I Would Rather

Several postings ago I told you about the loss of my sister-in-law, Beverly Lessin. On Friday we will be having a memorial service to honor her life. I recently came across something she had written which clearly states her purpose in life and her passion for Jesus. I wanted to share those words with you today.

I Would Rather
I would rather be in the darkness with God
than in the light with thousands.
I would rather be alone with Him
than surrounded by the crowd.
I would rather be under the discipline of my Lord
than to hear the applause of man.
I find more value in leaving all for Jesus Christ
than in seeking the riches of this world.
I would rather hear His sweet voice at sunrise
than to sleep well and miss my appointment with the King.
I would rather invest my time and energy in Jesus
than waste my time on what is not eternal.
My desire is to know Him more
and to be more like Him.
Yes, my Beloved…
I would rather have You!

-Beverly Lessin

Your Value

Each day on E-bay.Com, people bid on items they value. Each item purchased is worth whatever someone is willing to pay—the greater the value, the greater the price. One of the things that will increase the value of an item is its rarity. If there are 100 of an item it has some value, if there are only 10 of that same item it has greater value, but if there is only 1 of that item in existence it has the greatest value of all.

Have you ever wondered what your true value is? If your life were up for auction what would you be worth? When Jesus went to the cross He paid the highest price that could ever be paid for your life. You are worth to God the death of His Son. Why such a high price? There are not 100 of you, there are not 10 of you, there is only 1 of you. If you are lost someone cannot be your replacement. That is why Jesus came to seek and to save you. He was not willing that you should perish. You are the lost sheep that needed to be found. 

There were ninety and nine that safely lay
In the shelter of the fold;
But one was out on the hills away,
Far off from the gates of gold.
Away on the mountains wild and bare;
Away from the tender Shepherd’s care.
“Lord, Thou hast here Thy ninety and nine;
Are they not enough for Thee?”
But the Shepherd made answer: “This of Mine
Has wandered away from Me.
And although the road be rough and steep,
I go to the desert to find My sheep.”
But none of the ransomed ever knew
How deep were the waters crossed;
Nor how dark was the night the Lord passed through
Ere He found His sheep that was lost.
Out in the desert He heard its cry;
’Twas sick and helpless and ready to die.
“Lord, whence are those blood-drops all the way,
That mark out the mountain’s track?”
“They were shed for one who had gone astray
Ere the Shepherd could bring him back.”
“Lord, whence are Thy hands so rent and torn?”
“They’re pierced tonight by many a thorn.”
And all through the mountains, thunder-riv’n,
And up from the rocky steep,
There arose a glad cry to the gate of heav’n,
“Rejoice! I have found My sheep!”
And the angels echoed around the throne,
“Rejoice, for the Lord brings back His own!”
-Elizabeth C. Clephane, 1868

 

The rain of His grace is always dropping; the river of His bounty is ever flowing; the well-spring of His love is constantly overflowing. Daily His branches bend down to our hand with a fresh store of mercy. Who can know the number of His benefits or recount the list of His bounties? The countless stars are like the standard bearers of a more innumerable host of blessings. Oh, that my praise would be as ceaseless as His bounty!  -C. H. Spurgeon

God has foreordained the works to which He has called you. He has been ahead of you preparing the place to which you are coming and manipulating all the resources of the universe in order that the work you do may be a part of His whole great and gracious work. -G. Campbell Morgan

Jesus Makes All the Difference

Live in the peace of knowing that God has accepted you.
Live in the confidence of knowing that Christ’s blood makes you clean.
Live in the joy of knowing you are forgiven.
Live in the assurance of knowing that He is holding your hand.
Live in the hope of knowing that your future is with Jesus.

His majesty is your worship,
His holiness is your beauty,
His presence is your fragrance,
His truth is your foundation,
His tenderness is your comfort,
His abundance is your supply,
His plan is your purpose,
His faithfulness is your security,
His life is your fulfillment,
His strength is your endurance,
His heart is your home.

Looking Up; Looking Down

In the early days of DaySpring we created a card that made a proclamation of a believer’s position in Christ. The front of the card read, “Keep looking down.” The inside of the card read, “You are seated with Christ in heavenly places!” The card was based upon Ephesians 2:6, “For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.”

The card took many believers by surprise. This saying was different from the familiar phrase “keep looking up!” The common thinking was to look at the phrase “keep looking down” as a negative statement, while the phrase “keeping looking up” was looked upon as a positive one. The truth is that both statements are positive when viewed from a proper perspective.

We are told in Hebrews 12:1-2 “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;” God does want us to keep an upward view, keeping our eyes on Jesus as we daily serve Him and follow Him with all of our hearts. It is important for us to “keep looking up.” It is our upward look that keeps hope in our hearts and Christ’s coming kingdom before us. “Looking up” means that we are not hanging our heads in discouragement and being weighed down with despair. “Looking up” keeps us moving forward, from faith to faith and glory to glory.

The following quote helps us see another important aspect of looking up. It is based upon Mark 7:34 “Looking up to heaven He sighed”…
“Too often we sigh and look within; Jesus sighed and looked without. We sigh and look down; Jesus sighed and looked up. We sigh and look to earth; Jesus sighed and looked to heaven. We sigh and look to man; Jesus sighed and looked to God.” -Stork

As important as it is for us to daily be “looking up” it is equally important for us to be daily “looking down.” Through our spiritual eyes God has allowed us to have these two distinctive views of faith. You can “keep looking up” because you are on a pilgrim’s journey here on earth; You can keep “looking down” because you are seated with Christ in heavenly places.

What does the perspective of “keep looking down” mean in your daily walk? It means that you are seated with Christ in a place of rest, in a place of triumph, in a place of power, in a place of authority, and in a place of glory. His place is your place; His victory is your victory; His life is your life. You can “keep looking down” because He has conquered the grave, because the enemy is below His feet, and because you are more than a conqueror through Him who loves you.

 

Comfort

In my last posting I started off by saying, “It is with a sad heart that I write this posting.” Today, I would like to start by saying, “My heart is comforted by all your responses of love, and for your heartfelt prayers for our family since the loss of my sister-in-law, Bev.” Thank you!

 

Many have asked us how we are doing, and I can honestly say that we have come to experience, in an even deeper way, what it means to be upheld by His everlasting arms. We have needed that strength as there have been times when we have felt our knees buckle from the blow of the unexpected news.

 

God’s comfort is truly an amazing thing. This morning I was thinking about the image of a mother coming to the aid of her frightened child. The immediate response of the mother is to bring her child comfort. How does she do it? She brings comfort by reaching out and picking up her crying child in her arms. Once her child is secure in her arms she draws her child close to her heart. As she does, she begins to speak soft, soothing words to reassure her child that she is near and all will be well once again.

 

Like that child, I have needed God’s comfort. I have felt His arms lift me and draw me close to His heart, and I have heard His voice saying, “Peace, be still.”

 

“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles…” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NL

Remembering Bev

It is with a sad heart that I write this posting. Last night my sister-in-law, Bev, was killed in a car wreck in Mexico. She lived as a widow after my brother, Don, went to be with the Lord three years ago. They both died on the same day, May 10th.

A couple of weeks ago Bev was in our home for a five day visit. When I took her to the airport she told me how much she loved “hellos” and disliked “goodbyes.” After unloading her suitcases from the back seat of my car and placing them on the sidewalk in front of the terminal, we gave each other a goodbye hug. I had no idea we would never again have the opportunity to say “hello” in this life.

Bev served the Lord faithfully for over forty years in Mexico. She was a woman who was called of God and she never lost her focus, her passion, or her purpose. She was sixty-seven and going strong. She was not like a rocket that was out of fuel and tumbling back to earth; rather, she was like a rocket that had just ignited its final boosters and was climbing into new orbits. In many ways, Bev was at her peak in ministry, in spiritual authority, and in her walk of faith.  She was not a retired missionary widow who was sitting back in some church pew passively waiting for the coming of the Lord.

During her recent visit with us, I asked her to speak to a class I was teaching at our church. Her opening remarks caught my attention and I immediately wrote them down. Here are her words: “God can do anything He wants to do, at any time He wants—if we are yielded to Him.” She went on to say, “Life is never boring when we are walking in obedience to the Lord.”

It is not by coincidence that I came across two Scriptures this morning that echoed Bev’s words. The first Scripture was from Acts 3:22, “Give heed to everything He says to you." The second was from John 2:5, “Whatsoever He says to you, do it.”

The Scripture from John 2:5 was part of a devotional reading for May 11th from the book, “Thoughts for the Quiet Hour.” As I read the devotional that followed the Scripture it was as if Bev was writing a final word of goodbye…
“If I could give you information of my life, it would be to show how a woman of very ordinary ability has been led by God in strange and unaccustomed paths to do in His service what He has done in her. And if I could tell you all, you would see how God has done all, and I nothing. I have worked hard, very hard, that is all; and I have never refused God anything.” –Florence Nightingale

Consider how great things He has done for you. 1 Samuel 12:24

Look back on all the way the Lord your God has led you. Do you not see it dotted with ten thousand blessings in disguise? Call to mind the needed relief sent at the critical moment; the right way chosen for you instead of the wrong way you had chosen for yourself; the hurtful thing to which your heart so fondly clung, removed out of your path; the breathing-time granted, which your tried and struggling spirit just at the moment needed. Oh, has not Jesus stood at your side when you knew it not? Has not Infinite Love encircled every cloud with its merciful lining? Oh, retrace your steps, and mark His footprints in each one! Thank Him for them all, and learn the needed lesson of leaning more simply on Jesus. –F. Whitfield

God is the one who will fulfill His purpose for me. – A. W. Tozer

God is over all things, under all things, outside all things; within, but not enclosed; without, but not excluded; above, but not raised up; below, but not depressed; wholly above presiding, wholly beneath sustaining, wholly without embracing, and wholly within filling. –author unknown.

Abba Cry (Part 2)

Today’s posting presents the second message by Don Lessin. This message is included in the book Abba Cry. The book is available online at DaySpring.com.

To listen to the message please click on the link provided below. It may take a couple of minutes for the message to fully load and begin to play.

Click Here to Listen to Don's Message

Abba Cry

The book Abba Cry is based upon two messages spoken by Don Lessin about twenty years ago at Outreach Center church. For my posting today, I am making the first message available for you to listen to. The second message will be available on my next posting. I hope you will be able to find time to listen and that your heart will be encouraged.

Click Here to Listen to Don's Message

Note: Message should start playing immediately once you click on the link.