My Daily Bread

[thecountrydoc]

Hello my friends,

Here is somthing new for you to enjoy. Please let me know if you would like to have this posted here on a regular basis.


YBIC,
Doc
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It sounded easy for Jesus to say it: “Abide in Me, and I in you ... ,” John 15:4). But how do we do it?

(a) He gives an explanation a little later: “If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you” (vs. 7). It’s clear: we abide in Him by permitting His words in the Bible to find lodgment in our minds and hearts.

(b) But that requires another miracle: “Blessed [happy] are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness ...” (Matt. 5:6). Suppose you have no hunger and thirst for the Bible?

(c) When your body needs nourishment, God has built in to you a system that creates hunger for food and thirst for water; you’ll do almost anything and make almost any sacrifice in order to obtain them.

(d) Jesus says you’ll be a happy person when you can experience that wonderful hunger and thirst for Bible truth.

(e) If in your honest moments you realize that you have a greater hunger and thirst for novels or TV entertainment in the world’s Vanity Fair, don’t give up and say you’re hopeless: the Holy Spirit is delighted to heal you and develop in you a spiritual “appestat,” that mysterious function that creates a longing for food and water. He is happy to teach you to hunger and thirst for spiritual nourishment. Now cooperate with Him!

(f) I was a freshman in college, just attended a Week of Prayer; I realized I had no hunger to read the Bible; reading it was like a dose of bitter medicine. But I was serious.

(g) I remember that I decided to do something (no one told me what to do): I would not go to the cafeteria until the Lord gave me a hunger and thirst for spiritual food. I remember sitting up in my room alone when mealtimes came; but no miracle happened.

(h) But I did choose to try to do my part: I knelt and tried to read the Gospel of John. It was like boring, like the stock reports (I had known John for years, but it was never lighted up for me). It seemed as though my prayer was for nothing.

(i) But gradually a tiny bit of light began to shine in the text; and I can thank the Lord and praise Him that I did finally begin to learn to treasure the Gospel of John, and to treasure the Bible.

(j) Let me encourage every one, young and old: the Lord will not despise your prayer!

(k) He promises: “Turn you at My reproof [yes, be serious!]; behold I will pour out My Spirit unto you, I will make known My words unto you”(Prov. 1:23).

 

[thecountrydoc]

Dear Friends,

May I present a brief testimony to the kindness of the Lord:

My beloved wife of 66 years, Grace Thomson Wieland, and I often at night just before we dropped off to sleep, in addition to our regular evening family worship, would repeat together the 23rd Psalm.

There was always a little extra solemn touch when we said the words together, “Yea, though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil, for Thou art with us.”

When it came time suddenly one Wednesday night for Grace to go, those words “we will fear no evil” were literally fulfilled.

She had just said “amen” fervently to my brief prayer for the Lord’s blessing on our last bowl of soup together, when her hour came: there was not a trace of anxiety or fear. It was just like saying “Goodnight” as we had done thousands of times in our 66 years together.

This may seem a trivial blessing; but there are millions around the world who would give anything for a touch of that peace from heaven in such an hour.

Almost the last words that Jesus spoke to “us” (His disciples) before He was taken up into heaven were, “Peace to you”(Luke 24:36).

He gives you that peace today; He gives it to everybody. Your job is to open your heart and receive the word. He speaks that word literally to every soul on earth who has ears to catch the promise. He has no respect of persons; He loves the bad people as He loves the “good” people; we know this is true because He “makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matt. 5:45). Whoever you are, His longing for you is that you might know “peace” and therefore He gives it; He never utters a vain greeting that is empty. When He says “Good morning, how are you?” He is serious; He wants you to say ... how you are!

His word, “Peace to you!” is literally true. Now, believe it.
_______________________________________________________

Your brother in Christ,
Doc

 

[thecountrydoc]

Dear Friends,

The noun “blessing” means something that gives happiness.

The verb “to bless” means to make someone happy.

But in Psalm 103 it all seems turned around backwards: we are told to “bless the Lord, O my soul” (vs. 1).

But how could any of us mere mortals, and sinful at that, make the great Lord of heaven and earth to be happy?

The Psalm tells us how: remember all the wonderful things He constantly does for us: “forget not all His benefits.”

We were created in the image of Him; we are created to be like Him, and He is therefore like us in this particular: it makes Him happy when we appreciate Him for what He is.

The story of Barzillai is one of the happiest little narratives in the Bible. King David had sinned and ruined his own security and happiness; Absalom had rebelled against him; and the king had to flee for his life.

Barzillai did all he could to care for him at this crisis. “Barzillai was a very aged man, even fourscore years old [80]: and he had provided the king of sustenance” while the king was in flight from his enemy. The old man said he couldn’t any longer “discern between good and evil” or “taste what I eat or what I drink” nor “hear the voice of singing”(2 Sam. 19:32, 35).

But Barzillai found for himself forever an honorable place in the Holy Bible because he chose to be unselfish and to help “the Lord’s anointed” in a time of need. This old man was living under the glorious New Covenant, for God had promised under it that wherever you go throughout the world, “you shall be a blessing” (Gen. 12:2, 3). Yes, under the New Covenant you will be leaving behind you everywhere you go the memory of making people happy (in the eternal sense). That in itself is reward enough for anybody’s life.
______________________________________________________

Your brother in Christ,
Doc

 

[mva1985]

Dear Friends,

May I present a brief testimony to the kindness of the Lord:

My beloved wife of 66 years, Grace Thomson Wieland, and I often at night just before we dropped off to sleep, in addition to our regular evening family worship, would repeat together the 23rd Psalm.

There was always a little extra solemn touch when we said the words together, “Yea, though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil, for Thou art with us.”

When it came time suddenly one Wednesday night for Grace to go, those words “we will fear no evil” were literally fulfilled.

She had just said “amen” fervently to my brief prayer for the Lord’s blessing on our last bowl of soup together, when her hour came: there was not a trace of anxiety or fear. It was just like saying “Goodnight” as we had done thousands of times in our 66 years together.

This may seem a trivial blessing; but there are millions around the world who would give anything for a touch of that peace from heaven in such an hour.

Almost the last words that Jesus spoke to “us” (His disciples) before He was taken up into heaven were, “Peace to you”(Luke 24:36).

He gives you that peace today; He gives it to everybody. Your job is to open your heart and receive the word. He speaks that word literally to every soul on earth who has ears to catch the promise. He has no respect of persons; He loves the bad people as He loves the “good” people; we know this is true because He “makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matt. 5:45). Whoever you are, His longing for you is that you might know “peace” and therefore He gives it; He never utters a vain greeting that is empty. When He says “Good morning, how are you?” He is serious; He wants you to say ... how you are!

His word, “Peace to you!” is literally true. Now, believe it.
_______________________________________________________

Your brother in Christ,
Doc

This is very touching - for I think that is what most of us long for is peace.

 

[mva1985]

In case I forget later on happy birthday Doc!