Dear friends,
June began another year at the Bible School in the Philippines. Young people are being trained to go into God’s harvest fields and make disciples for Him. As the result of the Bible School, there are now thirty local churches on seven different islands.
Lately, we have experienced some trials that have reminded Lorrie and I of the need to practice what we preach to others. One of the first verses I felt the Lord gave me was Psalms 37:3 “Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.”
The phase “trust in the Lord” can be found 19 times in the KJV of the Bible. The Lord’s exhortation is as current today as when it was written centuries ago. Whether in the Hebrew, Greek, or English it means basically the same thing – put your “hope” and “be secure” in the Lord.
We are also told in Psalms 18:10, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runs into it, and are safe.” In His name is comfort, counsel, and provision for everything we need. We can have complete confidence that no matter what happens in our lives, He is in control and we have no need to worry or fret.
Matthew 6:25-34 reminds us not to worry but put God first and He will take care of us.
The key is where we focus our attention and thoughts. If we focus on all the troubles in our life or the troubles of the people around us or our culture or our government we will likely be worried or frustrated or angry. However, if we focus on the Lord and all of His promises, we will have peace and know that “all things will work out for good for us.”
In other words, if we keep saying, “I’m not going to worry, I’m not going to worry…” our focus will be on the troubles. Whereas, if we turn our hearts and minds to Him, we will find ourselves agreeing with the Psalmist in 73:28 “… it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD….”
We ask for your continued prayers for the ministry of Reap in the Philippines and for Amy, Lorrie, and I. Though we have encountered various trials, we are encouraged that our Father knows, and “we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us!”
Thank you for your faithfulness to the Lord and to us,
Nels, Lorrie, and Amy