LOVE'S BLESSINGS!!

Praise the LORD!!!

   Today starts an adventure that I've not ventured into in the past. This morning I received an email from a sister in CHRIST that was a word in time. It was impressed upon my heart to share it with others. After asking and receiving permission, here it is. I pray everyone will be impressed by the SPIRIT that is within this message!!!


Dear Loving Family in Christ,
It has been many days since I spoke to you all.  My heart is heavy with LOVE for ALL of you, and yet, I have neglected you.  Please forgive me for I surely DO LOVE YOU!!  In all the things which keep my body busy, here on earth, even to the point of exhaustion, my soul cries out and yearns for your love, your spiritual love and any input from you I can receive.  Alas, I already know, your lives are busy, as well.  So, I am asking ALL of you, to never forget how much I truly love you.  It is my relationship with you, which gives me great strength and much hope, for everlasting life.  Fortunately, for ALL of us, we have come to rely on our FAITH in GOD and not, in man.  Of this, we must ALL be thankful!!! 

Our God, so many, many years ago, LOVED us so much more than ANY man could ever even try to LOVE us!!  I thank Him and praise Him, every single day for His Great Love, as I know, you do.  We are ALL so very blessed by this!!  We must ALL take comfort in the Love and Power of God!!  And, as we struggle here on earth, through each and every day, we must KNOW we are not struggling alone.  Right there, within our grasp, is our Lord Jesus!!  So many times during my day, I actually reach my hand out to my side and clasp His hand in mine.  If others could see this, they would think I was crazy.  If any of YOU saw this, you would see faith.  Praise God!!  God, in all His power, could have been such a snob or He could have not cared at all, forcing us to go through our lives without a single friend.  But He did not do this, for WE have a FRIEND IN JESUS!!!  THANK YOU, JESUS!!!  We never walk alone, even when it feels like there is NO ONE there!!  Isn't it WONDERFUL to KNOW this???  It sure has been a COMFORT to me!!!  Because man will always let us down, even when they do not want to let us down.  Like me, for instance.  Is it that I want ALL OF YOU to think I do not care?  NO!!  I DO CARE!!  Am I there for you?  NO!!  I am not!!!  But, JESUS IS THERE!!  ALWAYS!!!  ALL WAYS!!!  And, He is there through GOD, His Father!!!  Ultimately, it is our GOD who is THERE for us all!!  Praise God!!  He sends to us, His Son, so we will ALWAYS have comfort and a FRIEND who never leaves our side!!  In ALL the wonders of ALL the world and ALL creation, God LOVED US!!!  WOW!!  Isn't that amazing????  US???  We are only one grain of sand on a beach of many acres, and He knows ALL the grains of sand, each and every one of them!!!  WOW!!  Not only does He KNOW them, but He chose to LOVE them!!!  Folks, THAT is AMAZING!!!  And, you know what's even MORE amazing???  He ALREADY KNEW I would be sending this email to ALL of YOU!!!  He KNEW THIS!!  WOW!!!

So, to sum up this email, I just wanted you to know that I have not forgotten you and I still LOVE you ALL very, very much and BIG!!  Also, You are ALL gifts from God, sent to me for encouragement, enlightenment, and understanding of His ways.  Even as I have encouraged some of you, I have found many blessings in doing it.  Surely, God knew you needed those words of encouragement, at the time I was "inspired" to write them.  We are ALL here to help each other stand in rightousness, to uphold that which is good and that which is GOD!!  My prayer is that each and every one of you, will be blessed, in KNOWING the GOOD our GOD wants in our lives.  Obviously, this is ALL HE WANTS for us!!!  Often, we feel as if the whole world is against us, yet we still have FAITH, don't we?  THAT is the key!!  There are prayers we pray, which may never be answered in our lifetime, but GOD is listening.  His Great Plan is already laid out/ already designed.  We take Comfort in this.  Even as we see so much suffering around us, we must KNOW our GOD is in control.  In His great design, He wanted us to "feel", to "suffer", to "cry".......and all the while, we should have GREAT HAPPINESS and JOY in KNOWING He Loves us so very much!!

Please remember, I DO LOVE YOU!!  But, most importantly of all, keep your faith, keep your eyes on the sky above you, KNOW our GOD still LOVES YOU even in your struggles.  I shall delight in YOUR BLESSINGS!!  For GOD has PROMISED us these BLESSINGS!!

Here are a few examples:

Genesis 49:25  Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee: and by the Almighty, who shall BLESS thee with BLESSINGS of heaven obove, BLESSINGS of the deep that lieth under, BLESSINGS of the breasts, and of the womb:

Deuteronomy 28:2  And all these BLESSINGS shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. 

Proverbs 10:6  BLESSINGS are upon the head of the just: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.

Proverbs 28:20  A faithful man shall abound with BLESSINGS: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent. 

Ephesians 1:3  BLESSED be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath BLESSED us with all spiritual BLESSINGS in heavenly places in Christ:

And MY FAVORITE because I "listen" to nature, and see ALL CREATION giving PRAISE TO OUR LORD every single day of every year, without asking for anything.  Praise to Our Lord with tears of gratitude!!

Malachi 2:2  If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the LORD of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your BLESSINGS: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.

And, as to this GREAT LOVE I have for You ALL, and that YOU have for ME???  Here's yet another scripture for you, as we all hold each other up!!!

Romans 12:10  Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

That is why we can't get enough of our FRIENDSHIP!!!

Love to You ALL!!!!
Your Sister in Christ,
Debra, Debi, Momma, Aunt Deb, Feather in Wind...yadda yadda yadda (lol)

 Published with express permission of the author, Debra Sartelle

 Rev. Marshall Barth

 Vine of CHRIST Ministries

 Remember that if you need someone to pray for you, you can email our prayerline at: prayers@vineofchrist.org