Christian Reflection and Prayer

"Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidd'st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God I come! I come!"
Charlotte Elliot (1789-1871)

A simple invitation

"The simple message of the song
"Just as I Am" was so popular in the
early days of Billy Graham's evangelistic
crusades that it became a regular part
of the response to each appeal to make
a public commitment for Christ.

Charlotte Elliott seemed to have
everything going for her as a young
woman. She was gifted as a portrait
artist and also a writer of humorous
verse. Then in her early thirties she
suffered a serious illness that left her
weak and depressed. During her illness
a noted minister, Dr. Caesar Malan of
Switerland, came to visit her. Noticing
her depression, he asked if she had
peace with God. She resented the
question and said she did not want to
talk about it.

But a few days later she went to
apologize to Dr. Malan. She said that
she wanted to clean up some things
in her life before becoming a Christian.
Malan looked at her and answered,
"Come just as you are." That was enough
for Charlotte Elliot, and she yielded herself
to the Lord that day.

Fourteen years later, remembering those
words spoken to her by Caesar Malan in
Brighton, England, she wrote this simple
hymn that has been used to touch the hearts
of millions who have responded to Christ's i
nvitation to come just as they are."

from The One Year Book of Hymns by Mark
Norton and Robert Brown (Tyndale) entry for
June 22

Scripture:

Proverbs 3:5

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.

Blondin was a 19th century acrobat, famous
for his tightrope act 160 feet above Niagra Falls
on a rope which was over a thousand feet long.
In 1860 a Royal party from Britain saw Blondin
cross the tightrope on stilts, and again blindfolded.
After that he stopped halfway and cooked and ate
an omelet. Next he wheeled a wheelbarrow from
one side to the other, and returned with a sack of
potatoes in it.
Then Blondin approached the Royal party. He asked
the Duke of Newcastle, "do you believe I could
take a man across the tightrope in this wheelbarrow?"
"Yes, I do" , said the Duke.
"Hop in, then" , replied Blondin.
Well, the Duke declined Blondin's challenge.
He might have believed Blondin could do it, but
he wasn't about to trust him with his life.

Reflection:

You see that's what trusting in the Lord with all your
heart is, "GETTING IN THE WHEELBARROW!".
Trusting God with your whole life.
God trusted us so much that He gave us a gift.
He gave us the gift of His only Son, Jesus Christ.
If we accept this gift from God we are a forgiven
people, we are an eternal people.
Now we can't repay God for His gift, but we can give
God a gift back, the Gift of Trust.  Now this gift of
trust to God means that we completely trust Him with
everything that is in us. It means that we don't rely
on anything else but God. We do not rely on our
own strength or the strength of others.  We give
all the strength we have, both physically and
mentally to the will of the Holy Spirit.  WE
TRUST GOD AND ONLY GOD!
HOW'S YOUR TRUST BEEN LATELY? 

Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

U.S. House & Senate have voted
themselves $4,700 and $5,300 raises.

1. They voted to not give you
a S.S. Cost of Living raise in 2010 and 2011.
2. Your Medicare premiums will
go up $285.60 for the 2 years and
you will not get the 3% COLA.

Your total 2 year loss and cost
is $1,600 or $3,200 for husband and wife.
3. Over 2 years they each get $10,000.
4. How’s that hope and change
workin’ out for ya?
5. Will they increase your cost
of drugs - doctor fees - local taxes -
food, etc.?

Maybe it's time for the 28th Amendment…

"Congress shall make no law that
applies to the citizens of the United
States that does not apply equally
to the Senators or Representatives,
and Congress shall make no law
that applies to the Senators or
Representatives that does not apply
equally to the citizens of the
United States."