Our God Is Able

This morning we got up early – 6 a.m. My devotional reading took me to Scripture I had read a few days earlier – “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (II Timothy 1:7) and “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7).

Our God is Able. 

With God’s power and God’s love and God’s control and our undivided focus on Him, we have nothing to fear. And if we are fearful, we can go to God and “ASK” for help and receive it, we can “SEEK” guidance and find it, we can “KNOCK” on the door of understanding and discernment and wisdom will be opened to us.

A prayer gram we received from Forest Hills Baptist Church in Nashville (our friend Jani Ford’s mom is a member) included the following verse, which also happened to be a favorite of the late Ted Manzke, a former professor at Hannibal-LaGrange College.

“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)

Seek / Find a place
to be still
Seek / Find a place
to be alone
in My Presence
and listen
hear My voice
consider
what I say
understand
My ways

 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways (says the Lord). For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”     (Isaiah 55: 8-9)

Live in the Light
of My Son
Jesus
and be
obedient
to His call
on you.

This morning we drove a little over an hour south to Wilton, Iowa, where Jim shared God’s message with the folks at Wilton Baptist Church. We have been there before, but this was the first time this year. To be honest, we were not expecting a call to come – a man had come in view of a call -- but God knew we were to be there this day, for such a time as this, and He knew we would go.

Hence, we came.

Our God is Able.

All along, we see how able God is, and how unable we are, without Him.

Jim’s sermon, “Our God is Able,” was taken from II Timothy 1: 8-14, with primary emphasis on verse 12 – “For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.”

Every trial we come up against, every painful struggle … is important to God.  He has promised we will face trials. But He also promises to be with us through the trials. We have the Great Physician on our side. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us.

Our God is Able.
    To Deliver us from Dangers

He delivered Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego when they were thrown into the fiery furnace. (See Daniel 3:17)

        To Provide and Supply All Our Needs

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”  (II Corinthians 9:8)

“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.”  (Ephesians 3:20-21)

“For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD; thou art my trust from my youth.” (Psalm 71:5)

This particular verse Jim read in one of his devotional books, Proverbs for Men. The author made the following comments …

We Christians have many reasons to be confident. God is in His heaven; Christ has risen, and we are the sheep of His flock. Yet sometimes, even the most devout Christians can become discouraged. Discouragement, however, is not God’s way. He is a God of possibility not negativity.  Are you a confident Christian? You should be. God’s grace is eternal and His promises are unambiguous. So, count your blessings, not your hardships. And live courageously. God is the Giver of all things good, and He watches over you today and forever.

“Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? … et.al " (Matthew 6:25-34)

       To Make All Grace Abound

“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good word.”           (II Corinthians 9:8)

When a person is not capable of earning a wage, can win no prize and deserves no award, yet receives a gift anyway – that is a good picture of God’s unmerited favor – God’s grace, His Amazing Grace!

       To Control All Things

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

       To Preserve Us

“Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.” (June 1:24)

 Our God is able. … no matter what may come our way, God is on our side. Trouble will come … it is a given. But He will take care of us. We must trust in Him with our every step.

When we are a child of the Living God, we can all face the coming days with assurance and comfort knowing Our God Is Able.

Going forward

We finally heard from Dr. Parekh's nurse Joan today. Anxiety got the best of us, so Jim called the office when we hadn't heard from anyone by 1 p.m. The endoscopy ultrasound is still on for March 31 - to see if there are any nodules in the area of the esophagus.

Your prayers that no nodules will be seen during that ultrasound would be greatly appreciated.

We should know the results of the ultrasound on April 1 and at that time we're thinking surgery will probably be scheduled.

Surgery will involve removal of the whole esophagus, not just a part of it, and will take 4 to 5 hours. If everything goes as planned, Jim's hospital stay will be 5 days. It could of course be longer.

At the time of surgery, a feeding tube will be hooked up to the small intestine. It will be in place for 3 months, and hopefully by the end of the 3 months, he should be able to eat solid food again.

PREACHING

While we wait for time to pass, there are still things God has given Jim to do. You think doors close, that you're no longer needed some place because someone else has come. But things don't always come together just as we think they will. It's all in God's timing. Perhaps we would all do better if we thought less and talked with God more.

At any rate, Jim is returning to Wilton Baptist Church in Wilton, Iowa - that's a few miles south of Tipton, this Sunday, March 15, to preach. His message, from 2 Timothy 1:12, is titled "Our God is Able."

Test Results Favorable

Praise the Lord! The PET/CT scan Jim had Tuesday morning does not show any indication the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes. A definite answer to much prayer from a great many people.

There appears to be two nodules on his lung, which could be benign. It seems I remember from some time ago, when he's had a CT or MRI, there was something there, but nothing concrete.

We met with Jim's surgeon, Dr. Kalpay Parekh (pronounced Pare-ek) and his nurse, Joan. Dr. Parekh said the endoscopic ultrasound scheduled for March 31 would probably still be performed - to see if any tumors are found in the area of the esophagus.

A team of multi-disciplinary doctors will meet early Tuesday, March 10, to discuss Jim's case and determine the best course of action. That same day we will receive a call indicating their recommendation.

Since the cancer was diagnosed in its early stages, it is possible Jim might not need radiation or chemo. Surgery is definite and it is major, even if minimally-invasive. Surgery could be as early as mid-April.

This morning in reading my devotional, it said, "Refuse to Worry!"

And in an earlier reading, when God and Moses were communing, God said to him, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." ~ Exodus 33:14.

His Presence is with us is His promise. And we live and move in that promise.

Amazing Grace

"Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need." ~ Hebrews 4:16

Wow! The things God gives us is so amazing! At work again, listening to music again - this time the Easter music CD to "Your Grace Still Amazes Me." A brief look at the blog ... The Race, and there it is. Put God in front of the Race and you have AMAZING GRACE.

Amazing Love
Strength
Power
Guide
Savior
Friend
Listener
Confidant
Comforter
Beauty
Encourager
Amazing Grace!

It is about us and Him

"Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven."  ~ Luke 6:37

Today's reading says, Stop judging and evaluating yourself.

Well, I am guilty as charged.

I remember sometime ago someone said to me I shouldn't talk about my pains because someone else had more and it was because of cancer.  So when we first received Jimmy's diagnosis, I thought my struggles had no place. No big deal, because Jim had cancer and that was more important than anything going on with me.  Our first tiff after the diagnosis came was because of mistaken thoughts and ideas.

It is true, it is about him
But, it is not just about him
I count too
We are married, a team
We are One
united
with God.
It is not just about him
It is about us
about our relationship with Jesus
and about our journey together
with this thing called cancer.

Waiting

Waiting is hard to do. No matter what it is.

Jim talked to a couple of friends last night. This morning I thought of another who should know. There are many who don't know. But there are many more who do and who pray for us and for Jim's healing, and we are grateful.

The burden lies heavy
The days go by
out and in
further and closer
God is with us
He said He would be
He came
alongside
when we --
Jim and I --
and you too?
became His children.

The burden is heavy
but with the Lord Jesus
carrying so much of it
it is lighter.

Yesterday afternoon at work I listened to Christian music. Music often lifts me up, helps keep my focus more on the Lord and His powerful presence and less on events around us.

This is the second year I am reading Sarah Young's devotional, Jesus Calling.

The reminders are front and center -- Do not lose sight of Jesus. Do keep your focus on Him and His Presence and stay within today's boundary -- Do not concern yourself about tomorrow and the next day. They will come soon enough.

Prayers

Tonight on the way home from work, a line from a nursery rhyme and another from a children's prayer came to me. I decided to look them up on the internet. The nursery rhyme goes like this --

Star light, star bright
The first star I see tonight;
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight.

I decided to rewrite it, and in doing so, it became a prayer.

Lord of Light, Lord so bright
Your Love within me every night
I pray for comfort, I pray for peace
I pray for him, I pray he'll be all right,
And have this prayer fulfilled I pray tonight.


 The children's bedtime prayer dates back to the 1700s. Jim and I remember saying it in the 1950s when we were kids. The prayer is just as meaningful today as it was then, actually more so. Both of us gave our lives to Jesus, accepting Him as our personal Lord and Savior, many years ago.  Pray you have too.

"Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.
If I should live another day
I pray the Lord to guide my way.
Amen.

The Unknowns

"The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us."  ~ Deuteronomy 29:29

Today's devotional reading from Jesus Calling said, "Your future looks uncertain and feels flimsy, even precarious. This is how it should be. Secret things belong to the Lord, and future things are secret things. ... Relax and enjoy the journey in My Presence."

If we think about the unknowns, does it mean we don't trust the Lord to care for us?

If we don't think about the unknowns, does not mean we think it is unimportant?

I think Jim and I are striving to not think about the unknowns. God tells us not to worry. When we worry, we're not trusting Him to take care of us, to be with us all the way.

Our future is uncertain -- a big unknown -- we can't see what upcoming tests will reveal.

The future has always been uncertain, but it seems to be more precarious when it comes to our personal health.

Things of the future will become clear when God desires to reveal them to us. And when He does, the future is ours to live with Him. We need to continually Trust Him in the midst of the unknowns. He will guide us in each step we take.

Good Intentions

"Rejoice always
pray without ceasing
in everything give thanks;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus." ~ I Thessalonians 5:16-18

"In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul." ~ Psalm 138:3

The good intentions were there, but between starting the day and ending the day yesterday, messes exploded and we fell prey to Satan's tactics.

A partially good day.

Partially means not all, because there were some parts that were not so good, downright bad.

What good is partially good?

God is good all the time. Why can't we?

TRUST

Run, walk
the race
Live
life
before you
upon you
now
with
stamina
strength
endurance

without stumbling
or falling
into the pit
of self-pity
self-preoccupation
of giving up

Barely out of
the starting gate
and already
we have had
enough?
We must depend
on God
for everything
We cannot depend
on ourselves
or others

God is who we look to
God is who we confide in
We must stay rooted
in Him
We must abide in
His Love
We must not dwell...
We must not
let incidents
crop up and grab hold
of us
and take us
down paths
we know
we should not go.

We must keep our focus
on the Lord Jesus

With our trust
in Him,
we will
ALWAYS
see
the clear road ahead
He will
protect us
from
needless
worry and obsession.

Today is the Day

FEBRUARY 23, 2015 ... Four days have passed.

"This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it." ~ Psalm 118:24

It was a decent enough day until 1:15 p.m. when things started to unravel. We went down the path of saying things we didn't mean and believing them anyway and letting anger get the best of us. It wasn't until many hours later that we kicked Satan off his holier than thou negative attitude and returned God to His rightful place, where He belongs all the time.