Do Not Limp

Do not limp, I told myself! I had surgery going on four months ago, and though the pain is almost gone, I still favor that side as I have for all these months. Yes, there was pain but now I should be able to walk without a limp. I should be able to walk down the stairs without the tediousness of one step at a time fearing my unsteadiness, but I must talk stern to myself and just do it.

 

Today as I talked my way down the stairs unsteadily, I thought of the church. Not any one local church but The Church. We have been limping along not doing what we should be doing, we have been lukewarm pew warmers instead of warriors in God’s kingdom. Yes, we have been injured but it is time to stop limping and take on the world and never give up. They have taken our sacred symbol from the courthouse as if the Ten Commandments were nothing, Nativity scenes at Christmas are banned by local governments and Merry Christmas does not pass the lips of cashiers for fear the Lord’s birth might be recognized. Our government officials openly reject the church as non-essential and dismiss the bible and its laws. Yes, Church, we have been injured but it is time to stop limping and come boldly to the throne of God and realize His spiritual healing has already taken place and courage is given to those who will be revived. Awaken church! The ills of this country can never be solved by human hands no matter what party is in power.

 

And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?

Esther 4:14

Did you know that we as Christians are royalty?

In 1 Peter 2:9 it says we are!

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of the darkness into wonderful light.

1 Peter 2:9

We have all come to our royal position when we accepted Christ as the Savior and King of our lives. As. royalty, we have been called for such a time as this.

Awaken Church and take your royal positions as ambassadors for Christ. The laborers are few even though the harvest is plentiful. Walk out courageous and strong!

 

DO NOT LIMP!

Love Songs!

The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:17

Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents. Luke 15:10

At the funeral of a beloved uncle, I listened to the beautiful hymns sung but was touched by the song “Deep Purple” written 1930 and published in 1938 which was my aunt and uncles love song. The words, though written for a young couple in love, were also appropriate at this time with these words “as long as my heart shall beat”, we all long for that kind of love. As was the practice back then, the hospital stay after giving birth was quite lengthy and my mom was missing her one year old daughter (me) and the song "My Happiness" rang true to her about her baby girl as the lyrics go,  how i long to be with you" and continued until she passed away.  I didn’t always understand that love until I got kids of my own. I don’t recall that my husband and I ever decided on any one song but many songs remind me of our dating. Occasionally I get on one of those hip-hop station playing those songs of the 60s and I can go back to those days of sitting in his 1964 yellow SS Impala; at the outdoor root beer stand while the songs of the time played on the radio. Happy songs of young love! “The Yellow Submarine by the Beatles or “Stop in The Name of Love” by the Supremes.

Right now I am listening to love songs of a different kind! They take me back to a time when we made a commitment for a life time. They are songs that tell of love that could never be measured. The truth that I hear in them has rang true for all of these years. They are songs that tell of the gospel of Jesus Christ. My mind goes to one Sunday morning when we sang “There’s Room at the Cross You”, there we found that there was indeed room for two young seekers. “He Touched Me” and he made me whole still rings true these 51 years later. Of course who could forget “Amazing Grace”, “What a Friend We Have In Jesus” and “The Old Rugged Cross”. When my youngest daughter was very sick in the hospital , Larry and I slipped out to go to church and was given hope and sang with great enthusiasm “Hold on my child, joy comes in the morning”. Joy came right then because I knew how much He loved us, but joy came as our little girl recovered with none of the lasting effect that the doctors predicted. Joy did come in the morning many times in these many years and still I hold on to this promise.

Psalm 30:5 Weeping may endure for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

I love so many of the new songs that we sing now in church, but my heart is full of those love songs that I have deep in my soul. Those songs that are stepping stones through my life. Songs that tell of his love, his promises and his presence in our life. “No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus”, “The Garden” and “How Great Thou Are”.

As we celebrate this month of Love with our Sweethearts, I praise God for my Sweetheart! How brilliant of God to know that we needed a helpmate. He is my best friend who has walked with me through the many years. His memories are much like mine because of the happiness and the sorrows that we have shared with Christ by our side. Praise God if your “love” songs are many!