Jesus is Our Lord, Our Lord is Love

When the minister arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows An empty chair sat beside his bed. The minister assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his visit. "I guess you were expecting me," he said. 'No, who are you?" said the father.The minister told him his name and then remarked, "I saw the empty chair  and I figured you knew I was going to show up," "Oh yeah, the chair," said the bedridden man."Would you mind closing the door?" Puzzled, the minister shut the door. 

"I have never told anyone this, not even my daughter," said the man. "But all of my life I have never known how to pray. At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it went right over my head. I abandoned any attempt at prayer," the old man continued, "until one day four years ago, my best friend said to me, "Johnny, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. 

Here is what I suggest." "Sit down in a chair; place an empty chair in front of you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It's not spooky because he promised, 'I will be with you always'. "Then just speak to him in the same way you're doing with me right now.""So, I tried it and I've liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I'm careful though. If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she'd either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm." 

The minister was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old man to continue on the journey. Then he prayed with him, anointed him with oil, and returned to the church. Two nights later the daughter called to tell the minister that her daddy had died that afternoon "Did he die in peace?" he asked. "Yes, when I left the house about two o'clock, he called me over to his bedside, told me he loved me and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour later, I found him dead. But there was 
something strange about his death. "Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned  over and rested his head on the chair beside the bed. What  do you make of that?" The minister wiped a tear from his eye and said,  "I wish we could all go like that." 

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I asked God for water, He gave me an ocean. I asked God for a flower, He gave me a garden. I asked God for a friend, He gave me  YOU...If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it. Happy moments, praise God. Difficult moments, seek God. Quiet moments, worship God. Painful moments, trust God. 
Every moment, thank God. 

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The Right Words 
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Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." 

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what  this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and  get back to the group at their next Bible Study.  That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to  watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her  interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver..  As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire  and let it heat up.  He explained that in refining silver, one needed to  hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest  as to burn away all the impurities.  The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she  thought again about the verse that says:  "He sits as a refiner and  purifier of silver."  She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in  front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the  silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was  in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it   would be destroyed.  The woman was silent for a moment.  Then she asked the silversmith, "How  do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in  it"  If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his  eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you. 

Pass this on right now.  This very moment, someone needs to know that God is watching over them. And, whatever they're going through, they'll be a better person in the end.
 

 I don't care how badly you may have messed things up yesterday or how  many mistakes you have made, I want you to begin this day knowing you are righteous! Not because of anything you've done but because you've  received, by faith in Jesus, the very righteousness of God.  Just look at the kinds of benefits the Word of God says that  righteousness will bring: 
"The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree" (Ps. 92:12).
"...not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that  which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God  by faith."    -- (Philippians 3:9)
"When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth" (Prov. 11:10).
"The seed of the righteous shall be delivered" (Prov. 11:21).
"For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open  unto their prayers" (1 Pet. 3:12).
"For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass  him as with a shield" (Ps. 5:12).
"The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all  their troubles" (Ps. 34:17).
"I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous  forsaken, nor his seed begging bread" (Ps. 37:25).
"The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein forever" (Ps. 37:29).
"The Lord loveth the righteous" (Ps. 146:8).
Don't let the devil rob you of even one of these blessings by telling  you you're unworthy of them. Run him off. Shout out loud, "I am the  righteousness of God!" Then step out in faith and enjoy the privileges  God has prepared for you!
   --  Kenneth Copeland-- SCRIPTURE  READING:  Romans 3:21-28