Trust in the Lord

"Roll the whole burden of life upon the Lord. Leave with Jehovah not thy present fretfulness merely, but all thy cares; in fact, submit the whole tenor of thy way to him. Cast away anxiety, resign thy will, submit thy judgment, leave all with the God of all....The ploughman sows and harrows, and then leaves the harvest to God. What can he do else? He cannot cover the heavens with clouds, or command the rain, or bring forth the sun or create the dew. He does well to leave the whole matter with God; and so to all of us it is truest wisdom, having obediently trusted in God, to leave results in his hands and expect a blessed issue."

Charles H. Spurgeon

"Trust in the LORD and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light and your judgment as the noonday...The LORD knows the days of the blameless, and their inheritance will be forever...The steps of a man are established by the LORD, and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, because the LORD is the One who holds his hand...For the LORD loves justice and does not forsake His godly ones; They are preserved forever, but the descendants of the wicked will be cut off. The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever...But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in time of trouble. The LORD helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him."

Selections from Psalm 37

Enter through the narrow gate and build your house upon the rock

"Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?
So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.' Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell- and great was its fall."

Denying Self

"Lord, I give up all my own plans and purposes, all my own desires and hopes, and accept Thy will for my life. I give myself, my life, my all utterly to Thee to be Thine forever.
Fill me and seal me with Thy Holy Spirit. Use me as Thou wilt, send me where Thou wilt, work out Thy whole will in my life at any cost, now and forever."

Betty Scott Stam

Missionary to China

Given for the Gospel

Martyred for the sake of Christ

Is He not worthy of your life? Does He not deserve your all?

We have been created for His glory. We are His "doulos," His slave, and He is our Master.

What does the Lord require of us:

Micah 6:8 "...to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God..."

Luke 9:23 "...if any man wishes to come after Me he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me..."

Matthew 11:28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest."

Matthew 5:16 "...let your light shine before men..."

Matthew 5:44 "...love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you..."

Matthew 6:33 "...seek first His kingdom and His righteousness..."

Matthew 7:7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."

Matthew 7:13 "...Enter through the narrow gate..."

John 13:34 "A new commandment I give you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another."

Romans 13:14 "...put on the Lord Jesus Christ..."

Hebrews 12:2 "...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross..."

1 Timothy 4:12 "Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe."

1 Timothy 6:12 "Fight the good fight of faith..."

Matthew 28: 19&20 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

This is Jesus Christ, our king.

"For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him;

If we endure, we will also reign with Him;

If we deny Him, He also will deny us;

If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself."

2 Timothy 2:11-13

Revelation 22:20 ..."'Yes, I am coming quickly.' Amen. Come, Lord Jesus."

Crucified With Christ

Psalm 27 ~ Wait for the Lord

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defence of my life; Whom shall I dread? When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh, My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell. Though a host encamp against me, My heart will not fear; Though war arise against me, In spite of this I shall be confident. One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple. For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock. And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, and I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord. Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice, And be gracious to me and answer me. When You said, "Seek My face," my heart said to You, "Your face, O Lord, I shall seek." Do not hide Your face from me, Do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; Do not abandon me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation! For my father and my mother have forsaken me, But the Lord will take me up. Teach me Your way, O Lord, And lead me in a level path Because of my foes. Do not deliver me over to the desire of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me, and such as breathe out violence. I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.”

99 Balloons

I heard about this young couple and their incredible story several months ago. There are many people who lose a loved one, but there are few who can say with Job "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord."




Read more about Eliot's life at www.ninetynineballoons.com .

The Gospel

The Apostle Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” There are four essential aspects of the Gospel that a person must understand in order to be saved. Those are 1. God is Holy, 2. Man is Guilty, 3. Christ is the Saviour, and 4. Sinners must Repent. I hope to address and expand upon each of these aspects, so let’s begin with number 1. God is Holy.
Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” The first Words of God shout to all mankind that God is the Creator! He is the Owner and Sustainer of all things.1 Corinthians 10:26 says “for the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.” Everything belongs to Him for He is its Maker.
God is a perfect being. There is no spot or blemish in Him. He is pure in all His ways and no sin has ever defiled Him. His holiness is perfect. This we find in 1 Peter 1:16, “Be holy, for I am holy,” and Matthew 5:48, “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. God requires perfect obedience to His law. He created us for His glory alone. We are here on earth to serve Him in a life so abundant; a life we are not worthy to receive or live.

I share with you below an incredible picture of the glory of God and His call upon our lives.




The second aspect of the Gospel is 2. Man is Guilty. Romans 3:23 speaks very plainly, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We are born enemies of God. We rejected Him and hated Him. Romans 3 says earlier in the passage, “There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all have turned aside, together they have been useless; There is none who does good, there is not even one.” Each one of us has broken God’s law, and when a law is broken, truth and purity cries for justice. Again, the beloved, heart-wrenching and soul-searching book of Romans speaks, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The justice we deserve is death and eternal separation from our holy and righteous maker. Many people, at the sound of this, desperately but unsuccessfully try to gain their own salvation. Countless men and women have strived to win eternal life through good deeds, yet they have strived in vain. Isaiah 65: 6 says, “For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment.” Absolutely nothing man does will save Him. Titus 3:5 says, “(God) saved us not on the basis of deed which we have done in righteousness but according to His mercy by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.” Thankfully, this hopeless state has been provided a remedy through the third aspect, Christ is the Savior and Lord.

John 10:30 says, “I and the Father are one.” Jesus Christ is the Savior of mankind. He was fully God and fully man. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” Jesus was fully man. He breathed the air of earth, walked the roads and hills of Israel, hungered and thirst, and felt pain like we do, and yet He was fully God. He wrapped human flesh around His glory, came to earth, was born to humble parents in a lowly manger, lived a perfect life, was betrayed, mocked, spat upon, falsely tried, beaten till He no longer bore the form or appearance of a man, forced to carry His cross, and finally crucified. Why? “…that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) He substituted His life for His chosen. “…He was buried, and He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:4) He rose from the grave and is alive today!

With this truth, we come to the last aspect of the Gospel, sinners must repent. The Scripture overflows with this truth.

Isaiah 55:7 says, “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have compassion on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.”

Luke 9:23 “…If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”

Romans 10:9-10 “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

Acts 17:30 “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all everywhere should repent.”

Jesus said, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” We as Christians are to be narrow minded! God calls us to enter through the narrow gate. He calls us to enter. We have to go completely through. We cannot stand on the other side and admire the gate. We cannot recommend the gate or tell others about it and not enter ourselves. We cannot stand with one foot through and the other remaining behind. We must pass through. The gate is narrow. It is difficult to enter. It is humiliating. It crushes our pride. It causes us to submit, obey, and surrender. It forces you to enter alone. No one can enter with you and no one can force you to enter or pull you through from the other side. You must leave all baggage behind. All you were before you entered is stripped from you. It is a transforming gate. This gate is Jesus Christ. He alone is the way, the truth, and the life. You don’t need to repent well enough or be spiritual enough. Listen to God. He commands you to enter. His command is His grace upon our lives. It is not easy believism. It cost Jesus His life!
There is another way. The broad way is easy and open. You can enter with everyone all at once. Friends and family can join you through its wide gate. You leave nothing behind. It is very comfortable. You can do whatever you want. You can have it all. There is a tolerance of sin. There is no commitment to Christ. It is the way of “grace covers it all.” Nothing is radical. It is a deceiving way. It looks better, and yet it leads to destruction. It is the way that seems right unto a man, but its end is death.
The small gate leads to a narrow way, yet an abundant existence. It might cost you friends, family, possession, maybe even your life, but only your earthly life, for eternity rests in the hands of God. Ezekiel 18:32 says, “For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies," declares the Lord God. "Therefore, repent and live."

Charles H. Spurgeon said, “You and your sin must separate or you and your God will never come together.”

I pray that this Gospel message will grow in our hearts. May its truth ring from our voices. May we live and breath Jesus Christ and Him crucified, for the work of the Kingdom and for the glory of God.

King of Kings, Majesty

This is a beautiful song that speaks of the beauty and awesomeness of the King of Kings!

A Beautiful Hymn

"Day by day, and with each passing moment,
Strength I find, to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He Whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what He deems best—
Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Every day, the Lord Himself is near me
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear, and cheer me,
He Whose Name is Counselor and Power;
The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
“As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,”
This the pledge to me He made.

Help me then in every tribulation
So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith’s sweet consolation
Offered me within Thy holy Word.
Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
Ever to take, as from a father’s hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
Till I reach the promised land."

Death is not Dying

A beautiful person, a faithful wife and mother, and a devoted daughter of the King of Kings has gone to be with her Savior. Rachel Barkey, from Vancouver, B.C. passed away this week after suffering from terminal cancer for many years. In her amazing testimony, "Death is not Dying", Rachel shares her unshakable faith in the One who is ever faithful. If you can, please take some time to follow the link on my page (down on the right) to Rachel's website to hear her testimony. Remember also to pray for Rachel's husband and two children that they would have comfort in this difficult time.

I wrote this poem back in 2007 to remind myself and others of all that Christ has done for us, what He means to us, how He is always with us, and how much He loves us.

When I think of love, I see the cross
When I think of pain, I see His loss
When I think of life, I see His face
When I think of death, I see His grace
When I think of war, I see His will
When I think of peace, I see Him still

When I feel afraid, He hears my cry
When I feel alone, He’s still nearby
When I feel confused, He is my guide
When I feel despair, He’s at my side

When I see the dark, He shows me light
When I fear, His comfort fills my night
When I cry, He dries my every tear
When I love, He casts out all my fear

When I tire, He carries me
When I stray, He Shepherds me
When I am weak, He lifts me up
When I am dry, He fills my cup

When I fear the Lord, He instructs me still
When I honor Him, I do His will
When I worship Him, He blesses me
When I give my self, He sets me free!

By Sarah Champ