This morning brought a new day. Another glorious day to live for Him and for others.
Last night, I was exhausted. I seems like I am losing steam earlier each day. Another limitation that I must learn to accept. I must learn to let go of more of my "independence." I must let my wife check my blogs before I post them. I must learn to trust her when she tells me that it is time to put the laptop away. I must trust that she has my best interest and the glory of our Father in mind.
Taking her advice, I accepted a "morphine cocktail" to help alleviate the pain and help me sleep better. Overall, it was quite effective.
Earlier in the evening, Diane, one of the hospice nurses, and Linda, another hospice aide, came by to bathe me. They were very gentle with me; I appreciated the care that they provided for me. Diane gave me permission to increase my Dilaudid dosage from 10 mg to 12 mg every two hours.
It is a relatively quiet day here today. The two youngest boys from the two families are playing together nicely. My older son is sitting here with me, waiting to help his mom take care of my morning needs. He and Mrs. McL also have plans to help me get some paperwork accomplished.
We are anticipating a visit from Pastor Matt and Carol - always a welcome treat as they lift us up and help us to focus on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Before leaving this morning post, I want to share some thoughts about what God is teaching me through His Word and through the encoragement of others.
As for God, His way is perfect, the word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all trust in Him. Psalm 18:30.
In Psalm 18, the writer describes the character of those who may may dwell with the LORD: integrity, justice, reliability, personal accountability, and respectfulness of others.
In Psalm 23, a very familiar psalm, and a comfort to all who are hurting, the psalmist reminds us that we are like sheep -we have wandered away from the care of the Shepherd. Jesus Christ is my Shepherd who protects us and provides for us. Because of Him, I shall have no want - He goes before me and meets my every need. He has demonstrated this time and time again over this past year. Because of this, I will fear no evil. Jesus Christ will protect me. This is particularly true as I consider my thought life. As my mind plays tricks on me. I am pleased to be able to concur with David. My cup runneth over. [I'm not talking about spilling my coffee, but that does happen!] God has so filled my days with joy that it canot be contained. The joy I have in the midst of these times of uncertainty spill out, Lord , into the lives of those who are observing our lives.
In Psalm 63, David expresses his intense love for God, his longing to be in the presence of God. To see Him . To remember His power. To anticipate His judgments. He is committed to following His Lord.
May I have this same commitment to our Lord today.
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5 comments:
You may ask me why I serve the Lord,
Is it just for heaven’s gain.
Or to walk those mighty streets of gold,
And to hear the angels sing.
Is it just to drink from the fountain,
That never shall run dry.
Or just to live forever, ever, and ever,
In that sweet, sweet bye and bye.
But if heaven never was promised to me,
Neither God’s promise to live eternally.
It’s been worth just having the Lord in my life.
Living in a world of darkness,
You brought me the light.
If there were never any streets of gold,
Neither a land where we’ll never grow old,
It’s been worth just having the Lord in my life.
living in a world of darkness,
You brought me the light.
Pastor Jim,
You may recall my telling you that I had something to share with you. Now seems like a good time and a good place. In the mid 70's, I belonged to a Lutheran Church here in Honesdale. I attended regularly and was active in many church activities. My pastor was a good friend and near and dear to my heart. Quite suddenly, he was stricken with cancer. I was devastated watching how chemo therapy and radiation treatments robbed him of his strength and dignity. I stood back and watched in horror as certain members of the church circulated a petition to have him removed. They got their way. One week after he, his wife and two small children moved, he passed away. Words cannot express how heartbroken nor how bitter I felt. And they called themselves Christians? I left the church. I never again returned to a church until I got saved on 3/11/05 and the Lord led me to CBC in April 2005. God in His wisdom knew I still had the bitterness buried deep within me. When you were first diagnosed with cancer, all those horrible emotions accompanied by fear, erupted from my heart. Then I heard that "still small voice" tell me, "No child. This time it will be different." My fears were stilled and in awe, I watched my brothers and sisters in Christ rally around you and your loved ones. What a blessing to see the love of Christ flow from them! What a blessing to belong to the family of our great God! The bitterness has been drained from my heart. I have finally forgiven those who didn't know better because the love of Christ was not in them. Many lives have been touched by your circumstances. I have been blessed to know you. Someday we'll all be together reigning with our most glorious Lord and Saviour. What an awesome day that will be!
With Love In Christ,
Liz Allsop
Praying fervently for you as you go through this process.... grateful for your testimony and your life.
Thinking of you, and praying for you and your family, every single day!
Blair
Hi! I'm Ricky, and I'm one the writers from the website about Family Blessings, I inspired by your stories and I've bookmarked this site of yours. I'm looking forward to your future posts! Thanks!
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