Preparation Precedes the Blessing

A couple of weeks ago, Clark opened our Sunday evening service with the following scripture and thought. The more I think about "preparation preceding the blessing" the more I want my life to be prepared in worship and praise so that we can be ready for whatever blessings the Lord wants to send our way!  We had a hail storm/tornado move through our area on April 27th .  Clark has been working night and day ever since then due to the damage that so many received.  We rarely see him, other than at church, and WE MISS HIM.  I worry about how hard he is working and what little amount of rest he is getting.  HOWEVER, I am so thankful for the blessing of all the work!  To see more of our worship service visit us at http://www.factv.org/...

John 2:5-7…This is when Jesus was at Capernaum, the wedding where he turned the water to wine.

Verse 5: His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

Verse 6: And there were set there six water pots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.

Verse 7: Jesus saith unto them; Fill the water pots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.

In every example in the word of God, we see where preparation precedes the blessing. These water pots contained 2 or 3 firkins apiece. The research that I was doing said that a firkin is about 60 gallons of water, so that would be 120 gallons per water pot. For those of you accustomed to that, it would be 24 trips with a 5 gallon bucket per pot. It was not something that just happened on accident. The creator was there, and he could have spoken the water into existence and filled the water pots. But he didn’t decide to do that, He told them to fill the water pots with water.

There are many theological thoughts that you could take out of this scripture, but I like the last part of verse 7. It says - they filled them to the BRIM. They didn’t settle for half way. They didn’t just do five trips with a five gallon bucket, and say that is enough for me, but they filled them to the BRIM. Because HE said fill them up. If you let your life be full of worship, full of praise then he will do exceedingly abundantly above what you ask or think!

Make a U-Turn

Clark opened our past Sunday evening service with the following scripture and thought. I am so thankful that I serve a forgiving savior! To see more of our worship service visit us at www.factv.org.

This scripture talks of a merciful God…

Isaiah 55:7 “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”

When I am driving in my car, sometimes I wait until I get lost before I turn the GPS system on. Usually it quickly says, “As soon as you can, make a U-turn.” It doesn’t say in 27 miles make a U-turn. But, make one as soon as possible. Tonight, we serve a God that is still in the business of allowing us to change course. It doesn’t matter which way you have headed or how far down the road you have gotten. My God still has mercy tonight, and he will ABUNDANTLY pardon whatever it is in your life that you need to be forgiven of!

The Pine in the Desert

If you are a reader of Presson Ponderings then you know that I am a huge fan of my husband! He often opens our Sunday night services. You can find all of our services archived at www.factv.org, and you can watch live also! Clark spends much time in prayer over what the Lord wants said at the opening of each Sunday night. So many times the Lord lays things on Clark’s heart that is directly for our family. So, I thought I might start sharing some of them. This one is from this past Sunday night, and I am so thankful that God specializes in my impossible situations!!

Do you believe that we have a God that specializes in the things that are impossible?

Isaiah 41:13 tells us.
“For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.”

And how is he going to do that?
Verse 18 & 19. “I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together.”

These types of trees are evergreen trees. They are not natural to the desert. The desert brings forth cactus, the bramble and thorn bush. But He says that he is going to put in the desert the fir, and pine and box tree. These trees require much water and moisture.

Verse 20 “That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.”

Now when you create, you take something where there is nothing and you make something out of it. Up to this point maybe your life has been a desert, and all that it has been generating are the things that the desert generates. But He can come in tonight and can create and plant something in your life that will never die. It will be FOREVER life!