GOD NEVER SLEEPS NOR SLUMBERS

I just returned from my early morning walk around my neighborhood and let me just say,

WOW!!!!! WHAT A GLORIOUS MORNING.

To see the changing of the trees as they shed summer’s green for fall’s foliage of red, yellow, orange and crimson is truly a sight to behold. I can just see our heavenly Father, with brush in hand and the earth as His canvas, making stroke after tireless stroke as He paints His masterpiece in the hills and valleys of our world.

There is a high ground in our neighborhood that allows you to look north and see the mountains in the Upstate and into North Carolina’s Blue Ridge chain. Even from this great distance, you can see the changing of the color guard as the mountains take on the palettes of fall. This morning, I was truly mesmerized by the crystal blue sky as it seemed to kiss the top of each mountain peak. Now, I have lived before, as many of you do now, in an area that was “vertically challenged” and each fall, I felt like something was missing …that somehow, fall was not truly fall (my favorite time of the year). It was the lack of those mountain peaks that left the fall experience somewhat diminished.

But not today….My heart seemed to sing and before I knew it my step had slowed and I was standing still, just taking in the sight of those mountains …stretching, straining toward Heaven and their Creator. It was then that I realized that even in the midst of all that is strangling our country and perplexing us on every side, there is peace to be found on the mountaintops.

God’s word says it best in Psalms 121:1-2, “I lift my eyes unto the hills. From where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.” But there’s even more comfort in the rest of the passage… “He will not let your foot be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day or the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.” Psalm 121:3-8.

The one who made those mountains is still in charge ….and He’s just waiting for us to turn from our wicked ways and acknowledge Him as Lord. God is ready to help; in fact, He’s already done His part ….the rest is up to you and me. Do we trust our God and His sovereignty in our lives or do we want to wear the crown and be the one in charge? That’s a question that we must answer everyday if we truly want to know the “peace that passes all understanding.”

I am so thankful for my walk this morning….it allowed me a glimpse of God’s majesty and it calmed my trouble soul. Those “hills” will be etched in my mind as I look to my Lord and Savior for his direction today….I trust and pray that you too will find that peace that only God can give and you will know that our God never sleeps….God Never Slumbers….HE IS ALWAYS ON CALL…..JUST A PRAYER AWAY !

Living Large in His Family,
WPQ

Jesus Loves ....You & Me

I received this story a few weeks ago in an email and as I read its content, I was touched by the simplicity of its story….see if you don’t agree with the author that it’s all about the love of Jesus……

Instead of going to church last Sunday, I clicked on the TV and watched a church service in Atlanta…. the church was honoring one of its senior pastors who had been retired many years. He was 92 at that time and I wondered why the church even bothered to ask the old gentleman to preach at his advanced age.

After a warm welcome and introduction of the retired pastor, the applause finally quieted down and he rose from his high back chair and walked slowly to the podium. It seemed to take an eternity for him to get there as he shuffled his feet in an old man’s gait. Without a note or written paper of any kind, he placed both hands on the pulpit to steady himself and then quietly and slowly he began to speak....

"When I was asked to come here today and talk to you, your pastor asked me to tell you what was the greatest lesson ever learned in my 50-odd years of preaching. I thought about it for a few days and boiled it down to just one thing that made the most difference in my life and sustained me through all my trials. It is the one thing that I could always rely on when tears, heartbreak and pain seemed too much to bear… when fear and sorrow paralyzed me... the only thing that would comfort was this verse........ ....

"Jesus loves me this I know.
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong,
I am weak… but He is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me.... Yes, Jesus loves ME
Yes, Jesus LOVES me….
For the Bible tells me so."

When he finished, the church was quiet. You actually could hear his foot steps as he shuffled back to his chair. I don't believe I will ever forget it.

May be today, as you look back on your life (with a few more wrinkles and some gray or white hairs upon your head), you need to remember the message of this little song that most of us learned as children. Even now, when given the opportunity to sing this song, we blast it out at the top of our lungs and revel in the knowledge that Jesus loves us.


Maybe as the years have caught up to us, we might need a more age-appropriate version to remind us that we are never to old to trust the message of this little song….so, if your middle-aged or beyond, here is a new version just for us “experienced followers” of the Man from Galilee.

JESUS LOVES ME

Jesus loves me, this I know,
Though my hair is white as snow
Though my sight is growing dim,
Still He bids me trust in Him.

YES, JESUS LOVES ME. YES, JESUS LOVES ME.
YES, JESUS LOVES ME, FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO.

Though my steps are tired and slow,
Hand in hand with Him I'll go
On through life, let come what may,
He'll be there to lead the way.
(CHORUS)

When the nights are dark and long,
In my heart He puts a song;
Telling me in words so clear,
“Be not afraid for I am near."
(CHORUS)

When my work on earth is done,
And life's victories are won.
He will take me home above,
Then I'll understand His love.
(CHORUS)

I love Jesus, does He know?
Have I ever told Him so?
Jesus loves to hear me say,
That I love Him every day.
(CHORUS)

Loved as a child of the KING,
WPQ

Looking Back…Forging Ahead

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I have difficulty in letting go of the past. In fact, Paul admonishes us in Philippians 3 to forget what lies in the past and to strain forward to what lies ahead so that we might press on toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus……

And believe me, I’m all for that; but sometimes my lack of faith keeps me frozen in the position I’m in…. neither moving forward nor sliding back….and that’s when I look back in order to forge ahead.

Let me explain….God has been so very, very, VERY GOOD TO ME. Whenever I look back at the twists and turns of my life, it is then that I can see the providential hand of God at work and I know that the God of my past is still in control of the present… and He, alone, knows what lies ahead in my future. It is at that moment I ask myself, “Why do I stand here, frozen in complacency, when my God has called me to serve Him in spite of my circumstances?”

The answer is really quite clear….I’ve forgotten all that God has done for me in the past.

We all travel through the valley of adversity wondering if we will ever come out of the other side; yet, when we place our faith and trust in God…. WE ALWAYS DO…often scarred, broken and even bitter that our travel and travail have been so deep. It is, however, the knowledge that our Father, who loves us with an unwavering love, always has our best interest at the heart of His heart. It is that knowledge and our willingness to act that brings us the comfort and courage to move out ….to shake the shackles that have bound us in fear from doing and becoming all that God has set before us.

So the next time adversity rears its ugly head in your life or things seem to have come to a standstill, I encourage you to do what I do ….look back to the faithfulness of your Heavenly Father and all that He has done for you…. remember the blessings that have been yours; the divine interventions that have kept you safe and secure in this evil and despicable world. You will see as revealed in His Holy Word in Job 12:22, “He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings deep shadows into the light. ….and as you stand, firmly grounded on the mountaintop and cast a glance to the valley below, you will see all that God has brought you through. Maybe then, you will understand that in each situation, God has made a spiritual deposit in your life upon which you can draw and that your faith account in Him can never be overdrawn.

I don’t know about you, but there are too many things in my past that still plague me; however, I am so thankful that I am leaving these in the rear view mirror as I travel life’s highway with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ….and now, I try to only look back when it will help me forge ahead to gain the prize to be all that God has called me to be…..

I hope you’ll do the same….after all, God’s counting on each of us in the days that lie ahead to be SALT & LIGHT to His world…

Looking forward …straining for the prize,
WPQ

Amazing Grace

Take a moment today and meditate on the mercy and amazing grace offered to us by our Heavenly Father....goggle AMAZING GRACE-IL DIVO and listen with your heart, body, mind and soul.....You will be forever

BLESSED BEYOND MEASURE,
WPQ

Poem for the Day:

AMAZING GRACE

Do you know how much God loves you?
Do you truly comprehend?
Do you understand His longing
To be your dearest friend?

Do you feel His love so strongly?
Do you understand His care?
Do you overflow with His love?
Do you feel compelled to share?

Do you know that He held nothing back
When He sacrificed His son?
Do you know that He’d have done this
Were you the only one?

Though set apart from the love of God
There was nothing you could do;
But God showed His amazing grace
And spilled His Son’s blood for you!

So, put your hand in His hand;
Look into your Savior’s face;
And know that you belong to Him ….
Thank God for AMAZING GRACE.


W. Patrick Queen
Copyright 2009

Stand Firm....

It was only a few months ago, when my family and I were vacationing at the beach here in South Carolina. I remember one day in particular that the sea was a little rough and the undertow was quite strong. As I was getting up from being knocked down by a rather large wave, I planted my feet firmly in the sand so that I might get my footing and be prepared for the next monstrous wave that was only seconds away. Unfortunately, we all know that saying about shifting sand….needless to say, I was once again deposited on my backside and immersed in a wall of salt water.

As I made my way to the shore, each step seemed to grow in its intensity as I sought to keep my feet from sinking in the sand. As the receding water returned to its former glory of the massive ocean, I struggled to make my way to the shoreline. Once in the shallows, I sank my toes and feet into the sand and gazed out to sea ….all the while feeling the sand being pulled from beneath my feet as the ocean tried to pull me back into the deeper waters.

Now, I had taken a firm stand there in the shallow pool at the point where water and sand collide, only to have my footing eroded with each ebb and flow of the outgoing tide. No matter how firmly I stood my ground (or sand in this case), it was always being swept away by the strong pull of the ocean’s current.

The same seems to happen to each of us as we try to stand firm in our faith these days. Circumstances and disappointments seem to erode the very foundation on which we stand and our faith often falters as we seek shelter from this cruel, unforgiving world. What should we do when everything around us seems to be crumbling beneath us?

The apostle Paul tells us in I Thessalonians 2:15, “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or our letter.”

In the midst of the trials and times of discouragement that we all face these days, we can find encouragement in Jesus and in our relationship with Him. As we seek His face and the words of His Holy Scripture, we can stand firm and focus on who He is and who He has called us to be in these last days.

Paul goes on to say, “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.” I Thess. 2:16-17

Now is not the time to be sitting on the sidelines, hoping that things will eventually get better…NOW IS THE TIME TO BE AT WORK FOR CHRIST….using the powers and energy that God has provided to keep us busy for His Kingdom. We are to be using our good words and our good works to attract others to the life-saving knowledge of our Savior….He is not one of the “things” in our life…HE IS THE ONE THING IN OUR LIFE….and it shows!!!!

We have all heard it said that when you leave this world, you can’t take anything with you….well that is ABSOLUTELY WRONG…. You can take your wife, your husband, your children and your grandchildren….even the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker…all can go with you to heaven.

So share the good news of the gospel; teach children to love their Heavenly Father; build up, strengthen and encourage one another; reach out and lift up the downtrodden; care for those that are heartbroken and forlorn and most of all, STAND FIRM IN JESUS.

Today is the day that the Lord has made…..go out and be counted for Him.


Standing firm….reaching out in Christian love,
WPQ

Understanding the Sovereignty of God

Life is full of ups and downs, twists and turns and ins and outs…well, you get the picture….and for that reason alone, each of us often struggle to understand what it all means…who is in control and what is my responsibility as I struggle to take charge in my own life.

We are constantly bombarded with problems, trials, troubles and an occasionally, a happy moment….at least that’s the way if often seems to us as we make our way through life. When we look around at the path that our life has taken, we tried to correct our course, pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and get back in the game. After all, that is at the very least our responsibility …to use our free will to decide to make things better for us and for the ones we love. But, sometimes, when we look at our circumstances, we realize that we can do nothing but accept our situation and trust in the sovereignty of God.

Ah, the sovereignty of God….now, there’s a concept that even the brightest, most intellectual minds of the ages have wrestled with …always to no avail. In fact, scripture tells us that we can not understand the mind of God and in Romans 11:33 we read, “Oh, the depth of the riches of both wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out.”

The following is a rewrite of a devotional from Dr. David Jeremiah that I think gives great insight into this topic of God’s sovereignty….

The great minds of history have always struggled to understand the issue of the sovereignty of God versus the free will of mankind. Some day in eternity we may discover how the track of God’s sovereignty and the track of our responsibility finally come together. But the way we should look at this is really very simple….Let God take care of His sovereignty and let us take care of our responsibility. God’s sovereignty explains things that humans cannot possible fathom.

The sovereignty of God in our lives, at least from our perspective, is like looking at a weaving of a tapestry from the wrong side. We see all the various threads and knots and strands sticking out and can’t begin to even imagine the finished picture. We see it from the back side because we do not have God’s perspective…but someday, in eternity, God will take that patchwork that we have looked at and failed to understand and He will turn it around….then, we will see the beautiful tapestry that has been woven out of our lives. At last, we will see what God has seen all along.

Yes, you and I can spend our entire life trying to figure out why God does this or why He did that or what is He going to do next…or we can rest in the knowledge that GOD IS SOVEREIGN AND HE IS IN CONTROL!!!! We can make ourselves sick with worry over how something is going to turn out or we can trust that God always knows what is best for us and that He is at work to accomplish His plan. I have always held firm to the belief that when you can not see the hand of God…you can ALWAYS trust His heart.

So, if you are searching for security in this ever-changing, diabolical world then, rest secure in this truth…. GOD KNOWS BEST AND HE NEVER FAILS TO TAKE CARE OF HIS OWN. He will not fail you and there is nothing that can snatch you from His hand…..on that you can build your fortress.

Trusting in my Heavenly Father…for He knows Best,

WPQ


Poem for the day:

God is at work today
As He weaves your tapestry;
So honor Him in all you do
And trust His sovereignty.

WPQ@2009

Focused on His Own

Have you ever caught yourself looking at something so beautiful…so inspiring... so awesome that in a mater of seconds you knew you were staring, yet you could not contain yourself….like the first moment you saw your bride as she walked down the aisle on your wedding day or the ten fingers, ten toes and the beautiful face of your first child. What about the smile on your son or daughter’s face as they received their diploma or that look on your husband’s handsome face as you both gazed at that spectacular sunset on your 20th anniversary….each and every moment you stared intently at the focus of your affection, hoping to capture that vision in your mind’s eye for all eternity.

Our Heavenly Father looks at each of us, His children, with that same look of love and intense focus. Scripture tells us in I Peter 3:12, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ear is attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” Yes, God is watching….intently, with purpose and with love.

He is looking not only at us, but after us….He is not waiting to catch us doing something wrong; rather, He is watching to see us doing His will and accomplishing His “good.” God’s vision is NEVER obstructed or obscure nor does He sleep nor slumber. His gaze is focused on His own…those called by His name, set apart to be humble and holy. He is writing your life’s story, moment by moment, keeping track of your good works and your short comings….for all these things will be judged at the Bema seat.

But, thanks be to God that He forgives our mistakes and continually smiles upon us. His loving eyes are intently focused on us and His ear is turned toward us so that He might hear the prayers of His people….and lovingly respond.

Even in the midst of Job’s great journey of faith, he was reminded by his friend, Elihu, in Job 36:7, “He does NOT take his eyes off the righteous, but He enthrones them with kings and exalts them forever.” Job had reason to doubt, to cast aside his faith, to renounce his God…but he knew that God’s eyes were upon him and he would not break the continual gaze of the Most High by forsaking him. He remained a righteous man and God’s favor returned to him twice his losses.

Where are you today in your righteous walk with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ? Have you turned the focus of God’s eyes away …is His face set against you as you seek the foolish riches of a sinful and sick world? Have you abandoned the joy of your first love and lost His loving gaze….then, be restored by seeking His righteousness!

Commit today to seek the Lord and all His righteousness…let His focus be your focus! See others as God sees them…love unconditionally and without repayment….practice random acts of kindness ….give until it hurts, either your pride or your pocketbook.

But most of all, remember…..God loves you with an EVERLASTING LOVE ….and He is focused on you.


In the gaze of my Father,
WPQ