Saturday, June 06, 2009
If you will indulge me a bit, yesterday and today – a year ago – were low-water marks in my life and in the life of my family. Yesterday was the day that we told my only sibling and sister, Beth, that she was dying and only had a short time to live. Today, a year ago, was the last time I ever saw her alive and spoke with her in this life. The following is my journal entry for that day:
Thursday, June 05, 2008
- Wow! What a day. This was the day that we told Beth that she was probably going to die soon. What an emotional moment. Up until this time, Beth’s possible death had not been a subject of discussion. But I suppose Beth knew something was up when Sonja and I showed up unannounced. She flat out asked mother, “Am I going to die?” Mother had to as gently as possible tell her that unless God intervened that, yes it appeared that she was soon to die.
- I’ll never forget her then looking at me with such fear and panic in her eyes. The first thing she said was, “But, I don’t want to die.”
- We of course assured her that she would not die until God willed it. However, I began talking to her about Heaven and seeing Jesus and our grandparents and Uncle Charles and then the tide turned; for the Holy Spirit began to minister to her and she began to speak in tongues and then she said, “Jesus, I’m in your hands.” From that moment on she was at peace.
- This day will ever be remembered as the day that I found out that Beth was soon to die. I’ll never forget that drive to Walhalla. As we headed out, I called friends and asked for them to pray (praise God for dear friends who can pray during tough times!) and Sonja and I drove that long journey to Walhalla to be there when we, her family, told Beth the news.
- The first hour or so the car was mainly quiet as Sonja and I both processed the news. But I can go to the very spot when we began playing a CD of hymns sung by Avalon via Sonja’s iPod. The first one that came on was “On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand.” I don’t think I’ll ever forget that moment. I could feel my faith activate. I must confess there are times when I have doubts about the whole “God-thing.” Satan buffets me; but today my faith did not let me down. I sensed the Holy Spirit’s presence in a very real way. Twice today the Holy Spirit has manifested Himself – to me and Beth. I don’t know what the future holds and how long Beth has on this earth; but I know God will be with us and that somehow good will come of this. Father God, I trust you and I lean upon you this evening. I ask for your presence and power in my family and especially for my sister. I would even ask for a miraculous healing – it is never too late; but nevertheless, not my will by yours be done. AMEN
My purpose in sharing this was not to be morbid and sad, but to highlight a very important event that happened during that tough time last year, and that is that the Holy Spirit came through in such a precious way. I’ll never forget when the Holy Spirit began to intercede through Beth. Let the theologians debate all the questions about the manifestations of the Holy Spirit. All I know is that He showed up that day to bring strength and comfort to a dying woman in her hour of need. All I know is that He showed up to activate the faith of that dying woman’s brother when he needed it most. All I know is that He showed up to minister to a family at their lowest hour; that is enough for me.
A few days ago I wrote about the joys of experiencing Pentecost. On that day, one year ago, I witnessed it firsthand. Maybe this week has been a low-water mark in your life and family. Whatever you do, don’t count out the wonder and abiding presence of the Holy Spirit. Call upon Him, yield to Him, you will never, never regret it.
God grace to you,
david l. kemp
11:46 a.m.
Prayer of the day…
Prayer for the day: Father God, today I was reminded that anytime we do something in Jesus’ name that that deed and that moment become sacred. Life has a way of “defacing” us. We can become just another face in the crowd, another number and just another person in line. But when we choose to live our lives for Jesus then nothing is minor or insignificant but instead everything takes on an eternal significance. The simplest things like giving a cool glass of water can become memorable acts that will turn the tide of men’s affairs. Oh God, today I rededicate myself to this task – doing what I do heartily as unto Jesus Christ!
I also ask that You will prepare my family and my church family and all that call upon your NAME for worship tomorrow. There are set times and places that You call your people. Tomorrow (Sunday) is the great day of worship for the Christian Church. And the beautiful campus that You have given to us is the place where You have put your NAME and PRESENCE for the FMCOG. Please prepare us for that special moment when we gather in your NAME and worship You.
Finally, I lift up every need and every heart cry to You today. Please hear our prayers and have mercy. I ask these things in Jesus’ name, amen.
Affirmation of the day…
My ten-step “Giving Covenant”
- I affirm God’s full ownership of me (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) and everything entrusted to me (Psalm 24:1). I recognize that my money and possessions is in fact His. I’m His money manager, His delivery person. I will ask Him what He wants me to do with His money.
- I will set aside the first-fruits – starting with at least 10 percent – of all I receive, treating it as holy and belonging exclusively to the Lord. I do this in obedience to Him, desiring His blessing (Malachi 3:6-12). By faith I take God up on His challenge to test Him in this.
- Out of the remaining treasures God entrusts to me, I will seek to make generous freewill gifts. I recognize that God has entrusted wealth to me so that I can be “generous on every occasion” (2 Corinthians 9:11). Realizing I can rob God by withholding not only the tithe but whatever offerings He calls upon me to give, I ask Him to make His will clear to me.
- I ask God to teach me to give sacrificially to His purposes, including helping the poor and reaching the lost. I commit myself to avoiding indebtedness so that I don’t tie up His funds and can therefore feel greater freedom to follow the Spirit’s promptings to give.
- Recognizing that I cannot take earthly treasures from this world, I determine to lay them up as heavenly treasures – for Christ’s glory and the eternal good of others and myself. Affirming that Jesus Christ is my Lord, I commit myself to lay out His assets before Him regularly – leaving nothing as untouchable – and ask His direction for what to do with and where to give His money. I’ll start with this question: “What am I hanging on to that You want me to give away?”
- Recognizing that God has given me my family, my friends, my church, and others in my circle of influence, I ask Him to help me share the Treasure Principle with them so they too may experience the greatest present joy and future reward. _Randy Alcorn, The Treasure Principle p. 91-92
- “I am a temporary steward of a wide variety of riches on loan from God to be enjoyed, maintained, and used for their intended purpose.” _Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges, Lead Like Jesus, p. 24
- I will be called to give an account for my stewardship when all the things of this world are returned to the owner, therefore I will make all financial decisions with a mind to give my Lord Jesus a return on his resources.
- I am unselfish and generous and I look for opportunities to be so everyday (Proverbs 21:26, Isaiah 32:8)
- Action is required of me to be generous – I will look for opportunities daily to give in at least one of the following ways: In Jesus’ name I will give of my Time, Talent, Treasure or Touch. (I Thessalonians 4:11-12, Hebrews 13:16, James 2:14-16)
Quotes of the Day:
- “Human giving generally does not reach the level of sacrifice that alters the giver’s lifestyle.” _John MacArthur, Whose Money Is It Anyway? p. 84
- “Our testimony is linked to our love (John 13:34-35), and our love is measured by our generosity.” _John MacArthur, Whose Money Is It Anyway? p. 128
- “At the very root of it all, faith is an unshaken confidence that what we believe about God and His Word is true.” _Joseph M. Stowell, Shepherding the Church into the 21st Century, p. 173
- “The best thing about Bible study isn’t the learning but the living.” _Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Joyful, p. 141
- “Contentment is not escape from the battle, but rather an abiding peace and confidence in the midst of the battle.” _Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Joyful, p. 134
Stories and other thoughts:
RE: Sin entering all the human race through Adam.
Some people have a hard time accepting this. Why, they ask, am I responsible for what Adam did? It’s a logical question: after all, if your great-grandfather committed a crime a century ago, no one would think of taking you into court and charging you with his crime today. But Adam was different, for he was the fountainhead of the whole human race. I remember as a boy on my father’s dairy farm finding one of his cows dead beside a creek running through our property. We discovered that a textile mill some distance upstream was discharging poisonous waste into the creek, and eventually we had to fence it off to safeguard the animals. My father wasn’t responsible for the pollution, but he still had to live with its consequences. In somewhat the same way, Adam’s sin flows down through the ages, polluting everything in its path. _Billy Graham, The Journey, p. 37
RE: God speaking our language…
“My Uncle Carl was grateful that someone spoke to him. A childhood case of the measles left him unable to hear or speak. Nearly all of his sixty-plus years were lived in stony silence. Few people spoke his language. My father was one of them. Being the older brother, maybe he felt protective. After their father died, perhaps he felt he should take over. Whatever the reason, my dad learned sign language. Dad wasn’t an avid student. He never finished high school. Never went to college. Never saw the need to learn Spanish or French. But he did take the time to learn the language of his brother. Let Dad enter the room, and Carl’s face would brighten. The two would find a corner, and the hands would fly, and they would have a great time. And though I never heard Carl say thanks (he couldn’t), his huge smile left no doubt that he was grateful. My dad had learned his language.” Max Lucado, “He Chose the Nails”, pg.47
The ONE THING 