Just Thinking About Jesus Some More

by ObtainingMercy, posted in A Door of Hope, Holiday, How Great is Our God, Thankful on Tuesday

Just a-wearying for you,
Jesus, Lord, beloved and true;
Wishing for you, wondering when
You’ll be coming back again,
Under all I say and do,
Just a-wearying for you.
Some glad day, all watching past,
You will come for me at last;
Then I’ll see you, hear your voice,
Be with you, with you rejoice;
How the sweet hope thrills me through,
Sets me wearying for you. ~ excerpt Streams in the Desert

Some days, we just miss Jesus, wish we could see Him, have Him hug us, make everything all better.  On those days, the blessed Hope of His soon return keeps us going.

Until that day, though, I think it must please the Lord for our heart to yearn for Him. I think it’s ok to miss Him a bit.

I believe the missing Him just makes the hope of Heaven so much sweeter to us. And every loved one who leaves us here makes us long to go even more. Heaven becomes a reality to us. A real place. A real future. And something for which we long.

And of course, the Person of that Place, the Redeemer of our souls, the Prince of our Peace will be there, and He will be what makes it “Heaven” to us.

My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. ~Psalm 84:2

And one day, our faith will be made sight:

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. ~ Revelation 21:1-6

Until that great day, let’s keep our eyes fixed on the One we long to meet,

Alesha Kay

Just Thinking About Jesus

by ObtainingMercy, posted in A Door of Hope, Holiday, How Great is Our God, Just My Thoughts, KJV Graphics

I want to encourage us this week to not be negligent in meditating on the truths of Resurrection Sunday.

He is not here:  for he is risen, as he said.   Come, see the place where the Lord lay. Matthew 28:6

We should spend time thinking about the week that Jesus had prior to Calvary, the things He said, the people He spent time with, the false accusations and betrayals He went through.

Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me…For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.” Matthew 26:10,12

…Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. Matthew 26:21

It is so important to teach our children about Jesus this week. Not just a few sentences while we’re dying Easter eggs, but all week long, we would be wise to prepare them to truly celebrate on Sunday, by explaining what the whole week looked like from Jesus’ perspective.

O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me:  nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. Matthew 26:39

We must allow yourself to be moved to tears over what the Lord Jesus did to purchase our salvation.

And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him…And they spit upon him, and took the reed and smote him on the head. Matthew 27: 28-30

We should be mindful this week of Christ’s sacrifice and pardon, of His horrible death, and His ultimate victory over death, Hell and the grave!

It should fill us with shame that He had to pay for our sins, but then that shame should quickly be replaced with a deep and reverent gratitude, a spirit of awe and worship of our great Saviour.

I encourage you to not “neglect so great salvation” but spend the week remembering and praising Him for His great love for us.

In Him,

Alesha Kay

 

At Home in Darkness

by ObtainingMercy, posted in A Door of Hope, How Great is Our God, Thankful on Tuesday

And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was. Exodus 20:21

(Excerpt from Streams in the Desert)

“Do not be afraid to enter the cloud that is settling down on your life. God is in it. The other side is radiant with His glory.

Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. I Peter 4:12-13

When you seem loneliest and most forsaken, God is nigh. He is in the dark cloud. Plunge into the blackness of its darkness without flinching; under the shrouding curtain of His pavilion you will find God awaiting you.”

I know that being comfortable in darkness is not normal. We always seek a light when things around us begin to grow dim. But we do not have to be fearful of the darkness. We can find a great comfort remembering that God is there. Just like He is in the light. His promise to never leave us holds true in the dark as well as the light.

As we grow still and silent and begin to truly listen, we will hear His still, small voice in that dark place. And that is where our growth begins, as we come to know Him better while fellow-shipping with Him in the darkness.

In due time, the sun will rise. You will feel the warmth of light on your face again. You will feel joy, and laughter will bubble up from the depths of your soul…as you walk forward in the light, guided by the truths you learned in the dark with God.

Praying for His peace to surround you,

Alesha Kay

How You Can Pray for Me This Week

by ObtainingMercy, posted in Links to Share, Prayer Request, What's Happening

If you’ve known me for any length of time at all, you know I love my church and I LOVE my church’s radio station.

This week, on Thursday, we’ll be starting our 3 days of cheerful giving on the radio, Restorathon 2018.

I encourage you to visit our website during those 3 days and listen live to the station between 6 am – 10 pm on Thursday and Friday and 6 am – 12 a.m on Saturday.

It will be an exciting time of Revival on the Radio as we try to restore our budget for another year of broadcasting the Gospel of Jesus Christ in music and preaching on our station.

You can also like our page on Facebook and see all the updates and fun graphics throughout the 3 days. We are doing a Mayberry Restorathon, so the Andy and Barney jokes, skits and graphics will be coming at you faster’n Gomer can say “Shazam!”

Be sure to join us for Restorathon 2018 on March 1-3 for a wonderful time of restoring our budget for the next year. But most importantly please pray for us – for health for the workers, safety for all the equipment, and that we will meet our goal for the year.

Alesha Kay

P.S. I believe you will be able to purchase a Mayberry Restorathon t-shirt on Monday and Tuesday on our website.  They are really great shirts this year! You won’t want to miss out on them!

To Encourage Dads

by ObtainingMercy, posted in A Door of Hope, Blessings, Household

Daddies, never underestimate the power of your influence in the lives of your children.

Over the past 20 months since my dad passed, I have been REPEATEDLY blessed by him:

His wise choices, his financial decisions, his friendships, his prayer life, his stand on Scripture, his ethical business practices, his charitable giving, his believing the best instead of the worst, even his sense of humor.

These things keep blessing me over and over again.

Proverbs 19:20-21 – Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.

You may think you are just doing your job today, like always, trying to make the best decisions you can with God’s help.

But those choices will be the stone dropped into the middle of the pond of your children’s lives and the ripples will go on and on and on forever.

Be sure those ripples come from Godly counsel and they will bless your children for generations to come.

In Him,

Alesha Kay

February 22, 2018

by ObtainingMercy, posted in A Door of Hope, How Great is Our God, KJV Graphics, Thoughtful Thursday

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. Mark 9:23

When we go to the Lord in prayer, and tell Him all the burdens of our heart, we must leave the burdens there at His feet. Just walk away, knowing that He is going to take care of it!

He may not answer how we want or when we want, but He is working all of it for our good and for His glory.

We can trust Him.

He is good.

All. The. Time.

You take your burdens to Him.

He undertakes the answering of your need.

Leave your prayer closet with a heart that is resting in His promises, trusting Him to work it all out for you, and live a life of joy and peace knowing He’s got it all under His control.

In Him,

Alesha Kay