Devotional For The Week
Dear friends
May we thank the Lord for His lovingkindness and His message of salvation through the Everlasting Gospel.
We serve the mighty God, Wonderful, Counselor, the Prince of Peace and Everlasting Father in Christ.
We may thank the Lord for convicting over 1400 souls last November to choose to give their lives over to Christ in the North African evangelistic campaign conducted by the Amazing Facts team including Doug Batchelor. There were an additional 1000 souls who were also baptised at other downlinked sites throughout Africa.
We also give God the glory for the successful health & healing presentation and cooking demonstration that took place at our local church on 15 December. Those who attended showed their appreciation whilst Abi played her role in gathering the attention of the audience ! Bless her.
Al shared a sermon on 14 December entitled "The Sweet-Smelling Savour" (Eph.5:2) focusing on a theme threading the sacrifice of Christ with the priestly ministration of Christ. Let us know if you would like a copy of the sermon notes.
You may remember the illness that Ana's father has been suffering from. Last Sunday, we received the news that he passed away in the afternoon. Although the family grieve, we still thank sweet Jesus for extending Ana's father's life to at least see his granddaughter Abi and show his joy to her. We had prayed continually that Ana's father would repent before falling asleep in Christ. We will wait and hope that he will arise in the soon Resurrection. I always remember the verse in Revelation which states "blessed are those who reach threescore and ten years (70)". Ana's father was in his mid-eighties. He died almost two years later from the time Ana's mother passed away on 20 December. When most families will gather during this season each year in joy and thanksgiving, it will be doubly difficult for Ana each time we pass through the end of December. The Lord knoweth all things and please pray the Father will be the Comfort to all of our family.
Last Sunday was eventful. Mid-morning we received a phone call from Eileen who just received the news that her husband of several years has been seeing another woman. Her heart was broken and needed the assurance that God will provide a way through this trying situation. (Please see the prayer request below).
That Sunday lunchtime, we had a dear couple from South London attend a special meal that Ana had prepared beautifully. The husband is Hindu and the wife comes from a Christian background although not practicing her faith fully. We were blessed to see how the Lord was working on their hearts as this was the first reunion for many years yet they remembered many of our religious principles. At the table, I invited them to join in a prayer of blessing for the food. Not only was the couple very willing, but the husband assumed the prayer position of Abi's hands whilst she was temporarily sitting on his lap by clasping her hands together. It was also the first time I heard the husband affirm "amen" after a prayer ! Again, the husband is Hindu ! (Or is he ? God knows the heart). Please pray for this dear couple to fully accept Christ in their lives.
Later that Sunday evening, Al was due to collect friends from the airport. En route, a road traffic incident occurred which could have resulted in death if it was not for the angels who are commissioned to assist those who are to be heirs of His salvation and protect our feet from dashing against the stones (Hebrews 1:7 & 14; Psalm 91). How people were not killed and how Al came away from the incident without a scratch only the good Lord will one day explain. Please pray for our ministry as you all can clearly see how the Devil is seeking our destruction constantly. We are comforted with the throught that where sin abounds, grace abounds even further. We have always thanked God for His protective mercies in the past, but we will continue to do so in even greater fervency. God is good. God is able.
The past two weeks have been extremely active and challenging but we thank Christ that He is able to do exceedingly above all that we ask or think, for the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and of good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. (Ephesians 3:14-21; James 3:17).
Today, we will not share with you what December 25 is not. But we will share how you can use the day to bless others. The Bible teaches us what pure religion is: "to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep" ourselves "unspotted from the world". (James 1:27). We decided this year that we would spend Boxing Day with other members of our family and use the 25th to slow down and obtain some rest. We decided this afternoon to visit a local elderly home with residents who commonly reach the ages between 80 and 100. Many of the residents were with their families and not at the home today. However, there were some who had no family and were therefore left at the home. We hoped Abi could bring a little joy to them in a special way. After the staff fussed over Abi, we went to see some of the residents. There was one elderly resident who is 82 who lavished every moment with Abi - Abi in turn, played with her fingers. The lady marvelled over the detail of Abi's fingers. Both baby and resident had a common interest ! This lady shared how her only brother died and how her husband died during the second world war. They did not have any children. Her eyes were welling up so we shifted the conversation to how she spent her day today. Another resident who is almost 92 shared how she has only held a baby twice in her life - Abi was the third. This lady also lost her husband in the second world war and is without family. As we encountered story after story, our hearts were humbled and we acknowledged even more the importance of making the most of the families God has given us. Families were given so that we could by faith, look forward to, and appreciate the great heavenly family. Ana, Abi and I finished the day by driving along the meandering roads of the countryside enriched by the experience.
Dear friends - phone somebody today. Knock on that door today. Write to that person today. Use this season to extend joy, giving, thanksgiving, hope and love in Christ. John 17 shares how Christ wants us to be in the world - as His witnesses - but not of the world.
For food to taste, the salt must mingle within. Be the salt of the earth.
May you be blessed by this week's devotional on the Blessed Hope.
Blessings & Maranatha
Al, Ana & Abi
His Ministry Of Healing Resources
www.ministryofhealing.org
.::. Christ Comes With Power and Great Glory .::.
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory . Matt. 25:31.
No human language can portray the scenes of the second coming of the Son of Man in the clouds of heaven. . . . He will come clad in the robe of light, which He has worn from the days of eternity. Angels will accompany Him. Ten thousand times ten thousand will escort Him on His way. The sound of the trumpet will be heard, calling the sleeping dead from the grave. The voice of Christ will penetrate the tomb, and pierce the ears of the dead, "and all that are in the graves . . . shall come forth."
Christ is coming with power and great glory. He is coming with His own glory, and with the glory of the Father. And the holy angels will attend Him on His way. While all the world is plunged in darkness, there will be light in every dwelling of the saints. They will catch the first light of His second appearing. The unsullied light will shine from His splendor, and Christ the Redeemer will be admired by all who have served Him. While the wicked flee, Christ's followers will rejoice in His presence.
"For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." He is to be accompanied by all the hosts of heaven. . . . "And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect." . . .
Not until the personal advent of Christ can His people receive the kingdom.
. . . Man in his present state is mortal, corruptible; but the kingdom of
God will be incorruptible, enduring forever. Therefore man in his present
state cannot enter into the kingdom of God. But when Jesus comes, He confers
immortality upon His people; and then He calls them to inherit the kingdom
of which they have hitherto been only heirs.
.::. Prayer Requests & Praise Reports .::.
1) For those of you who know George and Eileen, the following news may be upsetting. We received a phone call from Eileen today who shared that George has chosen the leave the faith and has been disillusioned with the church. There were signs that the marriage was facing its challenges. In addition, Eileen shared that George disclosed this morning that he has been seeing another woman outside of the faith and is seeking a divorce. We spent almost an hour with Eileen on the phone attempting to console her obviously she is very shocked and finding it very difficult that George has declared he no longer loves her. Al is trying to arrange a time to see George personally. However, we would ask friends of George and Eileen to also contact them to provide urgent support in this situation.
2) Subj:(no subject)
Date:11/12/02 16:52:11 GMT Standard Time
From:Swannerdad
To:AlEcMaran
Prayer request for my husband. He has a situation in his job that puts his job at risk. The Lord has brought him to be a better person and gave him this job. We trust he will help him to get thru this situation and keep his job.
3) lobo04@earthlink.net (Paul & Melba Willis)
...I don't know if I have caught you up on my health in a long time. September of last year they sent me down to Charleston South Carolina to a big heart transplant hospital center to do testing for a heat transplant for me ,Paul had both of my children flown in when one of the test showed I had cancer in my left breast and they weren't sure my heart would under go a surgery at this time.God put His caring arms around me and pulled me through it with flying colors... Then it came time for my first Pace Maker to get a new battery but we checked into these maternal hearts so I was flown out to Spokane Washington to be checked out but got bad news there also.They said I was to thin there wasn't anywhere they could install one I am skinning bones now. Anyway with this cancer which they removed knocked me off the waiting list for 5 years got to be cancer free that long.Here the battery was getting very low in my old Pace Maker so I got a new king which has two leads on either side of my heart and they do all the work for the heart without the pace maker my heart can't make it so I'm sole depended on this gadget placed inside of my heart but that O.K. I feel better then I have felt in years now and able to do most of my house work....Any way I had to go through 6 weeks of radiation treatments because of the breast cancer and they caught it in a very early stage lymph nodes showed no cancer so I was Bless there too. Didn' have to have any chemo. So God Bless...
4)
Subj: Please pray~Only 2 more exams till vacation
Date: 16/12/02 21:26:52 GMT Standard Time
From: Nikk4@aol.com
Please pray God grace and wisdom for me~Im very tired~Forever in Jesus~ Trish
5) Please pray for healing for Herman en Mirjam de Groot, and pray for their friends Norbert-Jan & his son Felix to be removed from the influences of Masonry.
6) Please pray for the needs of Andy and Jenny, that the Lord will open doors for them in their time of need.
7)
Re: URGENT Prayer Request for Misty...Please send cards ASAP!!
Date: 19/12/02 23:52:09 GMT Standard Time
From: JCruce0123@aol.com
Misty Gillis is a 15 yr old girl who was found to have a tumor on her brain
just recently. Misty goes in for surgery this Friday morning at 8am to remove
all but 10% of the tumor. The Doctors plan to do chemo on the remaining 10%
if the surgery is successful. The risk for motor skills damage is extremely
high.
Please keep Misty, the Doctors and the family in your prayers. Misty's Mom (Ruby Ann McConnell), her step-dad (Dennis McConnell), and her Dad (John Gillis) are all from my home town here in Soperton Georgia. None of them are Christians...Please pray for their salvation as well.
For all our card senders...PLEASE send cards and letters to:
Misty Gillis, C/O Middle Georgia Medical Center, Room 395, 777 Hemlock Street, Macon, GA 31201 Phone: 478-633-1000.
.::. Current News .::.
> No Longer for Scholars' Eyes Only
"Martin
Luther, the father of the Lutheran Church, was branded a heretic by fellow
Catholics when he nailed his "95 Theses" to the door of Wittenburg
Castle Church in 1517. But nearly five centuries later, the Vatican is doing
its part to distribute writings by Luther worldwide on the Internet."
- Click here
for further details.
> President Bush's Faith-Based Executive Order
Could the latest executive order reduce or increase religious discrimination ? Click here for further details. What role will the American government take in the future of religious liberty ? Do you believe that the wall of separation between church and state is crumbling rapidly ? Click here to see what the Bible has to say.
The
Sun of Righteousness has healing in His wings. Let us pray for His ministry
of healing today.
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