Wednesday, September 19, 2007

The Mansion of Heaven #491

SURFING WITH JESUS #491091807
Pastor Gene A. Dasher, Sr.
gene@SurfingwithJesus.com.

Several of you have shared the loss of a love one recently, and my wife's
loss of Uncle "Jim" is among these precious love ones we will miss. What a
special man and child of God. I am sharing some thoughts from one of you and
hope it will comfort those who read it.

CAST YOUR CARES ON THE LORD AND HE WILL SUSTAIN YOU!

THE MANSION OF HEAVEN

This world, however beautiful, was never meant to be
The place that we would call our home for all eternity.
And though we would not choose to leave, a loving God knows best,
And in His time He lifts us to a place of peace and rest.

For He has built a mansion where His children will abide,
Free from pain and sorrow, forever at His side.
He said He'd never leave us to face our trials alone,
And though sometimes we fail Him, He never fails His own.

And even when our choices are less than He would ask,
He knows when human courage is unequal to the task.
We cannot judge what happens, though tears and questions start--
We only see what's visible--God sees into the heart....

And though there may be many things that we cannot explain,
We can be sure it breaks His heart to see His children's pain.
In loving arms He bears us to a quiet place apart
Where he mends the wounded spirit and heals the broken heart.

And though these ones we love so much have left our present sight
And passed into a better world of majesty and light,
Someday we'll be together in our Father's home above,
Where we'll thank Him for His mercy and praise Him for His love.

-- Author unknown

________________________________________________________________




Henry Scott Holland
1847 -1918

Death is nothing at all
Death is nothing at all,
I have only slipped away
into the next room.

I am I,
and you are you;
whatever we were to each other,
that, we still are.

Call me by my old familiar name,
speak to me in the easy way
which you always used,
put no difference in your tone,
wear no forced air
of solemnity or sorrow.

Laugh as we always laughed
at the little jokes we shared together.
Let my name ever be
the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without effect,
without the trace of a shadow on it.

Life means all
that it ever meant.
It is the same as it ever was.
There is unbroken continuity.

Why should I be out of mind
because I am out of sight?

I am waiting for you,
for an interval,
somewhere very near,
just around the corner.

All is well.

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”


Pastor Gene A. Dasher, Sr., 2355 Parkway Dr SE, Cleveland, TN 37323
Join us in prayer for all request received each week.
Read previous writings at: http://surfingwithjesus.blogspot.com/
Send prayer request/Subscribe/Unsubscribe: gene@Surfingwithjesus.com




Friday, September 14, 2007

I Am A Soldier In The Army Of The Lord #490

SURFING WITH JESUS #490071207
Pastor Gene A. Dasher, Sr.
gene@SurfingwithJesus.com.

I AM A SOLDIER IN THE ARMY OF THE LORD!
I am a Soldier-Ranger in the army of my God.
The Lord Jesus Christ is my commanding officer.
The Holy Bible is my code of conduct.
Faith, prayer, and the Word are my weapons of warfare.
I have been taught by the Holy Spirit, trained by experience,
Tried by adversity, and tested by fire.
I am a volunteer in this army, and I am enlisted for eternity.
I will either retire in this army at the Rapture or die in this army;

but I will not get out, sell out, be talked out, or pushed out.
I am faithful, reliable, capable and dependable.

If my God needs me, I am there.
If He needs me in the Sunday school, to teach the children, work with the youth, help adults or just sit and learn, He can use me because I am there!
I am a Soldier.

I am not a baby.
I do not need to be pampered, petted, primed up, pumped up, picked up or pepped up.
I am a soldier.

No one has to call me, remind me, write me, visit me, entice me, or lure me.
I am a Soldier.

I am not a wimp.
I am in place, saluting my King, obeying His orders, praising His name, and building His kingdom!
No one has to send me flowers, gifts, food, cards, candy or give me handouts.
I do not need to be cuddled, cradled, cared for, or catered to.

I am committed.
I cannot have my feelings hurt bad enough to turn me around.
I cannot be discouraged enough to turn me aside.

I cannot lose enough to cause me to quit.
When Jesus called me into this army, I had nothing.
If I end up with nothing, I will still come out ahead.
Because I have Him, I will win.
My God has, and will continue to supply all of my needs.
I am more than a conqueror. I will always triumph.
I can do all things through Christ.
Devils cannot defeat me.
People cannot disillusion me.
Weather cannot weary me.
Sickness cannot stop me.
Battles cannot beat me.
Money cannot buy me.
Governments cannot silence me and hell cannot handle me.
I am a Soldier.
Even death cannot destroy me.
For when my commander calls me from this battlefield,
He will promote me to Captain and then allow me to rule with Him.
I am a Soldier in the army, and I'm marching, claiming victory!
I will not give up.
I will not turn around.
I am a Soldier, marching heaven bound.
Here I stand!
Will you stand with me?
Guess what?
If you've accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, you're alreadyenlisted!
The question is, which part of the service are you in:

1. Active Duty: Serving the Lord faithfully, daily, and on duty 24-7?
2. Reserve status: Serving only when called upon or twice a year, Christmasand Easter? 3. Guard status: Backing up the Active Duty group?
4. AWOL: Absent With Out the Lord?(Author unknown)

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us oursins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Pastor Gene A. Dasher, Sr., 2355 Parkway Dr SE, Cleveland, TN 37323
Join us in prayer for all request received each week.
Read previous writings at: http://surfingwithjesus.blogspot.com/
Send prayer request/Subscribe/Unsubscribe: http://webmail.opentransfer.com/horde/imp/message.php?index=155#.

Friday, September 07, 2007

Why Do The Righteous Suffer #489

SURFING WITH JESUS #489090707
Pastor Gene A. Dasher, Sr.
gene@SurfingwithJesus.com.

WHY DO THE RIGHTEOUS SUFFER?
(Notes from the Life Application Bible, Tyndale)

The book of Job is a good example that demonstrates God’s sovereignty and the meaning of true faith. It addresses the question, “Why do the righteous suffer?”

Job 2:3 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? And still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause. (KJV)

Through no fault of his own, Job lost his wealth, children, and health. Even his friends were convinced that Job had brought this suffering upon himself. For Job, the greatest trial was not the pain or the loss; it was not being able to understand why God allowed him to suffer.

Suffering can be, but is not always, a penalty for sin. In the same way, prosperity is not always a reward for being good. Those who love God are not exempt from trouble. Although we may not be able to understand fully the pain we experience, it can lead us to rediscover God.

Satan attempted to drive a wedge between Job and God by getting Job to believe that God’s governing of the world was not just and good. Satan had to ask God for permission to take Job’s wealth, children, and health away. Satan was limited to what God allowed.

We must learn to recognize and not fear Satan’s attacks because Satan cannot exceed the limits that God sets. Don’t let any experience drive a wedge between you and God. Although you can’t control how Satan may attack, you can always choose how you will respond when it happens.

God is an all wise and all powerful. His will is perfect, yet he doesn’t always act in ways that we understand. Job’s suffering didn’t make sense because everyone believed good people were supposed to prosper. When Job was at the point of despair, God spoke to him, showing him his great power and wisdom.

Although God is present everywhere, at times he may seem far away. This may cause us to feel alone and to doubt his care for us. We should serve God for who he is, not what we feel. He is never insensitive to our suffering. Because God is sufficient, we must hold on to him.

Job’s friends were certain that they were correct in their judgment of him. God rebuked them for their pride and arrogance. Man’s wisdom is always partial and temporary, so undue pride in our own conclusions is sin.

We must be careful not to judge others who are suffering. We may be demonstrating the sin of pride. We must be cautious in maintaining the certainty of our own conclusions about how God treats us. When we congratulate ourselves for being right, we become proud.

God alone knew the purpose behind Job’s suffering, and yet he never explained it to Job. In spite of this, Job never gave up on God even in the midst of suffering. He never placed his hope in his experience, his wisdom, his friends, or his wealth. Job focused on God.

Job showed the kind of trust we are to have. When everything is stripped away, we are to recognize that God is all we ever really had. We should not demand that God explain everything. God gives us himself, but not all the details of his plans. We must remember that this life, with all its pain is not our final destiny.

Some days it makes you want to sing “How far is Heaven, when can I go…” Stay focused on God and he will lead you, guide you, and direct you into all truth. I want to make heaven, how about you?

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”


Pastor Gene A. Dasher, Sr.,
2355 Parkway Dr SE, Cleveland, TN 37323
Join us in prayer for all request received each week.
Read previous writings at: http://surfingwithjesus.blogspot.com/
Send prayer request/Subscribe/Unsubscribe: gene@SurfingwithJesus.