Wow Todd, very inspiring testimony! So sorry you had to go thru that painful ordeal and the hurtful experiences of losing those “friends”. Just shows how shallow people can be and in the long run, we realize they are not worth having, if they are that materialistic. So glad you want to serve the Lord and earn eternal rewards that nobody can steal. There is GREAT satisfaction in being in God’s will and wanting to serve Him. The enemy will ramp up those attacks because you are a threat to the underworld. But never fear … because He that lives inside you is far GREATER than he that is in the world. Plus Jesus will gives you joy and a purpose in this life. Then when we reach our eternal home … we will receive that dream dwelling place with the gorgeous gardens/beach views/mountain views. Perhaps you will have that favorite sports car or truck or will you like traveling with a flying horse instead? 😆 Its a win win situation no matter what. The will of God for all His children is to share our faith with the lost … even if we hold a secular job … some think its solely the responsibility of the pastor or youth leader or Sunday School teacher when in fact it’s everyone’s responsibility to go and tell. Matt 28:19-20 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Thank you brothers and sisters. Life is so good now. Being a preachers kid's kid I watched my grandfather and grandmother live in near poverty but they were always happy. Through my career I've had the opportunity to travel and work in nearly every corner of the planet and an interesting observation is that the people who have the least have always been the ones who are the happiest, and it was those people who's faith was incredibly strong. Working in China in the late 90's I befriended a man who shared that his most prized possession was a single page out of the Bible. I sit here in my office with a stack of study Bibles and commentaries on my shelf and I often think of that man - I have thousands of pages yet his single page was so valuable to him it was like he had won the lottery. Its all about perspective. The church that I was a member of 18 years ago put on "The Bema Seat" play -- so powerful -- it reminds me every day that someday soon I'll be standing before Jesus at the Bema Seat and what will the words that He will speak as I stand before him. He won't praise me for my material possessions or how big my raise and bonus checks were, but what did I do on this planet to further His Kingdom? Time is short, but there is more than enough time to: Turn your eyes upon Jesus the people who have the least have always been the ones who are the happiest, and it was those people who’s faith was incredibly strong That is so true! They are not bogged down with the trappings of materialism. Isn't interesting that it's all right there in the very word, trappings, and yet we simply gloss over it and keep wanting more. Same with tv shows, or more appropriately, programming. Still, people don't see it or simply don't care. Thanks for this marvelous song, Kolleen; in my opinion one of the most relevant and applicable worship songs around. "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You; because he trusts in You." (Isaiah 26:3) In this verse 'perfect peace' translates in Hebrew to 'shalom shalom, shalom shalom' (that's 4 shaloms!) And we know that 'shalom' means so much more than just 'peace'. The word 'mind' is 'yetser', which means 'imagination'. Our imaginations are extremely powerful! Turn your 'mind's eyes' to Jesus!
Look full in his wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of his glory and grace
