Overtaken

I hope you all had a wonderful Resurrection Sunday!  Ours was magnificent.  Our youth department did a drama both Sunday morning and Sunday night.  Les and I were the representatives from the senior saints department - he was the narrator and I helped with the singing.  Our youth did a great job.  I am so thankful for what happened that weekend more than two thousand years ago.

My Bible reading this weekend included Deuteronomy chapter 28.  I can't read that chapter without remembering a time when Elder Morton told me that the blessings of God would overtake me.  I've written about it before, but as I sit here this morning, still basking in thankfulness for the ultimate sacrifice, I'm reminded again of just how blessed I am.

Deuteronomy 28:1-3 says:

1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.
3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.

This chapter goes on to list many, many ways the blessings of God are promised.  But in verse 15, the tone changes:

15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
16 Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.

This chapter has 68 verses -  14 are dedicated to blessings, while the other 54 focus on curses!  So while I am overwhelmed by blessings, I am equally thankful that I have not been overtaken by curses.  The curses of the unfaithful far outnumber the blessings of the faithful.

I don't know why there are those who live righteously and still have a life of pain.  I don't understand why Rod was born with hemophilia and was taken from us too soon.  I don't know why Mom was stricken with cancer when she was only 50.  While I don't understand and I'm certainly undeserving, I never, ever, want to be unthankful!  So this post is simply to take the time to say, "Thank You, Lord."

Joy to the World!

I know we don't usually say Joy to the World on Resurrection Sunday, but that is truly when the joy happened!  My favorite song for this morning is "Easter Song" written by Keith Green.  You can hear his version here.  Second Chapter of Acts does a fabulous job with it, too (listen here).  Turn up the volume and sing along!

Hear the bells ringing
They're singing that you can be born again
Hear the bells ringing
They're singing Christ is risen from the dead

The angel up on the tombstone
Said He is risen, just as He said
Quickly now, go tell his disciples
That Jesus Christ is no longer dead

Joy to the world, He is risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah, hallelujah

Hear the bells ringing
They're singing that we can be born again
Hear the bells ringing, they're singing
Christ is risen from the dead

The angel up on the tombstone
Said He is risen, just as He said
Quickly now, go tell his disciples
That Jesus Christ is no longer dead

Joy to the world, He is risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah
He's risen, hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah!

Encouragers

We had our monthly youth service at Victory Tabernacle last night.  Our guest speaker was missionary Nathan Weidner.  He and his wife have been waiting for more than two years to go back to the Philippines.  We are thanking God that the door is finally opening and they will be heading that way in June after their darling boy, Clark Judah, turns one.

Bro. Weidner preached about one of my favorite subjects - encouragement!  It's a subject I've written about quite a bit.  The tag "encourage" is found in over 350 of my posts.  His text was from Acts 4:36, "And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus."  Being "surnamed" meant that the apostles nicknamed him Barnabas.  Son of consolation means encourager or one who exhorts. 

Many of the posts I've written about encouragement were after I had been encouraged.  I reread many of them while working on this post and decided to share this one from nearly ten years ago, titled Encouragement:

It's funny how encouragement works.  At about the 15 mile mark of Saturday's marathon, I met Alison.  It was her first marathon and she was really starting to feel it.  I asked if she would like some company and she said yes.

You see, I remember my first marathon.  It's only been 5 months.  There were some really lonely miles.  Miles when I thought, "What am I doing here?  Why did I think I could finish this?  This is the dumbest thing I've ever done!  What was I thinking?"  Many miles I questioned my ability and my sanity.  So when Alison said it was her first marathon, I knew she was heading towards the lonely miles and I wanted to help her through them.

We ran the final 11 miles together.  We took walk breaks.  We drank water.  And we chatted.  About life.  Our families.  Running.  But the entire time, we kept moving, getting closer to the finish line.  Somewhere in those miles, Alison told me that when I joined her, she was starting to wonder if she was going to be able to finish.  "I'm glad you came along when you did."

As much as I'd like to take credit for getting her across the finish line, I can honestly say she helped me, too.  I never felt lonely or isolated.  I wasn't fast, but the miles seem to fly.

"Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour."

Ecclesiastes 4:9

So it's funny how encouragement works.  The encourager gets encouraged!  This doesn't just happen during a marathon.  Look around, there is someone in need of encouragement today.  And when you see them pick up the pace again, with a smile and look of determination, you'll be encouraged, too.

I'm thankful for encouragement today.  The times I've given and the times I've received.