THE WORD WAS WITH GOD, THE WORD WAS GOD, THE WORD BECAME FLESH,

FOR THE LORD SHALL COMFORT ZION

Isaiah 51:3 For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.

Recently I posted Isaiah 51:2 about Abraham being called alone because I can so relate to that. You can read that post… here. The next verse, Isaiah 51:3, speaks about the Lord comforting His people. I want to share just two of the things that really blessed and comforted me yesterday…

I wear a hat whenever I go out, a hat that proclaims Jesus. I pray almost every night that the Lord would use that hat to bless the saints and minister to the lost. Many times I get a joyful response from believers when they see the hat, and that is a wonderful blessing for both of us. It happened again yesterday, but for some reason yesterday was different. It made me tearful. A good kind of tearful, as in sensing the presence of the Lord. We were having lunch out when an older man passed our table. As he was leaving he turned around and gave me a thumbs up and a big smile. I responded likewise. I guess it struck me that no words were said, yet this stranger and I were both acknowledging our beloved Savior.

When we finished our meal we decided to go to a nearby lake just to sit a while and enjoy the view. When we sat down I noticed that there were several teens, boys and girls, hanging out at the pavilion next to us. I had seven little Bibles with me (they are really tracts in tiny booklet form) so I tried to count the teens. It seemed there were seven of them but I wasn’t sure. I was sorry I didn’t have more tracts with me, thinking next time I would be more prepared for any opportunity that the Lord presented. I hesitated quite a while about giving them tracts. I didn’t know if I had the courage to just walk into a crowd of teens. I waited and debated, should I do this, and then two of the girls walked away. I thought, there goes another opportunity lost because of my procrastination. But then they came back! I prayed and asked the Lord to help me, then walked over to the pavilion with my walker. I handed each one of them a little Bible. As I was handing them out I wasn’t sure I had enough, but there were exactly seven kids there, and I had exactly seven little Bibles! Each one accepted the little Bible, and they were all very polite. I’ve handed out many of those little Bibles over the years, but there was something special about yesterday. Again, it brought tears to my eyes, and I sensed the Lord’s presence again. The Lord knows how to comfort us, his “alone” children, as only he can!

I have a basket full of little Bibles in my home. I’ve been praying that the basket empties quickly and that I would have to refill it. Will you pray with me that the Lord would give us more opportunities to give out His Word, and to make His Gospel known. 🙏 🙌🏻 ❤️

LITTLE BIBLE TRACT

MY HAT

MY BASKET WITH SPANISH AND ENGLISH LITTLE BIBLE TRACTS

THEY WON’T WANT THAT BIBLE TRACT!

They won’t want that Bible tract! Have you ever thought that, when you wanted to give someone a Bible tract? There’s a struggle at times, and surely the devil doesn’t want us sharing the Gospel, but that doesn’t stop us.

Acts 4:20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

When I lived in New York it was easier to give out Bible tracts. We would hand them out on the street as the crowds passed by, or on the subway during rush hour. People would grab a tract and keep on moving. Where I live now it’s very different. Here I give out tracts when I shop or eat out. It’s more of a one on one encounter. There are times when the offer of a tract is rejected, or taken reluctantly. That creates an uncomfortable situation, and I think that’s why the thought comes… they won’t want that Bible tract!

Recently, I was at the supermarket ordering a sub. As the young woman prepared my sandwich I’m thinking Bible tract. I want to give her a tract. Should I? No, she’s not going to want it! When she was done I overcame my hesitation and handed her a Bible booklet tract. She took it, looked at it, smiled at me and said… I love this!

A few weeks ago I was ordering lunch at a local fast food place, and as I’m looking at the young man taking my order, I’m thinking I want to give him a tract. Then I think… he’s not going to want a tract, and I didn’t give him one. The next time I went there the same young man took my order, and this time I gave him the tract. He was so very appreciative, thanking me more than once!

I was talking to my friend this morning. She told me that years ago she saw a well dressed young man in New York City sitting on some steps nearby. She looked at him and thought… he’s not going to want a tract. She finally overcame those thoughts and walked over to him and gave him a tract. He gladly accepted it and told her he was sitting there trying to think of a way to kill himself! She got him help through our church and they sent him to a rehab!

There’s not always conflict. Some tracts are easy to give. I gave one to my elderly neighbor who took it gladly. She later told me she reads it every night! The tract is all Scripture!

2 Corinthians 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

SATAN IS THE GREAT MIND-BLINDER AND DECEIVER OF SOULS!

MY BROTHER JOEY

Matthew 10:36 And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.

Barnes Notes:

…such would be one of the effects of his coming. One part of a family that was opposed to Him would set themselves against those who believed in him. … It is unnecessary to say that no prophecy has been more strikingly fulfilled; and it will continue to be fulfilled

I remember the day my brother was born. I was just about to turn 12 at the time. My mom was in her mid 40’s and it was a difficult birth. I recall my dad pacing and smoking a cigarette. I had never seen my dad smoke before, nor after that day. Thank God that all ended well. My brother was born healthy, and my mom recovered without complications.

As a young man my brother became briefly involved with a Protestant church. I’m not sure it was a good one though. I wasn’t saved at the time, but I remember telling him to be cautious. Years later, when I was born again, I witnessed to him. One day sitting at my dining room table he said he thought he was born again before me! In reality that wasn’t true. The truth is he didn’t believe the Gospel. I was a fairly new believer at the time, and looking back I wish I would have done and said some things differently. This is my “baby brother”. He turned 61 today! I still think of him as he was in his younger days. The last time we communicated was after Hurricane Sandy in 2012. I wonder if I’ll ever see him again.

Psalm 69:8 I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother’s children.

MY MOTHER HAD A NEWBORN SON – A Poem

THE SWORD – A Poem