Bits and Pieces – 201st Edition – July 28, 2024

     The Lord, when He made us, gave us the great blessing of sleep whereby our weary bodies and minds are refreshed for another day.  It is amazing to think that if you live to be sixty you have spent about twenty years in bed! (The writer has spent a whopping 29 years!).

     Some people have difficulty in sleeping and it becomes a serious problem for them.  Let me share a tip that was given by an elderly minister in Dr. Paisley’s church over sixty years ago.

     He said that when you get into bed deliberately relax your hands and feet to relieve the stress you did not know was there.  Then, he said, think of a Bible verse like “The Lord is my shepherd” and meditate on it word by word.  Focus on “the Lord,” who He is, and what He has done.  Then the word “is,” and dwell on the fact of the present life of our Lord.

     Continue your meditation on His nature as a “Shepherd.”  He has led you through life and will take you eventually to the great fold in heaven.  Then think of the amazing fact that He is “my”  shepherd.  You probably will not get that far for you will be sleeping already.

     But if you are not, dwell on this statement, “He giveth his beloved sleep” [Psalm 127:2].  God gives sleep as a gift to tired and weary souls.  Do not insult the Lord by refusing His gift. Take it with grateful thanks and enjoy your sleep.

     Probably the best-known verse in the New Testament is John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” This verse is so packed with Gospel teaching that you could spend a long time trying to plumb its depths, and expound its teaching.

    One message that ought not to be missed is the essential relationship of love with giving.  God loved us so He gave His only Son.  So much is talked about love today that misses this vital point.  The giving of God is tied to His love for a sinful world.

     When a young couple are married, their love for each other is seen in their giving of themselves to each other “till death” them “do part”.  Likewise, our professed love for Christ will be seen when we give ourselves unreservedly to Him, and for His work.  If we love we give.  If we don’t give, we don’t love.

REVIVAL MEANS:

The sleeping Christians are waked up.

The lazy church members get up.

The lukewarm believers are fired up.

The absent church members show up.

The delinquent members pay up.

The drinking church members dry up.

The disgruntled members sweeten up.

The dishonest members confess up.

The silent worshippers sing up.

The estranged folks make up.

The gossipers shut up.

The loose-living folks tighten up.

The tight-pursed folks loosen up.

The downhearted people look up.

The timid witnesses speak up.

The soldiers of the Cross stand up.

The dozing deacons sit up.

The idle members are harnessed up.

The immobile church is geared up.

The immature Christians grow up.

The stony hearts are broken up, and

The dead in sin are raised up.

[Author Unknown].

CANADA NEEDS REVIVAL

Oh, for the floods on a thirsty land,

Oh, for a mighty revival!

Oh, for a sanctified, fearless band,

Ready to hail its arrival.

David and Rachel Saunders, who live in California, were blessed with the safe arrival of baby Cameron on July 24.  David is the son of Dr. Larry and Jill Saunders, and grandson of May and Frank McClelland.

     Cameron, who kept us all waiting for two weeks, was 8lb. 8oz. at birth and is named after the Ontario lake where his father spent his childhood vacations.