Hi, everyone. We are just about to commence looking at the last chapter of "Steps to Jesus", this time "Rejoicing in the Lord", which is what we really can do!

When we finish this chapter my thoughts are that we could spend some time looking at another "classic" -- "Christ's Object Lessons". However, I have been well aware that our journey through "Steps to Christ" has brought many readers to this forum -- but not much in the way of "conversation"!! Hmmmm!! Not sure what that tells me!

However, my aim in this is not so much to enjoy a conversation (which I do!), but to lead the readers to a closer walk with my Lord. If I have been able to help even one person to find this closer walk -- it will all be worth while!

So, for now, back to the last chapter of "Steps to Jesus".

God bless,

Beryl

Quote:

The children of God are called upon to represent Christ and to show the goodness and mercy of the Lord. As Jesus has shown us the true character of the Father, so we are to show Christ to a world that does not know His kind love. Jesus prayed to His Father, "I sent them into the world, just as you sent me into the world." "I in them and you in me,...in order that the world may know that you sent me" (John 17:18, 23)

WOW! What a challenge put here in a few lines!! We are sent into this world just as God sent Jesus into our world! How did Jesus come? WILLINGLY!

This is a question which we need to answer for ourselves.

God bless

Beryl

Quote:

[b] The apostle Paul wrote to the disciples of Jesus, "You yourselves are the letter we have...for everyone to know and read" (2 Corinthians 3:2). All Christ's children are like letters to the world. If we are Christ's followers, He sends us as a letter to our family. He sends us to the village and to the street where we live.

Jesus, living in us, wants to speak to the hearts of those who do not know Him. Perhaps they do not read the Bible or hear the voice that speaks to them in its pages. They do not see the love of God through His works. But if we truly represent Jesus, people may be led through us to see Him. They may understand something of His goodness and be won to love and serve Him.

So, although people may not have any interest in sitting down and reading the Bible, they DO read US!

The apostle Paul had problems with the church in Corinth. Their lives did not reflect the Saviour whom they represented before the pagan world. They had accepted the FACTS of the message of Jesus, but they had not allowed Him to come into their lives as their Saviour. They had not allowed Him to change their lives. He wrote to them a long letter -- 1 Corinthians. He begged them to make Christ a reality in their lives. Obviously the majority did this, because Paul later wrote to them again (2 Corinthians), and this time he said, "You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts." 2 Corinthians 3:3.

What kind of letter would Paul have written to me? to you? Do we reflect Christ to those around us who do not know Him? That is something we need to reflect on.

God bless,

Beryl

Quote:

Christians are light bearers along the way to heaven. They are to give to the world the light that shines upon them from Christ. Their lives and characters will show others what Christ is like and what it means to serve Him.

When we represent Christ, we show to others that it is a pleasure to work for Him. Christians know that this is really true. Christians who complain and are unhappy give others a wrong idea of God and the Christian life. They make people think that God is not pleased to have his children happy. This is too bad, for they are telling something about their heavenly Father that is not true.

Have you ever known a grumpy Christian? You know -- always complaining? The weather is too hot, or it's too cold, or too windy,-- but never "a beautiful day"? People are never friendly, or too nosey, or too something else. Do you find that person a pleasure to be around?

Can you even begin to imagine Jesus being "grumpy"? God IS love -- it all flows from Him. Even when He had to reprimand some of His earthly children, He did it in love.

We are His representatives on earth. We all need to ask Him to make us more like Himself. What a wonderful world that would be!

God bless,

Beryl

Quote:

Satan is pleased when he can lead the children of God into doubt and unhappiness. He delights to see us mistrust God. He wants us to doubt God's willingness and power to save us. He loves to have us feel that God will lead us into harm.

Satan wants us to feel that the Lord does not have pity for us. But he is not telling the truth. He fills our minds with false ideas abgout God. He tries to make us think about these wrong ideas instead of God's goodness. He wants us to distrust God and complain about the way He leads us.

Satan tries to make the Christian life seem dark and unhappy. He wants it to appear hard and unpleasant, and some Christians may, by the way they act, make people think that serving God is hard. This makes it seem that they agree with Satan.

Satan and his followers (of both the winged and wingless varieties!) want us to believe the devil when he tells us that God is unfair, that He can't be trusted, that the Bible is about as true as a fairy tale.

Keep your trust in God! Yes, He does allow us to "pass through the waters" of trial, because that is the way that we develop trust in God, as we see and feel Him guiding us through some pretty bad times.

Ever seen a little child jump from the table top into the arms of his/her father? He/she does that because of many smaller incidents where the child has been able to build up trust in the father.

As we pass through trials, and find that the Heavenly Father has been there for us, so our trust increases. Sometimes the trials can be long and hard --and our trust grows stronger still.

Be assured -- GOD DEARLY LOVES YOU!

God bless,

Beryl

Quote:

Many people, walking along the path of life think and talk about their mistakes. They talk about how they have failed, and their hearts are filled with sorrow. A woman who had been doing this wrote to me while I was in Europe. She was very unhappy and asked me for some words of hope. The night after i read her letter I dreamed I was in a garden. The one who seemed to be the owner of the garden was leading me along the paths.

I was gathering the flowers and enjoying their sweet smell. Then this woman, who had been walking by my side, called me to look at the ugly thorns that were in her way. There she was, sadly crying. She was not walking in the path or following the guide, but she was walking among the thorns.

"Oh," she cried, "what a pity that this beautiful garden is spoiled with thorne."

Then the guide said, "Let the thorns alone, for they will only wound you. Gather the roses, the lilies, and the pinks."

Do I look for the thorns instead of the roses in my "garden of friends"? We should concentrate on seeing all of the good that we can in a person, and leave it to God to deal with the thorns. Life is so much sweeter that way.

God bless,

Beryl

How true- and yet why do we do that?

Hi, Gail! Why do we do it? I can think of no other reason than that we are all fallen humans in need of redemption! Very often our remarks are just the first words that come from our mouths, without taking time to think!

Beryl

Quote:

We should think of the good times in our lives. Have we had precious hours when our hearts were filled with joy as the Spirit of God spoke to us? When we look back over our lives, do we see many pleasant times? Are God's promises like the sweet flowers growing beside our path? Can we let their beauty and sweetness fill our hearts with joy?

Thorns will only wound us and make us sad. If we gather thorns and give them to other people, we are turning from God's goodness. We are keeping people around us from walking in the path of life.

Wow! That last sentence "hits home", doesn't it!! It is just so easy to find the "thorns" in someone else's character, and then pass those "thorns" on to someone else -- who can pass them on.... -- and on ..... -- and on! And the "thorns" usually grow bigger with each passing on.

Let's spend our time and energy in gathering the roses, and passing them on to those who are hurt, discouraged -- and just plain lonely!

God bless,

Beryl

Absolutely right, Beryl! How much more pleasant for us and for them when we live in a spirit of praise.

I have yet to know why some people focus on others' thorns... Lord, forgive me when I do that myself!

I like the way the roses keep blooming in spite of the thorns, from among the thorns.