Reflecting on preparedness, I look back to Noah. God forewarned and told Noah to build an ark. He worked on preparing that ark for 120 years. He and his family survived a global flood. Noah was prepared. He listened to God.

I remember Joseph. God gave him 2 special dreams. They were dreams that predicted survival through hard times. Joseph went through hard times that trained him and put him in a position where he could teach an entire nation to prepare for what was coming. And when the time came, through 7 good years of harvest, he prepared. The land of Egypt survived 7 years of famine and preserved Israel—the line through which Messiah, Savior of the world would come. Joseph was prepared. He listened to God.

God has given us wisdom. And wisdom tells us that it is good to prepare. We prepare for emergencies by purchasing medical insurance, car insurance and house insurance. We put a little aside for unexpected emergencies. We buy disability and accidental insurance. It is not a lack of faith…it is walking in wisdom. I take Joseph and Noah as examples, and I therefore believe in being prepared for emergencies. Having some extra food and water stored to take you through a couple of weeks is a wise move. Whenever a hurricane or tornado or flood situation arises, those items come in handy. God has told us some hard times will come, be prepared. I say, listen to God.

Today I ask the Church, “Are you prepared?” God has forewarned. He has told us what would happen. He gives us comfort, because we are told the outcome. He has given us instruction to help us overcome. And we need not fear. All we need to do is trust in him, and study to show ourselves approved. II Timothy chapter 3 tells us that we live in perilous times. Study His word and he will guide you through these times. Church, be prepared. Listen to God.

But there is something more important than being physically prepared for hard times. There is nothing more important than being spiritually prepared. The physical will eventually come to an end—it will perish. But the spiritual lives on. There are some who may be reading this issue who do not know the peace that comes from resting in the salvation of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Now is the time to prepare your soul. Now is the time to repent of your sins. The Bible tells us in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” We have all sinned. And there is a payment due for that sin. We are told in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Won’t you accept that gift that God has provided for you?

You might be asking, “How? How do I receive this gift of salvation from God?” You repent. You tell God that you are sorry for the sins you have committed. You let Him know that you have a desire to turn away from your sinful ways and turn to Him. You believe in your heart that Jesus is the Son of God and came to die on the cross for you, to pay for your sins. You accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” You ask him into your heart and life. You then become a part of the family of God. Joy and peace will come into your life. YOUR SOUL WILL BE PREPARED. Listen to God!

Pastor Lynn has been co-pastor, along with her husband Norman, at Mars Hill Baptist Church in Irwin (Rillton), PA since May 2000. She is the newest member to The Well Ministries’ Board of Directors.

I believe that it is time that we take a look at another perspective. The Bible, Gods Word gives us quite a different view. Look with me at what the Apostle Paul writes to believers in Ephesians the fifth chapter, verses one and two: “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children.”

Paul urges the believers in Jesus Christ to be followers of God. I would like you to take that in for a moment. How is it that I can a follower of God? Come on, this is just between you and me. I’m not able, let alone being worthy of such a thing. The good news of the Gospel, however, is that my salvation is not based on my worthiness. It is based on the worthiness of Jesus. And once I have received Jesus as my Savior, following after God is not based upon my strength or my wisdom but I am able to draw upon the strength and wisdom of God. The Holy Spirit comes to live within the believer help, to guide, to encourage. Now when Paul tells us to be followers of God I am confident, not in myself but my confidence is in Christ. He is able.

Paul tells us to be followers of God, as dear children. I don’t know about you but that strikes me as an awesome thing. If Jesus had died for me and let me be His servant for all eternity that would have been more that I deserve. What I deserve is to be separated from God because of my sin. God is Holy! I’m so grateful that He has made a way to be with Him. That way is the cross. As the blood of Jesus was poured forth God was making a way for anyone that would come to Him through His Son. Receiving Jesus gives us the power to become the children of God. The Gospel of John says it this way in the first chapter twelfth verse: “But to as many as received Him (Jesus) to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.”

What does that do to the vale of life? Well as Jesus was willing to die for us, and we are called the children of God, I would say the valve of life is so high in God’s eyes that I cannot begin to put a price on it.

What do you think about it? God paid a price for you. Jesus suffered and died on your behalf. Have you received Him as your Savior and Lord? Won’t you pray today, even right now? Jesus forgive me of my sins. I believe that you are God. I believe that you died to pay for my sins. Come into my life; please fill me with your Holy Spirit. Amen

“Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children.”

This is so much like the touch of Jesus. Over the years we get full of the pains of life. Then when we touch Jesus and He touches us, the Father’s love pours in, the bubble of pain bursts and out flows all the pent-up pain. The stark contrast between all the hurt and all the love is overwhelming. Our tears will likely flow, almost seeming to cleanse us. But it is not the tears that cleanse, it is the Love of the Father. It’s what we need. It’s the only thing that helps….

Have you ever found that to be so? If not, you need to experience the Father’s love!

“These jars came from the same factory, were made of the same materials, and can hold the same amount. But they are different,” he explained. Then he upset one and it oozed out honey. He turned over the other, and vinegar spilled out.
“When a jar is upset, whatever is in it comes out. Until the jars were upset, they looked alike. The difference was within, and could not be seen. When they were upset, their contents were revealed.”

Until we are upset we put on a good front. But when we are upset, we reveal our innermost thoughts and attitudes, for ‘out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks’ (Luke 6:45)

What if someone tipped you over today?

What would flow out?

Would you reveal the “honey” of grace and patience, or the “vinegar” of anger and sarcasm? ‘Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins’ (1Peter 4:8)

Have a terrific day knowing that the one who upsets you may be just looking for some honey.

It was not, at first, his writing
That made me stop and think
But the fluid in the bottle
That was marked eternal ink.

This ink was most amazing,
Dark black upon his blotter
But as it touched the parchment
It became as clear as water.

The angel kept on writing,
But as quickly as a wink
The words were disappearing
With that strange eternal ink.

The angel took no notice,
But kept writing on and on.
He turned each page and filled it
Till all its space was gone.

I thought he wrote to no avail,
His efforts were so vain
For he wrote a thousand pages
That he’d never read again.

And as I watched and wondered that
This awesome sight was mine,
I actually saw a word stay black
As it dried upon the line.

The angel wrote and I thought I saw
A look of satisfaction.
At last he had some print to show
For all his earnest action.

A line or two dried dark and stayed
As black as black can be,
But strangely the next paragraph
Became invisible to see.

The book was getting fuller,
The angel’s records true,
But most of it was blank, with
Just a few words coming through.

I knew there was some reason,
But as hard as I could think,
I couldn’t grasp the significance
Of that eternal ink.

The mystery burned within me,
And I finally dared to ask
The angel to explain to me
Of his amazing task.

And what I heard was frightful
As the angel turned his head.
He looked directly at me,
And this is what he said…

I know you stand and wonder
At what my writing’s worth
But God has told me to record
The lives of those on earth.

The book that I am filling
Is an accurate account
Of every word and action
And to what they do amount.

And since you have been watching
I must tell you what is true;
The details of my journal
Are the strict accounts of YOU.

The Lord asked me to watch you
As each day you worked and played.
I saw you as you went to church,
I saw you as you prayed.

But I was told to document
Your life through all the week.
I wrote when you were proud and bold, I wrote when you were meek.

I recorded all your attitudes
Whether they were good or bad.
I was sorry that I had to write
The things that make God sad.

So now I’ll tell the wonder
Of this eternal ink,
For the reason for its mystery
Should make you stop and think.

This ink that God created
To help me keep my journal
Will only keep a record of
Things that are eternal.

So much of life is wasted
On things that matter not
So instead of my erasing,
Smudging ink and ugly blot.

I just keep writing faithfully and
Let the ink do all the rest
For it is able to decide
What’s useless and what’s best.

And God ordained that as I write
Of all you do and say
Your deeds that count for nothing
Will just disappear away.

When books are opened someday,
As sure as heaven is true;
The Lord’s eternal ink will tell
What mattered most to you.

If you just lived to please yourself
The pages will be bare,
And God will issue no reward
For you when you get there.

In fact, you’ll be embarrassed,
You will hang your head in shame
Because you did not give yourself
In love to Jesus’ Name.

Yet maybe there will be a few
Recorded lines that stayed
That showed the times you truly cared, Sincerely loved and prayed.

But you will always wonder
As you enter heaven’s door
How much more glad you would have been If only you’d done more.

For I record as God sees,
I don’t stop to even think
Because the truth is written
With God’s eternal ink.

When I heard the angel’s story
I fell down and wept and cried
For as yet I still was dreaming
I hadn’t really died.

And I said: O angel tell the Lord
That soon as I awake
I’ll live my life for Jesus-
I’ll do all for His dear sake.

I’ll give in full surrender;
I’ll do all He wants me to;
I’ll turn my back on self and sin
And whatever isn’t true.

And though the way seems long and rough I promise to endure.
I’m determined to pursue the things
That are holy, clean and pure.

With Jesus as my helper,
I will win lost souls to Thee,
For I know that they will live with Christ For all eternity.

And that’s what really matters
When my life on earth is gone
That I will stand before the Lord
And hear Him say, well done.

I saw Jesus last Sunday.
He was teaching a Bible class.
He didn’t talk real loud or use long words,
But you could tell He believed what He said.
For just a minute, He looked like my Sunday School teacher.
But it was Jesus,
I could tell by His loving voice.

I saw Jesus yesterday.
He was at the hospital visiting a friend who was sick.
They prayed together quietly.
For just a minute He looked like Brother Jones.
But it was Jesus,
I could tell by the tears in His eyes.

I saw Jesus this morning.
He was in my kitchen making my breakfast and fixing me a special lunch.
For just a minute He looked like my mom.
But it was Jesus,
I could feel the love from His heart.

I see Jesus everywhere,
Taking food to the sick,
Welcoming others to His home,
Being friendly to a newcomer and for just a minute
I think He’s someone I know.
But it’s always Jesus,
I can tell by the way He serves.

May someone see Jesus in you today.

We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Wal-Mart. We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world.

Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child come pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.

Her voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in.

“Mom, let’s run through the rain,” she said.

“What?” Mom asked.

“Let’s run through the rain!” She repeated.

“No, honey. We’ll wait until it slows down a bit,” Mom replied.

This young child waited about another minute and repeated: “Mom, let’s run through the rain.”

“We’ll get soaked if we do,” Mom said.

“No, we won’t, Mom. That’s not what you said this morning,” the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom’s arm.

“This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?”

“Don’t you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, ‘If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!’”

The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn’t hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes.

Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child’s life–a time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.

“Honey, you are absolutely right. Let’s run through the rain. If GOD let’s us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing,” Mom said.

Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars. And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.

The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods when his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the outside world.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake, the man said. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Lovers walked arm in arm amid flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene. One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn’t hear the band, he could see it in his mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. Unexpectedly, an alien thought entered his head: Why should he have all the pleasure of seeing everything while I never get to see anything?

It didn’t seem fair. As the thought fermented the man felt ashamed at first. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights, his envy eroded into resentment and soon turned him sour. He began to brood and he found himself unable to sleep. He should be by that window—that thought now controlled his life.

Late one night as he lay staring at the ceiling, the man by the window began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The other man watched in the dimly lit room as the struggling man by the window groped for the button to call for help. Listening from across the room he never moved, never pushed his own button which would have brought the nurse running. In less than five minutes the coughing and choking stopped, along with the sound of breathing. Now there was only silence deathly silence.

The following morning the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths. When she found the lifeless body of the man by the window, she was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take it away—no works, no fuss. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after make sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed.

It faced a blank wall.

The farmer hitched Buddy up to the car and yelled, “Pull, Nellie, pull!” Buddy didn’t move.

Then the farmer hollered, “Pull, Buster, pull!” Buddy didn’t respond.

Once more the farmer commanded, “Pull, Coco, pull!” Nothing.

Then the farmer said very nonchalantly, “Pull, Buddy, pull!” And the horse easily dragged the car out of the ditch.

The motorist was most appreciative and very curious. He asked the farmer why he called his horse by the wrong name three times.

The farmer said, “Oh, Buddy is blind, and if he thought he was the only one pulling, he wouldn’t even try!”

When we have problems in our life, whether it be financial, physical, medical, emotional, or spiritual, we feel like we’re “pulling” all by ourselves, and sometimes we give up too. But friend, you should know that you are not alone. You may have a spouse, family or friends that care for you and want to help. You may have a church family that would help. It says in Galatians 6:2 that we are supposed to bear one another’s burdens to fulfill the law of Christ. And you can have God there too if you let Him. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “cast all your care (worries, burdens, anxiety) on Him because He cares for you.”

No matter what you are going through if you feel like giving up, remember you have someone that is “pulling” right beside you. He is Jesus and He will NEVER leave you alone!

In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile, only to see his sister watching. Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing. After lunch that day Grandma said, “Sally, let’s wash the dishes.”

But Sally said, “Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen.” Then she whispered to him, “Remember the duck?”

So Johnny did the dishes. Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing and Grandma said, “I’m sorry but I need Sally to help make supper.”

Sally just smiled and said, “Well that’s all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help.” She whispered again, “Remember the duck?” So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help.

After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally’s he finally couldn’t stand it any longer. He came to Grandma and confessed the he had killed the duck.

Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug, and said, “Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing. But because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you.”

Thought for the day: whatever is in your past, whatever you have done and the enemy keeps throwing it up in your face (lying, debt, fear, hatred, anger, unforgiveness, bitterness, etc.) whatever it is, you need to know that Jesus Christ was standing at the window and He saw the whole thing.

He wants you to know that He loves you and that you are forgiven. He’s just wondering how long you will let the enemy make a slave of you.

The great thing about God is that He not only forgives you, but He forgets.