As followers of Christ

As followers of Christ, we often suffer not because we are out of God's will but because we are in it, not because we lack faith but because we have faith. We suffer not because we need to be filled with the Spirit but because we already are. Stronger faith does not mean less suffering, but more suffering means stronger faith. Far from calling our faith into question, our afflictions result in our becoming more and more like Christ Himself.
 D.R. McConnell

 

 

 

His love has no limits, His grace has no measure

Actual walking is a bit difficult right now, for longer walks I use a cane to relieve the pressure on my pelvis area. Walking with the Lord as in Psalm 23 requires no cane; it requires faith, a willing heart, prayer, surrender, trust and grace.

This week I was so comforted again by Psalm 23, Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. What a great and precious promise that is. Notice how it says, the valley of the shadow of death. Indeed if Jesus is our Shepherd we need not fear death, it is only the shadow of death and we will pass from this earthly life into Eternal Glory.

Our Christian courses, as those of Jesus and of David, may traverse dark valleys, valleys of depression, valleys of fear, yes even "valleys of the shadow of death."It is at times like these that I feel the strength of the words of Psalm 23, "I will fear no evil for thou art with me: Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me." I am able to walk through this valley of the shadow of death with peace. Why? Because the LORD is my shepherd and His rod and staff will guide me and bring me comfort even during the most difficult journey and most blessed time in my life.

Who is your Shepherd?

This week I visited the Radiation Oncologist. I already received the results of the bone scan last Friday, more cancer was found in the left side of the Pelvis. When I arrived for my first Radiation treatment on Wednesday I was met by a nurse whom I met back in December when I received radiation treatments for my spine. At that time she told me her name, a Biblical name. I asked her at that time if she knew the meaning of her name. She said, “No I don’t.” On my next visit I brought her a Bible with a highlighted passage where her name was mentioned. However, she was sick that day, so I left the Bible with another nurse who promised that she would pass it on. On Wednesday the first thing the recipient of the Bible did was thank me for it, and showed me where she kept it, on the shelf at the nurses station. She said, “I put it there so all other nurses can read it too.” She never owned a Bible but she told me her Grandmother had one. Please join us in prayer that this Bible will be used for the salvation of many. Nobody is outside the reach of God, nobody!

For the next 4 days I will be visiting the Cancer Radiation centre. Even that is a blessing and an answer to prayer.

On Thursday I received notice from the Cancer Research Centre that a sample of my tumor that was removed in 2011 was sent away for testing. If a certain protein is found to be present things will move forward to get me ready for oral Chemotherapy treatments. If the protein is not present another Chemo trial is being worked on, this one is administered by IV. I can leave it all with God with a quiet heart because I know that He makes no mistakes, even through the deepest valleys God is there. Because I am receiving Radiation treatments I will have a waitng period of 4 weeks before I can start any Chemo treatments.

Please pray for Henrietta that God will give her continued strength as she is the only one who can care for her 92 year old mother who resides in a local rest home and who is struggling with her health in the last weeks and appears to slowly lose ground. In consideration of my own condition we have now been forbidden by doctors to visit her due to her highly contagious condition. It makes it even harder not being able to visit her now that she is so sick.

Thank you for your prayers. Pray to be a blessing to others and others a blessing to you.
John.

 

Grace is God giving us what we do not deserve and mercy is God not giving us what we do deserve.

Author unknown

 He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength as our labors increase;
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials He multiplies peace.

 When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father’s full giving is only begun.

 Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision,
Our God ever yearns His resources to share;
Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;
The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.

His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

Annie J. Flint

 

I remember two things

This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. 1 Timothy 1:15

John Newton lived to be eighty-two years old and continued to preach and have an active ministry until beset by fading health in the last two years of his life. Even then, Newton never ceased to be amazed by God's grace and told his friends:

My memory is nearly gone;
but I remember two things;
That I am a great sinner, and
that Christ is a great Saviour.

John Newton (1725-1807)
English minister and hymn writer. Author of the well know Hymn " Amazing Grace"

 

 

Wrestling to wrestle

Last Sunday a pastor in our church preached a sermon about Jacob wrestling with God from Genesis 32: 26 " But Jacob said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me."

As Jacob was blessed that night when he wrestled with God, we too can be blessed as Jacob was. Are we willing to wrestle with God, are we willing to persist until God blesses us? There are many examples in the Bible of people wrestling with God in different ways, the result was that God heard them because He is merciful and fulfills His promises.

I want to give you one more example in regards to wrestling with God in Luke 18:35 Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging. 36 And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant. 37 So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. 38 And he cried out, saying, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 39 Then those who went before warned him that he should be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" 40 So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be brought to Him. And when he had come near, He asked him, 41 saying, "What do you want Me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, that I may receive my sight." 42 Then Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well." 43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

All of our wrestling’s with God will end up with praise and glory to God because God promises are sure as God did with Hezekiah in 2 Kings 20: 5 Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you.

How about you? Have you been struggling? Looking for success? Searching for that elusive something that will fill the emptiness of your soul? With what have you been struggling? Who is your opponent? Is it a person? Or a situation? Or something about yourself? Whatever you have thought it to be, that is not the object of your true struggle. Your true struggle is with God. It is with the same God with whom Jacob struggled.

Jacob wanted what God had for him. And God wants you to want that too. What is it? What does God want you to want? What is the prize? What is the goal? It is God Himself. Perhaps this is the day, bruised, tired, and lame; you will surrender your heart and life to Jesus Christ. It will give you peace, as it reads in Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus

At times I personally wrestle to wrestle with God. Prayer can be so difficult at times for me, praying for healing and thanksgivings and a host of other needs that are so important can be a real wrestling for me. There are times when my wrestling ends up in giving up instead of saying the words that Jacob said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me." However, I know that if we persist God will bless, I have experienced that myself many a time. Why is it that we can be so weak at times or lack the will power to wrestle with God? I question myself with this too.

At the end of January I prayerfully made a decision to go back to chemo treatments once again. So far nothing has happened and I am still waiting for the Pharmaceutical Company in the USA to make some last arrangements. I sometimes wrestle with that too. I made my decision and now nothing happens, will it be too late by the time a decision is made? Oh how I need to put my trust in Christ who already knows the outcome. I need not worry about anything but pray about everything.

Today (Friday) I received a call from the Radiation Oncologist. The news that I received was not good and not what I had hoped or prayed for, it also brings home again the realization that this is a step closer to Eternity. It showed on the bone scan that cancer is now present in the Pelvis bone. To what extent I do not know, I will get more information next week. I was not surprised to hear this news as lately my walking is becoming more difficult. On Monday I will visit with the  Oncologist and get a CT Scan to pinpoint the area to be radiated. On Tuesday I will start a new round of 5 radiation treatments to try to stop the cancer in the Pelvis area. Another reality check and warning that life is very fragile and is indeed a vapor, it comes and disappears.

This too will bring me to more wrestling with God and more prayer for Grace. I must say that God has been very patient with me, giving me more time each day. I begin each day with a deep thankfulness in my heart. I love music and listen daily to my favorite songs. It makes me sing and cling, cling to Christ where I can go with my joys, grief, tears and prayers

Lord, help me to glorify You.
I am poor; help me to glorify You by contentment.
I am sick; help me to give You honor by patience.
I have talents; help me to extol You by spending them for You.
I have time, Lord; help me to redeem it, that I may serve You.
I have a heart to feel; Lord, let that heart feel no love but Yours for You.
I have a mind to think, Lord; help me to think of You and for You.
You have put me in this world for something. Lord, show me daily what that is, and help me to work out my life-purpose.
Teach me to pray Lord.
I cast my time and eternity too into Your treasury.
I am all Yours; take me, and enable me to glorify You now, in all that I say, in all that I do, and with all that I have.

Thank you for your prayers and many tokens of love.
John

The Greeks had a race in their Olympic games that was unique. The winner was not the runner who finished first. It was the runner who finished with his torch still lit. I want to run all the way with the flame of my torch still lit for Him.
Joseph Stowell

When I am gone, say nothing about me

William Carey (1761-1834), known as the "Father and Founder of Modern Missions," was the first missionary to India sent out by the Baptist Missionary Society. His motto was:

Expect great things from God.
Attempt great things for God.

In his will, Carey directed a simple headstone to be placed on his grave, inscribed as follows:

William Carey, born August 17, 1761:
 'A wretched, poor, and helpless worm, On Thy kind arms I fall.'

On his deathbed he said to Alexander Duff:

When I am gone, say nothing about Dr. Carey; speak about Dr. Carey's Saviour.

To Him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. 2 Peter 3:18b

 

 

 

 

 

Blessings of shopping from God and for God

Strange heading for a blog maybe? I will share with you what I mean by it. This is not something that I have experienced once in a great while, but is often the case. I believe with all my heart that God is answering our prayers for open doors and oppertunities to share the Gospel.

Blessing of shopping from God.
Most men, and that includes myself, don’t like shopping. However, I have to confess that I do like grocery shopping and Henrietta is delighted that I do, relieving her from a task she does not like to do. Because of my cancer I am on a very strict diet and I will scan the shelves for goodies that I could possibly eat without compromising my diet. Actually, I have always liked grocery shopping but ever since I was diagnosed with cancer it has taken on a different dimension.

I feel very blessed when I can put items in my cart that I can actually pay for. I see each item as a great blessing. Having been in many third world countries we often saw the great poverty that exists in many countries in the world today. Here in Canada we have an over abundance of goods and food. Each item that drops in the cart is a gift from God that is why I called it “shopping from God”. He supplies us with all our daily needs and more. I thank Him for that often.

Blessings of shopping for God
In the past, before I was diagnosed with cancer many people greeted me or vice versa with a casual   “ hello how are you.” Today the same thing still happens but in a different manner like “Hi, how are you doing” or “Hi you’re looking good, how are you."

This week was no exception as I again was asked how I was doing by a lady shopping with her children. I shared with her that the road of cancer can be a difficult road at times and a road with deep potholes. I also shared with her the blessings of this road and how that God continues to bless us daily in many ways. How that He provides and that my trust is in Him alone and how that He also made us cross paths this day. She understood and we had a very nice conversation where I believe that God was glorified.

As I was still speaking with the lady, a man, (a Christian) whom I had not spoken to for some years stopped and listened to the end of our conversation. I said my good bye to the lady and her children and the man proceeded to say, it sounds like you have your work cut out sharing the work of God. After some conversation, I shared that I had cancer which surprised him because he said you can’t see that from the outside. He wished me God’s blessings and after some very encouraging and Godly conversation we also parted ways.

 Just before I headed out of the store with my buggy full of blessings the same man stood there waiting by the door. He shared with me that he prayed daily with his wife for many people in their needs and assured me he would add me to his prayer list.  In addition to that he asked if he could pray with me right now. Of course I said, if this is on your heart you may. He removed his cap and prayed from deep within his heart for healing, for continued blessings for both of us and for the future treatments. We were both deeply moved by Gods presence right there in the grocery store.

Joyfully I returned home, promising that I would write about Gods grace and His ever present  blessings and the journey that He is taking me on. Very often Henrietta says, "You must have been talking again because you’re late.”  It encourages me to pray for open doors each day and God continues to pour His blessings upon us.

Personally, I have been struggling with my body this week. I was going for long walks with Henrietta. In the last 2 weeks things started to change, as days went by the walks became shorter and the last couple of days I have not gone for a walk at all. Pain in the left side of my pelvis keeps me from walking longer distances. On Wednesday I contacted the Radiation Oncologist in regards to this. She immediately ordered an X-ray for Wednesday afternoon and Friday morning I received a bone scan to see what the problem is. I don’t expect results until next week.

I've gotten to know my body pretty good in the last 2 years, this does not feel good or right and I believe that the cancer is possibly invading more bones. I used a cane several times to get some relief when walking, it makes me feel old. I continue to pray for a peaceful and submissive heart and to abide in God’s will. The road of cancer is difficult at times with unexpected turns. This morning I read Psalm 46. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present  help in trouble". It gives comfort, still I need to process it all and at times my thoughts wander way too far into the future.

Thank you so much to those who contacted or visited me, or those that engaged in conversation when we met in various places. May the God of peace be with you all.
John




 In order to mold His children, God sometimes has to melt them down.
Author Unknown

 

Day by day, and with each passing moment,
Strength I find, to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He Whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what He deems best
Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.

 

There are two ways of getting out of a trial

There are two ways of getting out of a trial. One is simply to try to get rid of the trial, and be thankful when it is over. The other is to recognize the trial as a challenge from God to claim a larger blessing than we have ever had, and to hail it with delight as an opportunity of obtaining a larger measure of divine grace.

A.B. Simpson

 

 

Grace for (Chemo) trials

About a month ago I heard from my Oncologist that there was a new Chemotherapy trial coming up at the end of January. Since that time I prayed much for an answer and wisdom to make the right decision, and once I made the decision that God would bless it. At first I was quite sure I would not go back to Chemo treatments. I know how they can wreck havoc in one’s life and body. Yet after more consideration and speaking with my own Christian family doctor I felt I should maybe try it once more.

So often God feels so close and today, as I write this, is again one of those moments. As I started writing for the next blog entry this Grace Gems devotion dropped into my email box. Amazingly on time, I can only see that as a gift from God. I will share it with you.

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 This is a wonderful secret which all of us ought to learn! ( J.R. Miller)

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame!" Hebrews 12:2
"In the morning, O LORD, You will hear my voice. In the morning I will order my prayer to You and look up!" Psalm 5:3

This is a wonderful secret which all of us ought to learn: We should not think so much about the toil and hardness of the way but to look beyond to the brightness of the end! It does not matter how rough the road is if only it brings us HOME at last!

Many of us go worrying all through this life, keeping our eyes always downcast on the path we are treading. We see all the troubles, the difficulties, and discouragements but we never raise our eyes to see the joys and the eternal blessings which are waiting for us. We ought to learn this life secret, which made Christ look past the shame and sorrow of His cross and see the glory beyond. Learn to look up toward Heaven! Think of its joys and its blessedness until earth's trials shall melt away in the brightness, and its grieves and losses are forgotten in the hopes of eternal glory!

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal!" 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

(Notice how this same Bible text also appears on the top of my blog)

"For our citizenship is in Heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of His glorious body!" Philippians 3:20-21
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New Chemotherapy trials specifically for Kidney Cancer don’t come along very often and I will have only a small window of opportunity to be part of this study trial. For instance, I could not be part of this study if I said no first and then changed my mind later. However, I can drop out at any time. If the treatments would take me to a level that made me very ill and quality of life would deteriorate to a level where I would be very ill most of the time, I would then cancel out and quit.

After I made this decision last week to participate in this trial I received notice that another option  may be available. I received the following notice from the Cancer research centre in Vancouver.
 

” We have another study that has been ongoing here for quite a while (3 years). It is a Phase I study. Recently the study sponsor has identified that Kidney Cancer may be responding to this treatment, if a specific protein is found on the tumour cells called ‘Met’. They are now requesting that ONLY Kidney Cancer patients be enrolled into this study, where before we were treating people with all different types of cancers. We would need to request a sample of your previous biopsy/surgery to send away to be tested for this protein. If your cancer cells do contain this Met protein, you would be eligible to receive this treatment."

Now I have a choice of 2 trials and I will leave this with a peaceful heart in Gods capable “Hands” He knows what is best and which trial I will be part of, test will reveal it all. Please join us in prayer that God will bless the one that He will want me to start.

I still feel good with some pain in my left hip and discomfort in my back. Before I start any treatments there will be a number of tests conducted prior to Chemo treatments, they including a CT scan, a bone scan, complete eye exam, series of blood tests and an ECG. Either one of these Chemo trials should start sometime in February, giving me some time to ready myself prayerfully and mentally.
 

I thank you again for all the kind emails, messages, phone calls and visits and most of all your prayers. God is an amazing God. As I walk this road of cancer I am so thankful for the abundant Grace in trials. I am praying more and more that God will bless you too, the readers of this blog. We all need God daily and heart renewing Grace each day . God bless you and keep you.
John

God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower strewn pathways all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love.

God hath not promised we shall not know
Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;
He hath not told us we shall not bear
Many a burden, many a care.

God hath not promised smooth roads and wide,
Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;
Never a mountain rocky and steep,
Never a river turbid and deep.
 

Annie J.Flint