“SEE, …….” – Exodus 23:20

It took me a long time to see, to “see the LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL OF THE GLORY OF CHRIST,…..”

I saw the “Light of the Gospel” for the first time when I was 18 years of age.

Have you seen the “Light of the Gospel”?

1. “SEE, I am sending an angel ahead of you…….” – Exodus 23:20

When I was 18 years of age the Lord Jesus Christ became my shepherd and my journey with my shepherd began. David says in Psalm 23 that the Lord leads him and guides him. 

The Lord led me to a Bible College, to a Missionary Society, to Thailand, to New Zealand and He is still leading me…… 

2. ” SEE, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way…..” – Exodus 23:20

I arrived in THAILAND by boat at the end of 1966 and worked there as a missionary until the end of 1979.

The Lord is guarding us along the way all the time, but I remember that He guarded me especially in Thailand. I could tell you several stories, small stories and big stories.

One of the minor stories is that the Lord guarded my motorbike one night!

 3. “SEE, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.” – Exodus 23:20

I am still on my journey and the Lord is still leading me and I know that the Lord is bringing me to the place He has prepared for me. How do I know that? Because I read His word and in the Bible it says in Philippians 1:6:

“…, being confident of this , that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

I know that the Lord Jesus Christ began a good work in me long ago and that he “will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Do you know about the beginning of a good work of God in your life?

“….. EVERYTHING GOES DEAD WRONG.”

“Tis easy enough to be pleasant when life flows along like a song, but the man worthwhile is the one who will smile when everything goes dead wrong.” –

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

It’s bad enough when things go wrong , but when everything goes dead wrong that really smells like death. 

EVERYTHING GOES DEAD WRONG FOR A KING.

Men came and told Jehoshaphat that they were coming. Not only the Moabites, but also the Ammonites and the Meunites. They came “to make war on king Jehoshaphat.” The king is in big trouble of course.

Now listen to what he is doing and what is happening.

The king is consulting the people and he is appointing men to sing. The men “went out at the head of the army” we are reading in Second Chronicles 20:21.  What were they saying?

“‘Give thanks to the Lord,

for his love endures forever.'”

They are singing. They are praising the Lord. And the Lord is setting ambushes against the invaders. And the Lord is defeating the soldiers of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir.

Please read the whole story in Second Chronicles chapter 20!

EVERYTHING GOES DEAD WRONG FOR TWO SERVANTS OF THE LORD.

Paul is on his second missionary journey with Silas. He wants to see people come to the Lord. In Acts 16:11-40 we are reading that they went  by sea to Macedonia and what happened to them in the city called Philippi.

They were flogged in that town and sent to prison. It actually says that they were  severely flogged.

And you know what happened at midnight?  Paul and Silas were not only praying but also singing. They were “singing hymns to God, …” And?

We are reading that “the other prisoners were listening to them.”

There are so many prisoners – you know what I am writing about – around us and we are complaining that they are not listening to the gospel. I think we must praise the Lord more. Then they will listen.

What happened next? There was an earthquake, a really big earthquake,  and the jailer comes out of darkness into the light.

Let us pray for a spiritual earthquake!

Please read the whole story in Acts chapter 16. You find the book of Acts in the Bible, in the New Testament straight after the four Gospels. The Bible, the Word of the Living God has 66 books.

EVERYTHING GOES DEAD WRONG FOR YOU AND ME.

Can you still “smile when everything goes dead wrong” or are you only “pleasant when life flows along like a song?”

Maybe you cannot smile any more. But please keep on praising the Lord Jesus Christ! Are you angry? Should we get angry? I don’t know! Keep on praising the Lord! Are you sad? Keep on praising the Lord!

But you say that was “the last straw”.

You know what “the last straw” means! The dictionary says: “a small incident, setback etc. , that coming after others proves insufferable.”

Please keep on praising the Lord!

“You must trust and believe in people or life becomes impossible.” – Anton Chekhof (Russian writer)

You can find the above quote in the War Cry. (Issue 6533, Salvation Army)

That sounds really good, does it not? Please agree with me, because we trust and believe in people all the time. Trust is actually to believe according to the Collins English Dictionary I received as a present last Christmas.

Is it really true that Life becomes impossible if we do not believe in people?

I experienced lately that life becomes impossible by trusting in people!

TWO CASES ARE STILL ON MY MIND AND I FIND THEM ACTUALLY TOO SAD TO WRITE ABOUT!! There is already too much bad NEWS around.

Please find out with me what three people say about themselves and their neighbours:

ISAIAH

I am talking here about the Isaiah in the Bible. When the Lord is calling him he is concerned about his lips. He sees all of a sudden that his lips are not clean. And what does he say about the lips of his neighbours? The answer is easy and you find the answer in the BIBLE in the book Isaiah. (Isaiah 6:5)  Please read  Isaiah’s Commission in Isaiah 6:1 to the end of the chapter. “…., and I live among a people of unclean lips,….. Isaiah 6:5

PAUL

and his letter to the Philippians.

Remember that this letter is written to true followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul is a true follower of the Lord Jesus Christ and he is shining like a star and he is admonishing the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi to do the same.

And what does he say about this generation? He says that this generation is crooked and depraved. (Philippians 2:14-18) Read more about crookedness and depravation in the daily paper and listen to the news.

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

While the Lord Jesus Christ was on this earth He uttered two questions. He said, “How long shall I stay with you?” And here is the second question: “How long shall  I put up with you?”

Are you a true follower of the Lord Jesus Christ? Have you ever asked those questions? I think if you really are a believer born from above you have asked questions like that.

And how does our Lord Jesus Christ describe this generation?  He says that this generation is an unbelieving generation. He says that this generation is a perverse generation. Again, the daily paper is full of that. Please turn to the Word of the Living God and read Matthew 17:17  to find out if what I say is really written in the Bible.

Unclean lips! This generation is crooked! This generation is depraved! This generation is unbelieving! This generation is perverse!

And finally, the Bible says:

“‘CURSED IS THE ONE WHO TRUSTS IN MAN, WHO DEPENDS ON FLESH FOR HIS STRENGTH….'” –

Jeremiah 17:5

“The past is a guidepost, not a hitching post.” – Coffee News  Vol 130:4

Please click on image to read the writing!

PlaceMakers supplies us with timber, wallboard, flooring, paint ……..”

********************************

Whenever I hear about making a place or preparing a place two verses from the Bible are coming to my mind. John 14:2 is known to many people. Exodus 23:20 is not so well known. Click and read!