BOLO - Mr & Mrs Remmus Pmuls

(REQUIRED reading by ALL members)

     We have had some very unwelcome visitors sneak into our church for the past several weeks, and I understand they plan to be around for the next couple of months. Now mind you, I cannot stand this couple! I know, we should welcome all visitors with open arms, but these fuddy-duddies really get under my skin. When they show up, I get so discouraged. They really NEED the Lord!

     All gospel preaching churches hate to see them visit. They kill the spirit of the services and thwart the efforts of the church to be effective. They generally start doing their damage around Memorial Day, and usually don’t go away until after Labor Day.

     If you see this couple around, don’t give them the time of day! Shoo them away as soon as they start working on you and inviting you to their outings. They will KILL your church! In fact, they already have your pastor with one foot in the Loony Bin and the other in a counsellor’s office.

   Here’s how to spot the Pmuls. You have seen the picture, but they disguise themselves in so many ways. They will be ones inviting you to several other excursions just about every Lord’s Day. Sometimes they will encourage you to skip that one measly hour out of the week which is set aside for God, and just hang out with family, or at the Lake, or even stay in bed or in the easy chair. And once you give in to Remmus, you’re toast. Next thing you know, you’ll take entire vacations away from church and your Bible reading and prayers.

     Oh dear friend and church member, please watch out for these sinister servants of the evil one and forcefully turn down their invitations to join them in their “fun.”

Legend:

BOLO means Be on the Lookout

Mr. & Mrs. Remmus Pmuls – just read in reverse!

The Believer's Bubble

Psalm 73:23 Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand. 24 Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. 26 My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.

Criticize us if you will, unbeliever, but we are happy to admit our dependence upon God. Within His will, anywhere we go, whatever we do, we are in a safe zone, a blessed bubble, if you will.

Here, Asaph reminds us of these reassuring truths:

*God is with us always. He will never leave us nor forsake us. Imagine the bewilderment when Jesus told His disciples, "It is good for you if I go away." But hindsight and experience assure us that His departure from the earth preceded the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And by that same Spirit, we are filled and encompassed by God's presence.

*He's got a tight grip on our right hand. My Lord knows the way through the wilderness, and leads me by the hand, even through the valley of the shadow of death. Sometimes He nudges, sometimes He drags, sometimes I try to wriggle free, but He never let's go of my hand.

*He guides us through life by His counsel. This entails the leadership of the Spirit, the counsel of the Word of God, the encouragement and wisdom of mature believers, the opening and closing of doors and the illumination of faith's path. The steps of a good man are ordered of the Lord.

*Our destiny is heaven's glory! Trust me, no, trust Him, God is intent on getting you to the other side and is fully capable, despite our wayward tendencies, to deliver us to His home.

*Upon our realization of these truths, in our less obtuse moments, when our gaze is not clouded by the dark veils of trouble and woe, we realize that Jesus is our all in all and there is none else, or nothing else worthy to hold our highest devotion and admiration.

*Yes, our hearts break, our health fails, our relationships disintegrate. But always, there is God to strengthen and revive, to give hope, promise and Assurance.

*And in the end, when all else fails, we win, because He is our portion.

I received a check for $12,000 the other day. I didn't refuse it, nor did I grieve that I was handed this large amount. But I really wasn't thrilled about it. It didn't make my day. My spirit immediately recognized that my real rewards aren't deposited into an earthly bank account. What turns my crank is that Jesus is my Savior, the Spirit is my Guide, the Father holds my hand, and Heaven is my home. I am safely in the blessed bubble in which He has encased me.