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and Bob, you have shown me that divorce, like diamonds, is the
world's way but marriage is God's way and truly priceless.
When we burn coal we are releasing stored energy of the sun and
so coal is sometimes called buried sunshine. You have given me
sunshine in my life's darkest moments. Thank you and God bless
you."
Wow!! Bob and I were speechless. We told Chuck how profound was his
comparison. Bob asked if he wrote it, which Chuck said he did. I quickly
said that I knew what my next devotional was going to be!
Do you consider your marriage to be like a lump of coal that will be
very valuable in a hundred years, passed on from one generation
to another? Your marriage, like a lump of coal, can be used as a
light for your family, your friends and your church. It can be used
as an example of how God can rekindle, reignite love in your marriage. I
pray that you will see the value of your marriage regardless of how black
it looks right now. God can turn your marriage, a lump of coal, into
something valuable to be used in many different ways.
Never give up on your God, never give up on your spouse and never
give up on your marriage!
"You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord turns my darkness into light."
2 Samuel 22:29
God Bless, Charlyne Steinkamp
THE STORY OF THE BLACK SATCHEL
Charlytne and I have joked about the satchel being my favorite purse.
It is leather and wide enough to hold a stan dard sheet of paper. The
top snaps shu by tension. It has two compartments inside and a
zippered pocket on the outside. The satchel is carried by a sturdy
black handle. If you have ever met us while speaking, you have seen
the bag. It is just the right size to hold my New Testaament. I
The wife of a man who died gave the satchel to me eight years ago. It
has required a new zipper and two trips to the shoe shop for repairs,
b ut looks as good today as the day that Alice handed it to me, with
the comment that, "Glen would want you to have it to remember him."
That purpose it serves well. I call it my prodigal pourse.
There came a day when Glen asked me to help him with the spiritual
pain that he also suffered. On that day, Glen was born into the
Kingdom of God.
Glen lived near I-95. At the time that his physical condition began
to decline rapidly, I was attempting to arrange for a CB radio to be
installed so that Glen could chat with his trucker buddies.
A few weeks later, there came a cool Friday when it appeared that my
friend Glen would meet Jesus face to face. His family had come from
out of town. Members of our hospice team spent hours in Glen's home
that day. He life on this side lingered. That evening about 9 P.M.
I came home. Around midnight, I awoke, got out of bed, dressed, and
drove six miles to Glen's home. I saw movement inside the home, but
no one answered the door, so I walked in and went to Glen's bedroom.
That large family had gathered around the bed. I silently found a
place near the foot and waiched my friend Glen take his last breath.
His wife said, "someone needs to call Bob."
"He's here, Mom," one of the daughters replied. To this day I remain
amazed at how the Lord awoke me to get up and drive to that home to
arrive as my friedn died.
"How did you know to come back?" That is what I have also been asked
time and time again about coming home to Charlyne when we were..
THE STORY OF THE "PRODIGAL PURSE"
The wife of a man who died presented me with that satchel seven years
ago. It has required a new zipper and two trips to the shoe shop for
repairs, but looks as good today as the day that Alice handed it to
me, with the comment that, "Glen would want you to have it to remember
him." That purpose it serves well. You could call it my prodigal purse.
A few weeks later, there came a cool Friday just after Christmas when
it appeared that my friend would meet Jesus face to face. Glen's
family had come from out of town. Members of our hospice team spent
hours in his home that day. He life on this side lingered. That
evening, about 9 P.M. I went home. Around midnight, I awoke, got out
of bed, dressed, and drove six miles to Glen's home. I saw movement
inside the home, but no one answered the door. I walked in and went
to Glen's bedroom. That large family had gathered around the bed. I
silently found a place near the foot and watched my friend, Glen, take
his last breath. His wife said, "someone needs to call Bob."
"He's here, Mom," one of the daughters replied. To this day I remain
amazed at how the Lord awoke me to get up and drive to that home to
arrive to be with his family just as my friend died.
than one family member took me aside that day and asked about the
previous Friday night, "How did you know to come back?" Apart from
the Holy Spirit, I had no answer.
"How did you know to come back?" That is the same question I am often
asked about coming home to Charlyne when we were divorced. I have sat
here fifteen minutes attempting to reconstruct how I knew to knock on
Charlyne's window that day and remarry her. Apart from the Holy
Spirit, I have no answer.
Just as going to Glen's home on the night of his death, there are
times when the Lord leads and something deep within commands us to
act. That nudging of the Holy Spirit is what will call your spouse
back into the fold in God's timing. The one you love may not obey
the first call, but our Lord calls over and over and over.
This morning at 9 A.M. I will pick up my prodigal purse and head out
the door. It will hold a bank deposit, containing your contributions.
I will stop at the post office and slide your letters and prayer
requests into the other side of the satchel. Somewhere along the way,
the Holy Spirit is doing and using Holy Spirit conviction on many
prodigals who are away from the Lord and their families this Holiday
season.
Pray that the Holy Spirit will give your prodigal, "a new heart and
put a new spirit in him; I will remove from him his heart of stone
and give him a heart of flesh." Ezekiel 36:26
Praise the Lord that, "In his heart a man plans his course, but
the Lord determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9
Do not worry when your spouse will come home. God is in control of
your spouse's life. He will talk to them. "In a dream, in a
vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men as they slumber
in their beds, he may speak in their ears and terrify them with
warnings, to turn man from wrongdoing and keep him from pride."
Job 33:15-17
God does not give up on His prodigals nor should we! Let us pray in
agreement the rest of this week and see the power of prayer. Many
of you read stories of the power of prayer, now be part of God's
prayer warriors praying in souls for His touch changing their lives.
I just believe that the Lord is going to bring home many, many
more prodigals this Holiday weekend before January 3, 2000. Let's
pray in agreement for a mighty harvest of souls coming to the
Lord this week, this weekend, and God's special day on the first
Sunday in 2000.
Let's pray in agreement for our prodigals, our families and our
marriages throughout the land!
Bless you, Charlyne Steinkamp