Get to Give #289

Luke 6:38 “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full--pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back." (NLT)

Acts 20:35 “…remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.

When was the last time you received a gift? Was it on Christmas, birthday, anniversary, or maybe Valentine’s Day? How did you feel? Did you appreciate and enjoy the love and thoughtfulness of the person who gave it to you? How about the reverse? When did you last give a gift to someone? Maybe it wasn’t a present wrapped in a nice package, but maybe your time, your service, your kindness, or an expression of love. How did you feel then?

According to the words of Jesus you should have received a greater blessing by giving than you did from receiving. There is an interesting thing about giving that defies logic. That truth is: as you give you in turn receive. Not only do your receive, but you receive what you gave in fullness. You may say, “People are so unfriendly.”

The Bible says if you want friends you must be friendly. When you walk into a store, or church or just down the street do you think. “Why doesn’t anyone speak to me?”

Maybe it is because you didn’t speak first.

The words of Jesus in Luke 6:38 are quite clear. “The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” Jesus makes it clear that the gift you give, no matter what it is, will return to you. It will be measured by the amount you gave. It will be pressed down, like putting something into a container to make room for more. It will be shaken, to take up empty space, and it will be running over.

What are you giving right now that God will bless you with in return?

What do you do with what you have received back as a result of giving? The answer is clear also. Give some more. Keep God’s plan of economy working.

You will never out give God, and you will bring about God’s circle of giving in order to receive in order to give some more. Blessings to you as you give however God has blessed you. 

_______________________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from Starbucks in beautiful Tempe, AZ

It was so good to attend church on Sunday and see our friends. I will not be preaching at First Baptist Church for a few weeks until I can regain some more strength. However I committed some months ago to preach at Northpointe Church in Chandler, AZ on March 16th. If the Lord gives me the grace I will be preaching that Sunday. Planning on being with Grace Community Church's annual campout on March 20-21-22 at Roosevelt Lake. I will be preaching at the Sunday morning outdoor worship service. Please pray that I can regain my strength and continuer to serve the Lord. Then maybe I will be back at First Baptist Church in the Intersect Service in the Loft on the 30th. PRAY PRAY PRAY. 

Sandy and I have enjoyed attending Collin's band concerts. He is currently playing in five different bands. He was chosen to play in the Tempe Youth Band. They had their final concert last week. He also plays in the District Honor's Band. Recently he has been selected to play in the Tempe Youth Wind Symphony. They will conclude with a concert in the Tempe Center for the Arts. He also plays in two bands at school, the Symphonic Band, the top band. In all of these he plays the trumpet. His band teacher asked him this year to play in the beginning 7th and 8th grade band as a percussionist. He had never done that before and is enjoying beating on everything. 

Bennett has a leading role in the his high school's musical, "The Sound of Music." He is a wonderful soloist. He also plays percussion in his high school band. Burke is also in the high school performance although he is in 7th grade. Bennett was also selected to be in the Regional Choir. He will be going to Europe for Spring Break with members of his high school. Johnny has some growing to do to catch up with Bennett, BUT Bennett has caught up with his Uncle John. 

Burke will be going to Boston for his Spring Break with a group from his school.Burke has stopped playing the trombone in the band and has now become a TUBA player. Go Burke!!

Johnny will be 3 years old on March 8th. Watching him go from a preemie to a three year old who is doing wonderful has been a blessing from God. I know many of you prayed for him when he was born. He is an answer to prayer. 

Someone saw Justin the other day and said to Mandy, "He looks just like your Dad."

You know by that he is one handsome little guy. The pic of Johnny and Justin was taken to show that even kids in Arizona go barefooted and can keep up with the relatives back in Missouri and Arkansas. 

There is no way to thank you enough for the cards, emails. phone calls and visits during the past three weeks. Especially I am grateful for your prayers. They were a great encouragement to me and Sandy. Sandy and both appreciate three men from church who came to our house to clean the pool, cut tree limbs, do some painting, weed the lawn, move flower pots and help with things neither of us could do right now. Thanks to Mark, Burton and Jimmy. I am feeling better. Still have issues with my digestive system. The liver seems to be working well after the new stent. The doctors have me undergoing more testing for the possibility of a blockage in the small intestine. I will also undergo more testing for the hyperthyroidism and the two nodules on the thyroid gland. I still am loosing weight and still weak, BUT I am moving on and so very grateful that God has again given me time with my family and friends and an opportunity to continue serving Him. God is good. 

So appreciate your prayers and concern over the past three weeks. May God bless you and your family and your church. I am reminded of His love and mercy and grace all the time. 

 ~ DGW

Hope of Glory #288

Colossians 1:27: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

One of the most amazing truths in all of scripture is that Christ lives in the one who believes in Him as Lord, Savior and Life. The victory, joy, hope, peace and love you experience as a believer is because of the indwelling Christ. The hope you have of heaven and eternal life is a result of Christ living in you. When you come to faith in Jesus through your death with Him on the cross you no longer live, but He lives in you. You live your life because He is in you.

The fifth chapter of the Book of Romans tells us: 5:10 “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” He saves you by His life by dwelling in you and living His life out through you.  The Christian life is His life lived through you. That is only possible because He is in you.

You were saved from sin and forgiven by His death and the blood He shed on the cross, but you are saved by His life dwelling in you. The victory of life is you allowing the indwelling Christ to live His life out through you. The Christian life is truly an inside-out life.

The blessings you receive are a result of Him and not you. Your hope of glory, both now and in eternity is a result of Him and not you. How easy it is to think you can accomplish that which only God can achieve. His power, His grace, His mercy, His authority and His love is not within your ability to fulfill. Only Christ in you is your real hope.

That hope is far beyond anything you can even imagine. It is a life of faith in the Christ who lives in you. You can try and try, but only as you die to your own strength and abilities can you find that it is Christ in you who is the only real hope of glory.

Yield your life to Him right now and find His presence in you.

___________________________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from MY HOME in beautiful Tempe, AZ

So glad to be home from the hospital and slowly recuperating. Sandy and I both so appreciate your prayers. The past two weeks have been very difficult. Thought for sure that I was going to meet Jesus face to face this time. God decided to save me once again so that He will get glory. So many of you have sent emails, cards, phone calls, texts and especially your prayers, that I have been overwhelmed. The emails I receive I normally respond to, but so many and also because of not feeling well enough has caused me to just delete them after I read them. Hopefully I will be able to answer all of them this week. 

Many of you have asked about the status of my actual health. Currently the half of my liver that is still alive is again working fairly well. I still am only able to eat very little and also few things means I am loosing weight. I am weak and sleep a great deal of the time. I meet with Doctors over the next couple of weeks to do follow up. What is next is still unknown at this time. The problem that I have just faced is a blocked bile duct. It was blocked with cancer, bile and infection. I still have the blood clot in the juggler vein. 

I really ask that you continue your prayers. 

My family have been so supportive during this time. All of you have been a great encouragement. The doctors and nurses have been terrific. My church family have been there for me and Sandy. I AM BLESSED!!  ~ DGW 

Dying In The Field #286

1 Samuel 30:11-13

Now they found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David, and gave him bread and he ate, and they provided him water to drink. And they gave him a piece of fig cake and two clusters of raisins, and he ate; then his spirit revived. For he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights. And David said to him, "To whom do you belong? And where are you from?" And he said, "I am a young man of Egypt, a servant of an Amalekite; and my master left me behind when I fell sick three days ago. (NAS)

The Amalekites were the enemy of David and all of Israel. David and his army had returned home from battle to find that the Amalekites had captured and taken all their wives and children. Under God’s instruction David was sent to pursue them.

As David pursued them he found one of their servants lying in a field dying from lack of nourishment. As they gave him water and bread and fig cake and raisins he revived. When David asked him, “to whom do you belong?” he answered that he was an Egyptian and a servant of an Amalekite. He also said that the Amalekite left him behind when he was sick.

The Amalekites were cruel. They represent the flesh that is in all of us. The flesh is our emotion, mind and will outside the control of God’s Holy Spirit. Our own flesh (Greek word sarx) is destructive and yet appeals to our very deepest being to distrust God’s direction and control in our life and live a selfish life. In truth the flesh delivers death.

The flesh is at war with the Spirit of God within every believer and the flesh is a destroyer much like Satan is a destroyer. Never trust the flesh to give you anything except to leave you for dead. Only God gives life. Your flesh makes great promises, but never fulfills them. The flesh promises prosperity, peace, excitement, popularity, and fun. The problem is its inability to do so. It is a lack of belief that God is the provider of life. The flesh will leave you in a field dying from the lack of God’s nourishment. Trust God not your flesh. Do not end up in the field dying of the spiritual necessities of life. Trust God and not your flesh.

____________________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from Starbucks in beautiful Tempe, AZ

What an incredible week in Quartzsite. I was actually there nine days and had the privilege of sharing the message of Jesus with many people. I also spoke seven times to the Campers on Mission and the Quartzsite church. My topic was "Remember" as spoken of in the Bible. God gave us all a great time of fellowship, prayer, Bible study, and preaching. Dr. David Johnson preached each evening. He preached all week from 2 Chronicles 7:14. He is the Executive Director of the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention. 

Sunday night we celebrated the 13th birthday of our grandson, Burke McAfee Wood. The whole family was at our home for dinner. Burke chose the meal, and of course Grammie gave him the ham, mashed potatoes, broccoli, fruit salad he had asked for. No meal though would be complete without gravy. We finished it off with yellow cake with chocolate icing and chocolate ice cream. Hope that all makes you hungry. If you have ever had one of Sandy's meals you know it was good. 

Sandy and I both continue our teaching and preaching ministries. She is currently teaching the Book of Esther on Tuesday mornings to a group of YOUNG MOMS at First Baptist Church of Tempe at 9:30AM. I continue preaching the Intersect Service at 9:30 on Sunday mornings at First Baptist. We continue our study in Revelation. The last couple of weeks we have been working through the very difficult 17th chapter. Join me Sunday.

I keep getting these pangs of sorrow for all of you who live in the upper midwest and the northeast. BRRR. We are expecting 80 degrees before the week is over. What a great place to live. Come see us and enjoy the SUN in the Valley of the Sun. 

I do love hearing from you. If you know someone who might like to receive The Encourager just send me their name and email address. Praying that you have a really great week. May God bless you with an inner peace. ~ DGW

Don't Be Discouraged #285

I Chronicles 28:2 David rose to his feet and said: “My brothers and my people! It was my desire to build a temple where the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant, God’s footstool, could rest permanently. I made the necessary preparations for building it, 3 but God said to me, ‘You must not build a temple to honor my name, for you are a warrior and have shed much blood.’ 6 He said to me, ‘Your son Solomon will build my Temple and its courtyards, for I have chosen him as my son, and I will be his father. 20 Then David continued, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. He will see to it that all the work related to the Temple of the Lord is finished correctly. (NLT)

King David desired more than anything to build a temple for God in order to house the Ark of the Covenant. Because David had been a warring king God brought an end to his dream. David’s son Solomon was chosen to build the Temple instead of David. History tells us of the magnificent structure of the Temple of Solomon. It would have brought joy and fulfillment to any father.

The last instructions that David gave to Solomon are found in verse 20. He encourages him to not be afraid, to be full of courage and promised him that God would be with him until the Temple was finished correctly.

The Bible in the New Testament compares our own lives and bodies to the Temple. 1 Corinthians 6:19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. (NLT)

Don’t be discouraged or afraid, God is at work in you also. He will not fail you or forsake you. He will see that all the work related to you is also completed correctly.

_______________________________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from beautiful Quartzsite, AZ

No Starbucks here. Closest one is in Blythe, CA over 20 miles away. I still have my coffee though. I bought a pound at my own Starbucks in Tempe and brought it with me. I had a friend trying to look up the Quartzsite Southern Baptist Church on Google Earth and said all he could find was a dirt parking lot. I told him that is all that is in Quartzsite, dirt, dirt and more dirt. We are having a wonderful time in the dirt. The church revival started on Sunday. Dr. David Johnson is the evangelist for the week. Sandy and I have known him since he was a college student. He is currently the Executive Director of the Arizona Southern Baptist Convention. Sandy taught Sunday School on Sunday to the entire church. I am leading the devotions each morning for the church and the Campers on Mission Team. 

Sandy had to return home on Tuesday (planned that way) in order to help with the grandsons. I will be home Friday afternoon or Saturday in order to preach on Sunday at First Baptist of Tempe. 

We are camped in the church parking lot. There are about 15 rigs camping here. We all share breakfast time together at the church fellowship hall and lunch is provided by the church each day as we either are coming from or going to the booths. The booths are tents in the middle of the rock and gem show. We pass out free water (needed this year because it is dry and hot with temperatures near 80 and humidity in the single digits) pray with people, share the gospel, and give away Bibles and literature. I love it. Gives me a chance to talk to lots of people and share Jesus with them. Most people are very open and willing to at least listen. Some are a bit disagreeable but think maybe Jesus Himself had that problem. 

I lost a good friend this week. Actually I didn't lose him I know right where he is. He went to be with Jesus last Friday. His name is Gil Jacquot. We had a great relationship over the years. He was a member of Church on Mill and served as our MOO (Minister of Overheads) as he called himself.  He had a great sense of humor about almost everything. He will be missed by all of us. Pray for Sue, his wife and his children, Jamie and Glenn. 

Sandy continues her Tuesday morning Young Moms Bible study on the Book of Esther. They meet at 9:30AM at First Baptist Church of Tempe. I continue preaching the Intersect Service at First Baptist Church on Sunday mornings at 9:30. Appreciate your prayers and your attendance if possible. 

May God bless you this week with His truth that you are the Temple of God; that God lives in you in His Holy Spirit. (see The Encourager devotional)

Have a blessed week and never forget that "GOD IS GOOD."  ~ DGW