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Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. I Pet3:8 (NIV)
John came into our life almost one year ago. He, along with his wife Laurie, came to our first bible study at our new home. My first impression of John was that he was very tall and big. He must be close to 6 feet 10 inches. Needless to say, he made a huge impression on everyone. Although John is an educated man, who taught at a university in the mid-west, it was easy to notice that he had a problem speaking. Laurie, his wife told us that John had suffered a stroke and since then hasn’t been able to speak. Whenever he tried to talk or communicate, what came out of his mouth were muffled sounds and muttered words. John and Laurie have been very faithful to the study at our house. They always show up. During our prayer time, we would go around in a circle and pray as to how God leads. When it came time for John to pray we’d wait a while for him to say something, and normally after a few moments of silence, the person next to him would continue to pray. About 4 months ago during our prayer time, John prayed! Wow!! It was an intense and emotional time for all of us. John was praying to God. Although all that we heard were muffled sounds and muttering and even though we didn’t understand what he was saying in his prayer, we knew that God did. It was a very moving and beautiful time. The bible says in 1st Peter 3:8 “Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.” I have grown to love and respect John as a brother in the Lord. We’ve never been able to sit and talk, but my spirit tells me that John loves the Lord and because of this he is part of my family, he is my brother. John has had a series of setbacks the past few months. He has been shuffled from the hospital to a convalescent home and then back to the hospital. This has been going on for the past 3 months. My wife and I went to visit him yesterday. His condition is worsening. The doctors are saying that his health is deteriorating rapidly. Laurie thanks us for visiting, but she says that he probably doesn’t even know that we are there. We go to the hospital not only to visit with John, but also to support and spend time with Laurie. She is a very loving and devoted wife. Day in and day out she spends the better part of her day at the hospital. We go to support her, because she is also a part of our family. When we saw her yesterday, she looked tired. We took her to the hospital cafeteria and spent about an hour with her drinking coffee, talking and laughing. I really felt that we were doing what Peter meant in 1 Peter 3:8. Our life is blessed. Have a great week! Lord Bless You, -Ernie
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 Love God...Love People
I heard a story about Jesus visiting a church one day. He was greeted and welcomed by several church members before he took a seat at the back of the church. The pastor delivered a great message based on the gospel of Mark Chapter 12 verses 30-31. When Jesus was asked, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" Jesus responded with "the most important one, is this: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." Love God.... Love People! Jesus was pleased! Jesus attended the same church the following week and He heard a similar message. Love God.... Love People! He was very pleased again. He returned two more times and again heard a similar message. Jesus then thought, alright already, enough of the talk, when are we going to start walking? How is your walk? When is the last time you put your faith into action. Love God.... Love People-- Ernie  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Jn 13:35
A few of us worked at one of our local Soup Kitchen last week. Some of us were from the community that my wife and I live in, others are friends and family. Not all of us worship at the same church, nor do we have many other interests in common. The thing that was common between us, however, is our love for God and our desire to serve Him. As I watched our “Soup Kitchen Crew” cook and serve those that are less fortunate, I felt a strong sense of community and I was reminded of the scripture; By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”Jn 13:35. It is the love that God himself has given us. In the book of John Chapter 13 Vs 34, Jesus gave us the command that we are to “love one another” as He loved us. This is how the world will know that we are His disciples. Jesus was the example as to how we are to love one another and it is by this love that we will be known. The love that we have for one another will be like a badge for all to see. As our group worked together under one banner, the banner of His Love, none of us had a hidden agenda. We were united in spirit and purpose. Our purpose was to serve a hot meal to the less fortunate and in some way show God’s love through our efforts. I believe that we did show God's love to those being served and to those observing us. We are His disciples. God is good, God is Love and He is the one that rules in our hearts. Blessings, Ernie |
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October 2013
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