It is important in life that we tell those whom we love exactly how we feel
about them. We should never assume that our friends and relatives know how
we feel towards them, but rather we are to show them with our words and
actions how special they are and how much they mean to us. The greatest
thing that God ever gave us was love and we are to use this gift for the
betterment of ourselves and more importantly towards those special to us.
The Bible declares in 1 John 4:7-8 “Beloved, let us love one another: for
love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” (1 John 4:10-12)
I hope this message ministers to your heart to take the initiative today to
tell those who are near and dear to your heart how special they are to you
and the impact that they have had on your life. You words of recognition
and appreciation will mean a lot more to the recipient than you will ever know.
A SIGN OF HOPE
They were no ordinary flowers, no indeed; they brought a message of hope
from God, and how desperately I needed their confirmation at this most
vulnerable time in my life. Some of my wildest imaginations had been
realized in sixteen short years.
Could it really be happening to me? Was I dreaming, would I awaken to
discover that my world had not changed? Would my husband assure me that he
would always be at my side to love and protect me, to spend the latter
years of my life with me, to watch the children grow into adulthood?
Yes, my world was tipping and I was stunned, but I had a solid reason for
living, and my Lord Jesus had confirmed the hope that His Word and Spirit
had placed in my heart.
One year earlier I had prayed for a small girl to be healed of cancer. When
she died my faith was shaken. I entered these thoughts in my journal; since
this had been my practice for some time. “Lord,” I said, “I'm so concerned
that my faith would fail if something like this happened to anyone in my
family, please keep me faithful,” I prayed.
It was a beautiful, sunny day and I had worked many hours pulling weeds out
of our zoysia grass. By the time my husband, Tootie, arrived home from his
job, I was still pulling weeds.
Looking down at me, in humor, he said, “Gosh, you sure are getting gray.”
I was in no mood to joke around. “I know it,” I said, “I suppose I'm
getting old.” With that statement, he walked away. In minutes, he came
back and presented me with a lovely cut bouquet from my flower bed. “Here,
Sweetie,” he said, “I love and appreciate you.” Words are not adequate to
describe my precious treasure. It was a beautiful coral ray of sunshine
that daily reminded me of my husband's sensitivity and love for me.
One day I noticed the flowers had changed to a dull gold color. Upon
inspection, I noticed the cut flowers had rooted. Later, I would talk to a
florist who assured me, “They just don't do that.”
“Tootie,” I said, “Have you ever seen anything like that?” “No, I can't say
that I have,” he replied. “It's because you gave them to me,” I said.
A few days later, my thirty-nine year old husband died of a massive heart
attack.
As I gazed at my husband's precious gift to me, the Holy Spirit reminded me
even though my flowers looked dead, indeed, they were not. They were very
much alive. His still, small voice said, “And so it is with Tootie, he is
more alive than ever and he is with me.” Oh, how my faith soared! My Lord
had prayed for my faith and had given me a sign of hope, a message that
would forever comfort and sustain our four children and me.
By Doris Niswonger
Read and meditate on these scriptures:
1 John 4:10-13 “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved
us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God
so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any
time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected
in us. Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath
given us of His Spirit.”
James 4:13-15 “Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into
such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:
Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It
is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth
away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do
this, or that.”
Luke 6:35-36 Jesus declares, “…love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend,
hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be
the children of the Highest: for He is kind unto the unthankful and to the
evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth
not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself
unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things,
believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity
never faileth...”
All of these scriptures can be found in the King James Version Bible.
Today’s Selected Poem: DON'T WAIT
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/inpoem13.htm
Today’s Selected Testimony: TAKING A GOOD LOOK
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/testimony189.htm
In Christ’s Service,
Dwayne Savaya
Gods Work Ministry |