The Journey

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Devotion by Brenda Winker:

Several years ago, I went to a Lay Minister Commissioning Service at a local church. It was a small church with a regular attendance of around 25 people but they were a faithful few. My husband and I attended because two people from our church were being commissioned to co-pastor this little church.

I glanced at the printed Order of Service and the Friendship Choir would be presenting the music. I looked at the choir area and there were only a few people seated there. I noticed one in particular-an elderly lady. As we rose for a congregational hymn, the lady struggled to stand, but she made it. The sweet little old lady I’d noticed was part of the duet that followed the hymn. Once again, she struggled to get up. An older gentleman rose at the same time and walked over to her, escorting her to the microphone. They began to sing “There will be peace in the valley.”  Oh my, that feeble lady had the most beautiful and strong voice. I felt the sweetest spirit come over me as they sang. Their voices blended and all I could think was this must be what angels sound like. I was so deeply moved that tears began to roll down my cheeks and I felt the Holy Spirit fill that sanctuary. I thought to myself, these two saints are such genuine examples of faithful servants of God.

I was blessed by the two ministers that spoke that day. The first one, also an elderly man, spoke on “The Journey” from Deuteronomy 34:1-12. You’ll find this familiar since it was part of our last year’s study. He began by reading Deuteronomy 34:1-4

 “Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which was opposite Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan, and all of Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western Sea, the Negeb and the Plain, that is the Valley of Jericho the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar.”

The minister spoke of Moses and how he stood on the mountain top with God and God personally showed him a wonderful sight - The Promised Land. I was so moved. I could not imagine standing on a mountain top with God, our creator, and have Him personally show me where I had faithfully and obediently served Him and brought His people. What joy Moses must have felt. He didn’t enter the Promise Land but what he did get was wonderful face to face encounters with God. Moses stood with the Lord who personally showed him a panoramic view of Canaan. The minister’s point was that it wasn’t so much about Moses’ destination. It was about Moses’ journey with God. Moses had an extremely personal relationship with the Lord that continued to grow throughout the journey. We too can have a personal relationship with the Lord because of Jesus Christ and it will grow stronger in our journey with the Lord.

Then another pastor slowly but surely made his way to the podium and began to speak. It was clear to me as I watched his movements, that he had a serious health condition. This servant of God had had cerebral palsy all his life. But in spite of his poor health I recognized as he spoke that God had gifted him with an incredible ability to preach the Gospel. God equipped.

Moses faced uncertainty and difficulty throughout his journey but God equipped him with everything he needed. Moses was hesitant and faltered at times but he answered God’s call and He faithfully served Him.

God called those faithful servants that participated in that service and He equipped them to serve Him. God always equips us to do what He calls us to do. There have been times I’ve been hesitant and I faltered but God has always been there for me when I accepted His call to service and He equipped me to do His will. It has been in the journey that I recognized God’s hand at work in my life. It was in the journey that I grew to know and love Him more.

God called each of us and we answered yes to the call to serve in CBS this year. Little did we know that it would be in such a new and different way packed full of so much uncertainty. But just as God equipped the feeble elderly lady with the strong, beautiful voice and the minister with cerebral palsy the amazing ability to preach the gospel, God will equip us to faithfully serve Him in this year of uncertainty with a technology that is so unfamiliar to many of us. He will continue to replace any fear or uneasiness that some of us might have with confidence and trust in Him. We can fully rely on God to guide us and He will provide us with all that we need to make disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ this really different year.

We are not standing on a mountain top with God showing us a panoramic view of the Promised Land, but we do have His Holy Spirit living in us and His Holy Word that is filled with His promises. Hebrews 13:20-21 tells us

“The God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, will equip us with everything so that we may do his will.”

Brenda Winker

Prayer Chair

Rutherfordton Day Class

09-09-2020

A Word for 2016

Brenda Winker

My new year’s day began with a cup of coffee and some alone time with God.  There isn’t a better way to start a day.  Sometimes due to circumstances beyond my control it doesn’t happen that way but today it did. I felt blessed and grateful. But when my husband Joel awakened I was again grateful because he greeted me with a big smile, sweet kisses, and sweet words. Due to his Alzheimer's disease, he didn’t know it was a brand new year, but he knew it was a brand new day and I was part of it. So, I paused temporarily and received the blessing God was giving me right then. We sat awhile, chatted just a little, and finished our coffee, and he went to get the newspapers.

I got busy making the Communion bread for the Sunday worship service. Naturally Joel offered to help (more than once), but I like being in the kitchen alone if I’m baking or cooking. I get distracted easily so it is better that way.  I kept my mind centered on the recipe itself in the beginning but as I stirred and kneaded the dough I began to think about how very special my day was! I was so overwhelmed with gratitude that I began to silently once again commune with God. I thanked Him for my husband, our family, friends, and all the people He continues to bring into our lives. I thanked Him for more blessings than I could count and for a new year with new opportunities to serve Him. Psalm 100:4-5 says, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

As I kneaded the communion bread God reminded me how He kneads us to make us His. With the Communion bread, I melt a stick of real butter and a teaspoon of Crisco. I add salt, sugar, and milk and stir. Then I add the mixture to the flour. It should have been gradually added but I admit I took a shortcut and just dumped it all in at once.

God takes us just as we are, adds all the ingredients necessary to make us more like Jesus. He doesn’t take short cuts with us and dump everything into us at the same time like I did for the bread. He is gradually at work in us with His never ending love and grace. Hebrews 10:23 reads, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” Our God is faithful!

Then I put the dough in the refrigerator for a while because that’s what the recipe says. I took it out a little later so the dough would soften up so I could knead it some more. The dough isn’t easy to knead and work with at this point but neither are we. All too often we have to be softened up and made pliable just like the bread dough.

I rolled the dough out as thin as possible on waxed paper, sliced it, and crisscrossed it into little squares. Hopefully the pieces will be somewhat uniform for serving to my church family. I trimmed off the rough jagged edges, placed the baking sheet on top of the rolled and sliced dough and flipped it all over onto the baking sheet. I removed the waxed paper and placed the pan in the oven to bake.

Notice I said somewhat uniform pieces because getting them just right is virtually impossible for me. But nothing is impossible for God and thankfully He doesn’t give up on making us just right. Not only does He knead and make us into the right size pieces but He trims off the ragged edges and makes us into His servants.

Jeremiah 29:13 tells us, “You will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” We must regularly seek God through prayer and His Word and allow Him to work in and through us to do His will. 

Hebrews 13:20-21 is my prayer for today and all year long, “May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip us with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever.”

God alone has the recipe and all we have to do is be the “dough in His hands.”

Brenda Winker,

former ATD, Rutherfordton Day Class