what to do.
1 Samuel 30:6, 7, 8
6) Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.
7) Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, "Please bring the ephod here to me." And Abiathar brought the ephod to David.
8) So David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?" And He answered him, "Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all." David did what God told him to do and pursued Amalek.
1 Samuel 30:17, 18, 19, 20
17) Then David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled.
18 )So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives.
19 ) And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all.
20) Then David took all the flocks and herds they had driven before those other livestock, and said, "This is David's spoil."
Again some of the Amalekites escaped and the Word of God said "I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven", The last battle against Amalek took place.
1 Chronicles 4:42, 43
42) Now some of them, five hundred men of the sons of Simeon, went to Mount Seir, having as their captains Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi.
43 ) And they defeated the rest of the Amalekites who had escaped. They have dwelt there to this day.
When God said that He is going to do something, we can be assured that He will do it. God said He "will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven", and He did. In our lives, God will do the same. If we can be obedient and do what God tells us to do, He will "utterly destroy" {Amalek} the enemy in our lives. Praise God.
We want to thank Abraham and Deborah for sharing this page with us today.
We hope you will visit their website or if you would like to email them their address is:
[email protected]
www.bethog.org
October 1st edition of the Christian candle is by Rev. James Lewis of word of life ministries.
Open My Eyes Lord
Luke 18:35-43 It happened on a day, that Jesus and His disciples were leaving the town of Jericho, that a great number of people also followed Him. Now the Bible tells us that blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the side of the highway begging. Now when Bartimaeus heard all the noise of the multitude passing by he began to ask what did it mean?
And the people told him that Jesus of Nazareth was coming. Now when he heard that it was "Jesus" that was passing by, he began to cry out with a loud voice, "Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me". Bartimaeus wanted the Lord to notice him, and his need.
Many of the people told Bartimaeus to be quiet, and to hold his peace, but something happened that day that Jesus passed by. Bartimaeus' faith began to rise up within him. Although he could not see Him with his physical eyes, yet He believed in his heart that Jesus could heal him.
Hebrews: 11: 1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Real faith comes from believing and seeing with the heart, not with the eyes.
And it was his faith in Jesus on that day, that caused him to ignore what those around him was saying , but instead he began to cry out even louder, "Thou Son of David, have mercy on me".
You see he had heard about Jesus, and the miracles that He had done. The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, and the dead are raised, and to the poor the gospel is preached.
Bartimaeus knew if he could somehow just get to Christ, that he too would receive his sight again. He didn't care who was around him, or what they thought of him. He did all he could do to get Jesus' attention. It was that desperate sincere cry of his heart that caused him to cry out all the more, and that's what got Christ attention.
When we come to Jesus, we come just as we are. With all our needs, our sickness' our sins, our failures. Bartimaeus came to Jesus just as he was, a poor blind beggar. But Jesus was moved with compassion for him on that day.
Matthew 4:23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
Jesus asked him "What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee"? And he answered, Lord, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, "Receive thy sight": thy faith hath saved thee. And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
Today all around the world, there are people with great afflictions and needs, seeking help just like blind Bartimaeus. It may be that there are those around you who are saying that there is no hope for your need. Maybe Doctors have given up on you, saying there nothing else they can do for you. It may seem like all hope is gone.....
But what a great example this story is to us that whenever we have a need, whether its physical, spiritual, or material, that we don't have to just sit there as someone without any hope. For I want you to know today by friend, that Jesus is passing by your way.
If blind Bartimaeus would of given in to those people that were telling him to be quiet, he would of not received his sight that day. So don't just sit there and listen to what others are telling you about your situation, begin to seek God and what His Word has to say, and allow faith to rise within your heart and soul.
Begin to see Jesus despite what your need may be, and let your cry be heard above all others for there is nothing impossible with God.
Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Bartimaeus' desire from the Lord was to receive his sight, But on that day that he cried out to the Lord, he not only received sight to his blind eyes, but he also received his salvation. I wonder what is your desire at this time, and what has been the cry of your heart?
May you be encouraged this day by this page to know that all hope is NOT gone. For Jesus knows all about it. And He is come seeking you out, Today Jesus is passing by your way, asking you the same question, "What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee"? What ever your need may be, no matter how big or how small it may seem, Reach out unto the Lord in prayer. Call upon His name.
Seek Him with all of your heart. Believe that as Jesus healed the blind mans eyes, He can also bring healing to your need. Let the cry of your heart be as the example of blind Bartimaeus' who cried out with such a sincere cry, "Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me".
Rev. James A. Lewis . Word of Life Ministry.
Visit James's online website:www.wordoflifeministry.us. I am sure if you have enjoyed this page today that you will enjoy the others he has written. Let us pray for Rev. Lewis that God would continue to use and bless his online ministry- Your sister in Christ,Karen
You may send comments to Rev. Lewis at:[email protected]
September 24th's Edition of the
Christian Candle is by Our Missionary friends in Malaysia; Ben and Anna.
Jesus Christ Will Come Again
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen
(Revelation 1:7)
Tonight we continue to share a little more precious thoughts on the Second Coming Of Christ. Yes, without a shadow of doubt, this is an important and urgent topic for all Christians to take note of, as we are now drawing very close to the day our Lord Jesus will come again. Be encouraged and strengthened as we draw close to God. Our treasures that we build for eternity are priceless. Let us continue to build more lasting treasures for God.
When is Christ Second Coming? - many of you will ask. We all are curious to know and rightly so. It helps give us an awareness and urgent desire to be acutely aware of our walk and service for God. If we know Christ is coming in a week's time, we believe all Christians will immediately and dramatically change their life-styles around!
But what does God's Word teach about the timing of Christ's Second Coming? Beloved, the Bible tells us that this is a secret that only our Lord Jesus Christ knows. Matthew 24:36 states "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but My Father only." Yes, Jesus Himself specifically states so. Jesus as ,man did not know that date, but Jesus Christ as God is omniscient and certainly knows the exact moment when it will occur.
Beloved, do not be deceived, if someone today tells you he knows the date or time when Jesus will come again. Be alert and warned.
Many false prophets are already in the world and will use all kinds of deception to deceive Christians by distorting God's Word. We must know God's Word well if we want to be able to discern what is from God and what is not. Let us take stock of the life we have been living daily. Has it been pleasing to God? Have we allowed God to use us in service? Are we a channel of witness and blessing to others around us? How committed are we?
Only you can answer these questions. It is our prayer that all of us will seek the Lord's forgiveness and ask God to come into our lives and be our Lord and Master.
Beloved, let us re-dedicate ourselves for God's service, rally our strength and with renewed passion go forward to shine for God again. May God speak to you specially tonight and help each one of us. The Harvest Is Indeed Ready. Will you heed God's call? God bless you richly as you reflect on these powerful moments with the Lord. Amen.
You May Visit Ben and Anna's website at:
Click here: http://anabensoft.com/
their email is:
[email protected]
Please remember Ben and Anna in your prayers as they continuously work to try and support missionary causes that God puts upon their heart.
September 17th's edition of The Christian Candle by Rev. Ken Brooks
The Filling of empty vessels
II KINGS CHAPTER 4
1 ¶ Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.
2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.
3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.
4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.
5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.
6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.
7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.
Here in this wonderful passage of God's word we have a woman that had a deep concern for her children.It said that she was a wife of one of the sons of the prophets and her husband had died.
He was a servant of the man of God.This man of God was Elisha.He had ask for a double protion of the spirit of God.A man that had great power with the lord.She had great confidence in this man because she had seen and heard of the many miracles that he had done.
Our life as Christians should be the same way as this mans was.Other christains should have that confindence in us to be able to come to us and ask us to pray for their request to God.
Also Notice that she also had confidence in her deceased husband because he was one that had feared the lord.Her husband had lived a life that was still preaching a message after that he was dead and gone to be with the lord.
Revelations speaks that of the saints that have done gone on that they do rest from their labors but their works do follow them.We should have a desire to live a life that our works should still be there and be a help to people after that we have left this world.But lets get back to this great woman.
She had a deep concern for her children.We read in God's word in a lot of places that the woman represents the church.Our churches need to have a deep concern for the lost and such a great love for them that we should go to great pains to see them delivered for the hands of satan.
Notice that her children with going to be bondmen .If you look the word bondman up in the websters it says that it is a person that is in the bondage or slavery. When we came to the age of accountability we were in the bondage of sin. This woman could not pay the price for her sons so she went to the man of God for help. As we said earlier that this man had great power. The lord God has all power in heaven and earth and is able to do all things .
Elisha said to her what shall I do for thee? Jesus said "ask and it shall be given,seek and ye shall find,and knock and it shall be opened unto you". What a great promise that the lord has made unto his people and is able to give us the desires of the heart. He asked her what do you have in your house? She said I have nothing in my house save a pot of oil.This pot of oil probably would seem very small unto the world but it was all she had in her house and was the most valueable thing that she had. Friends, we have within these earthen houses, that, that is of a great value to us but to the world it seems so small.
The man of God told her to go borrow vessels abroad. Abroad meaning to go a great distance and gather every vessel and bring it in. These vessels that they brought in were empty vessels. When we came to the age of accountibilty, realizing we were lost, our vessels were empty, void or we could say desolate.
This great plan that God setup was for whosoever will.You see they went abroad to gather these vessels. God's plan was for the whole world and it is not his will that any perish. Notice that all these vessels that were empty were filled By that (one))vessel that was in her house. Out of that one vessel was the others filled. Jesus said he that hungers and thirsts for righteousness that they shall be filled.
All these vessels were filled from that one pot.There is only one way and Jesus said I am the way the truth and life. He said that he was the door and there was in the building of the ark only one door or entrance into the ark. Also the word says that there is one lord, one faith and one baptism. If people ever get filled with the anointing of the lords grace it will have to come from Jesus.
Notice that when these vessels were filled that they were set aside.When we were saved we were set aside.The lord said that he would put his sheep on his right hand and the goats on the left hand.This happens through regeneration and we are put at the right had of the lord.
When the vessels were full she said bring me yet a vessel and he said unto her there is not a vessel more and then the oil stayed.There is coming a day that the last one will be saved before the coming of our lord and then it will all be finished and no more will be saved. God the father will tell his son to a rise and go get his children. When Christ has risen off of the mercy seat then no one else will be saved.He will go get his angels and also the souls of them that have gone on and then will he come and get his people.
Then when he splits the eastern skies the souls that he brings with him that soul and the body will unite and all they that remain will be changed in a moment of the twinkling of an eye and be caught up to be with the lord forever.What a great hope that the vessels that have the oil in them have. But also what a awful day that will be for the empty vessels .
It will be a day that will never end in the lake of fire were the worm will not die and the fire will never be quenched.Therefore be ye ready for the great day of the lord knowest no one but the father himself. Notice that it was that oil that was sold that brought her son out of bondage.there was a great price paid on the cross so thet we could be bought out of the bondage of sin.May god bless you all.
Rev. Kenneth Brooks
Visit Ken's page on our website
Called "Meat of the word"
Ken is my Husband and has been such a blessing in my life.
I hope you have enjoyed today's Christian Candle.
-Karen
September 10th's edition of the Christian Candle By Rev. James Lewis.
The Joy of the Lord is my Strength
I hope this finds you in the joy (strength) of the Lord. His joy IS our strenth. So often we find outselves having to yield to the weakness of our body when we are physically tired or exhausted, so we sit or lay down to rest awhile to be strengthened.
I find when we are in a weakened state, that we cannot function as good as we normally do when are body and mind are not as strong as they can be. We cant remember like we normally do, sometimes we cant think as quickly as we normally do.
But when it comes to the Lords strength in our lives, we go unto Him for rest. We come before the Lord and begin to meditate upon His Word. And as we stay focused on Him, and upon what His Word is saying, we begin to be lifted up (strengthened). Lifted up in our spirits, and when are spirits are strengthened, our whole outlook is strenthened by His might in the inward man.
It is by waiting upon the Lord, that we become encouraged.
It is by waiting upon the Lord that we are renewed, and given hope for tommorrow.
Isaiah 40:31 says, But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint.
Sometimes we push our physical bodies beyond the limits, and we weaken ourselves to the point of getting sick.
For the most part we all should know in our physical bodies when its time for us to stop, and rest.
We must always remember that our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit, given to us by God, and we must remember to glorify God in our body and our spirit.
We all need that time of refreshing that comes from resting. And there is a rest for the people of God. A time set aside from our daily chores, and routines and to make time to closet ourselves in with the Master.
Time to come to the Lord and to wait upon Him. To meditate wholly upon His promises. To apply His word to our hearts, and to our minds. To allow His Word to transform our very being inside and out that we may find new strength in Him to do His will.
Matthew 11:28 says, 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 at heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
God Bless you with Great Strength!
Rev. James A. Lewis
p.s. You may Visit Brother James' online Website "Word of Life Ministry at...
http://www.wordoflifeministry.us
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Piano Midi of "The lighthouse" was done by Randy and Stacey Mellon.
God bless you both for letting your candle shine!
