May 1, 2016 The kindness and wisdom of Our Lord Jesus
be with you all Heartdwellers. Im going into prayer after I post this so there maybe
a message later today. Please forgive my delays, Im not quite 100% yet, but I do so appreciate
your prayers and kind words to me. I have the most loving and kindly audience I have
ever seen on a YouTube channel and I am profoundly grateful for each one of you.
Thank you so
much for your prayers. Lately, Ive been a little complainingpoor
Jesus. I ask for crosses and then when He allows them, I complain. Lord teach me to
be thankful even in adversity.
I want this with all my heart. Gratefulness opens the door to God's blessings
in our lives. When we are grateful, mountains of problems are leveled, doors that were slammed
shut begin to open, relationships that were frozen cold begin to thaw, hearts desires
begin to be manifested through God's intervention. I've seen that over and over again, so the
last thing I want to do, even on a practical level, is complain! I believe the most hurtful thing I have done
to the Lord, has been my ungratefulness, complaining and impatience.
I believe we all get tunnel
vision and forget the many benefits that sustain us every day of our lives, things that we
have not earned, things that God has protected and blessed us with. For instance, I take for granted the blessings
others have labored over and forget to really engage those who have helped me with substantial
signs of gratefulness. A phone call, a card, special prayers, perhaps a gift, mean so much
to those who have supported us, prayed for us, carried our burdens along with their own
heavy crosses. But now, our channel has grown so big, we do not have the staff to do that
any longer the way we would like to.
I find it interesting that ministries like
Voice of the Martyrs also do not acknowledge gifts. They are spending money in the mission
field on Bibles, food, tents and blankets, for the destitute. They're really, really
living on the raw edge out there. We have a missionary couple who are in Belgium right
now, or...Gone to Greece, actually.
To serve in the camps there for the displaced persons
and the refugees. Those people are desperately poor. I really have to give Voice of the Martyrs
credit, because they're not doing all kinds of programs to raise money. They simply take
care of their people, and they don't get involved with all of that.
I may not get a thank you
card from them, but I know what they're spending their money on. That makes it all worth while. I believe God's servants and ministers are
the most overlooked group of people who work selflessly to help others. They are not the
'hired hands' who run when the wolf attacks the flock.
They day after day lay down their
lives, their comforts and their agendas to protect those who have looked to them for
encouragement in the drought, comfort in an uncaring and callous world, the truth of Jesus
and His teachings in a confused and misinformed world. Their work reaches into the very heart
of our lives and helps to keep us connected and healthy to the wellspring of life, Jesus
Our Lord. I believe that how we feel about the Lord
is reflected in the way we treat His servants. Are they last on the list in our lives, or
first? Do we show our gratefulness by seeing to their basic needs or do we just take them
for granted and assume they are independently wealthy.
This is very funny and couldn't be further
from the truth in our case. We used to live on less than 1/3 of the national poverty level
for the United States. In other words, think of the poorest people you know and consider
what life on only one third of their income would be like - and that was us. But kind
listeners have helped us and now we are even able to help the desperately poor on occasions.
Our expenses have gone up because we have
volunteers that have given freely of their time and we have tried, when possible, to
help them along since they, too, live on a very small income. Why? Because we love the
Lord with all our hearts, all our strength and our life. Our only love and concern is
to feed the flock and bring the Bride into the Bridal chamber. We don't charge for our
music, our books or our videos.
We do not want anyone to go without the teachings and
music God has given us. Freely we have received, freely we give. The Lord has asked us not to receive any government
funding. Come on, guys - don't write into me and say you feel guilty because you're
getting government help.
Do do that! Because everyone's a different situation. Since we
work for the Lord fulltime, He wants us to rely on Him. I can't speak for those of you
who are on disability or that kind of thing. I only know what He has told us to do and
not to do.
So, please don't get scrupulous about this ahead of time, I'm just mentioning
it, 'cause I know someone is going to get all upset and worried, "Am I sinning??" So,
I'm not going to go there. I just want to say that this was for us in a particular way.
Actually, we've lived on His providence for about 30 years now. He's asked us not to receive any government
funding, not medicare or medicaid or any other form of income support (accepting nothing
from the Gentiles). He has told us that we are a blessing to the Body in that we give
her the opportunity to show her love and concern for Him and an opportunity to exercise charity
which covers a multitude of sins.
Aside from the preaching of the Word, believe it or not,
the opportunity we give others to give is one of the greatest blessings we offer. "Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in
all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are. ...You will do well to send them
on their journey in a manner worthy of God. For they have gone out for the sake of the
Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles.
Therefore we ought to support people like
these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth." 3 John 1:5-8 We have gone to war at our own expense, we
have planted a vineyard and not demanded our share of the grapes. We have tended a flock
and not asked for its milk, so I ask you dear ones to remember us and the poor we serve
here in Taos, some of those go without firewood and food even as we speak. We offer you everything
without charge, because it is our hearts desire to see you prosper in the Lord. And
I think one of the hardest things for us, when we were in need of ministry materials
was not being able to afford them.
That was really hard, it really left and impression
and I promised the Lord, I will NEVER make materials unavailable to the poor. If they
need something, all they have to do is write and we'll take care of it. And as you've noticed
on Amazon, we've got the lowest prices possible on our books and things. Isn't it a truth that your abundance can cover
for our lack, and our abundance covers for your lack, and when one in the Body suffers,
do we not all suffer? So please, consider the needs we have just to maintain our ministry,
so we can continue to love you with His Words, and help the truly impoverished that are right
around us.
Thank you, guys, for all your prayers and
kind hearts. We are so blessed to have you as our family. And hopefully there will be
a message later on today. Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge
those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you.
Hold
them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other.
I Thes.5:12-13.
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