A PATIENT ONCE ASKED, “WHAT WOULD BE GAINED IF I SAID ‘YES’ TO GOD?

                                             Chaplain Joy Le Page Smith, MA, BCC

The man in the bed before me was pondering Christ’s words, “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If any hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and sup with him.” I stood praying he would say “yes–knowing it would change him, bring hope and peace, joy and perseverance into his life.

For sure, the results of responding to Christ’s knock on the door of my heart at age eight, answering, “Come in, Lord Jesus,” has brought a life more surely filled with meaning and purpose.

In the writing below, am extending a number of Scripture passages for people who have said, “Yes, God, I want to receive Jesus Christ into my heart, making Him Lord of my life.”

Specific gains promised within each verse are capitalized and centered above each passage, making these clearly apparent.

LIFE BECOMES BLESSED

Numbers 6:24-26

The Lord bless you and keep you;
²⁵ The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;

²⁶ The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.” ’

***

DWELLING IN SAFETY;

SHELTERED ALL DAY LONG;

Deuteronomy 33:12

. . . “The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him, Who shelters him all the day long; And he shall dwell between His shoulders.”

***

ABILITY TO LET GO FEAR AND NOT BE DISMAYED

Joshua 1:9

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, nor be dismayed.

For, the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

***

FREEDOM FROM WANT, RIGHT LIVING, RESTORATION OF ONE’S SOUL

NO FEAR OF DEATH

CONTINUAL COMPANIONSHIP WITH THE LORD

GUIDANCE, PROVISION. COMFORT

ANNOINTING, JOY

GOODNESS AND MERCY

A KEEN KNOWING THAT LIFE AFTER DEATH IS AHEAD

Psalm 23: 1-6

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
² He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
³ He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.

***

A STALWART, DETERMINED HEART

STRENGTH,

ACCEPTANCE

Psalm 19:14,

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.

***

DELIVERANCE FROM LIFE’S AFFLICTIONS AS THESE COME AND GO

Psalm 34:19

 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the Lord delivers him out of them all.

***

A TRIUMPHANT WALK WITH GOD

Isaiah 50:7 (NewLiving Bible translation)

⁷ Because the Lord God helps me, I will not be dismayed; therefore, I have set my face like flint to do His will, and I know that I will triumph.

***

REACHING OUR HEART’S DESIRES

TRUST

REST

Psalm 37: 4-7

Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. 6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. 7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;

***

KNOWING THE EVERLASTING ARMS OF GOD ARE THERE

TO CATCH ME EACH TIME I FALL

TRUST

Psalm 91:1-2

He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

***

TAUGHT OF THE LORD

Psalm 119:10-12, Psalm 119:16, Psalm 119:32

With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
¹¹ Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.

¹² Blessed are You, O Lord!
Teach me Your statutes.

***

DELIGHT

STRENGTH IN MEMORY

Psalm 119:32, Verse 16

I will delight myself in your statues; I will not forget Your Word.

***

ABILITY TO KEEP GOD’S COMMANDMENTS

AN EXPANDED HEART

Psalm 119:32

I will run the course of Your commandments, for you have enlarged my heart.

***

A PLACE TO HIDE

SHIELDED FROM HARM

HOPE

 Psalm 119:114

You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word.

***

SAFETY

Proverbs. 18:10

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.

***

FORGIVENESS FOR BEHAVIOR WE REGRET

Isaiah 1:18-19

“Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.
¹⁹ If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land . . .”

[T IF YOU REFUSE AND REBEL  . . . WELL,

LET’S JUST SAY THINGS AREN’T GOING  TO GO SO WELL . . .]

***

PERFECT PEACE

Isaiah 26:3-4

You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.
⁴ Trust in the Lord forever,
For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.

***

BELONGINGNESS NEEDS ARE MET

Isaiah 43: 1

“Fear not for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine . . .

***

FORTITUDE

ABILITY TO BE A SURVIVOR

Isaiah 43, verse 2-3^a

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. ³ For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior . . .

***

KNOWING OUR SOULS ARE PRECIOUS

RECONIZING THAT WE ARE HONORED AND LOVED

Isaiah 43, verse 4^a, 5

. . . since you were precious in my sight, you have been honored, and I have loved you . . .Fear, not for I am with you.

***

FOUND BY GOD

TAUGHT HOW TO PRAY

BROUGHT BACK FROM THE BURDEN SIN BRINGS

 Jeremiah 29:11-14

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.  I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity….”

***

HEALING FROM LIFE’S WOUNDS

HAVING A HEALTHY SOUL

 Jeremiah 30:17

I will restore you to health and heal your wounds, declares the Lord…

***

REST FROM HEAVINESS

ABILITY TO LET GO THE BURDENS OF LIFE

Matthew 11:28-29

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

***

TRUTH ABOUT WHO THE LORD IS

AND HIS PLAN BECOMES CLEAR

 WE GAIN THE RIGHT TO BECOME CHILDREN OF GOD

John 1: 1-5, 10-14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. ⁴ In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. ¹¹ He came to His ^[a]own, and His ^[b]own did not receive Him. ¹² But as many as received Him, to them He gave the ^[c]right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: ¹³ who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. ¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

***

INHERITANCE: HEIRS AS GOD’S CHILDREN

COMING TO KNOW FATHER GOD

Galatians 4, 6-7

And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” ⁷ Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

***

ETERNAL LIFE:

DEATH CANNOT HOLD GOD’S CHILDREN IN THE GRAVE

John 3:16-17

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

***

NO FEAR OF DEATH

PROMISE OF HEAVEN

John 14:1-6

Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. ² In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. ⁴ And where I go you know, and the way you know.” ⁵ Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

***

NO CONDEMNATION: SINS OF THE PAST ARE COVERED BY THE

FORGIVNESS OF CHRIST

BECOMING ABLE TO WALK IN TRUTH WITH A PURE SPIRIT

Romans 8:1-2

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. ² For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

***

SUFFERING UNDERSTOOD

”GLORY” SHALL BE REVEALED

Romans 8:18

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

***

EVEN MY MISTAKES WILL BE TURNED TO GOOD

AS MY “WALK” IS COMMITTED TO GOD

Romans 8:28

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called

according to His purpose.

***

POWER

A STRONG MIND—FILLED WITH GOD’S TRUTH THAT DISSPELLS FEARS

2 Timothy 1:7

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

***

PATIENCE

LACKING NOTHING, COMPLETE

WISDOM FROM GOD

FAITH

KNOWING GOD HEARS MY PRAYERS

PROFITING FROM TRIALS

James 1:2-7

² My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. ⁴ But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. ⁶ But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

***

UNDERSTANDING AS GOD’S PLAN UNFOLDS

SEE GOD AS TRUSTWORTHY AND LONGSUFFERING

ABLITY TO TRUST THAT GOD HOLDS THE FUTURE

UNDERSTANDING AS GOD’S PLAN UNFOLDS

SEE GOD AS TRUSTWORTHY AND LONGSUFFERING

ABLITY TO TRUST THAT GOD HOLDS THE FUTURE

Revelations 3:20

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

The Scriptures above will bring an amazingly lift to your soul during times of uncertainty, pain of various sorts . . . and particularly when the world seems “hard to take.” Reading these will no doubt show the vastness of what can come for a person who takes the message of the Bible seriously–deciding to receive the Lord Jesus Christ. Without a doubt doing so creates a new identity which Scripture refers to as being “born again.”  Imagine the truth: If you have opened your heart to Jesus  Christ–eternal life is now yours!

[1] C.S. Lewis calls the incarnation of God the Son the “central miracle” of Christianity. He is right. The redemption, restoration, re-creation, and reconciliation of sinners—and all of creation besides—depends entirely on the supreme fact that God, without ever ceasing to be fully who he is, became fully who we are in and as Christ Jesus. Why did God do this? Why is it, in other words, that the “Word became flesh”? The principal reason underlying all the other magnificent reasons that God the Son united himself to our humanity is this: that by the Holy Spirit we may be united to Christ and so enjoy his fellowship with the Father forever. This is eternal life (John 17:3). Taken as a quote from: https://www.crossway.org/articles/10-things-you-should-know-about-union-with-christ/

[1] All but one passage is from The New King James Version extended below are both or clarity of the Bible. Yet, Isaiah 50:7, is from the New Living Bible translation.

Prepared by Chaplain Joy Lepage Smith, MA, BCC

healing-with-Joy.com

PLEASE NOTE; There are many helps on the above website,. These are free for using and coping for sharing. My hope is that people can live more abundantly through the truth Scripture extends . . . as life becomes rich when peace and joy rule instead of alarm, dread and fear.

 “We need to tighten the belt, here.” Belt? His words bring to mind the fact I have gained a few pounds—and I need to buy a new pair of jeans.

Always a writer, the following thoughts, recorded back then, were found today in my jammed-packed files:

“Making money stretch seems impossible. The car suddenly needs repairs, a wisdom tooth decides to raise its ugly head, and an insurance premium is due.  It feels like the bills rule, here. 

“I just yelled at my teenager for leaving the front door wide open, cooling the entire house. Dollar signs are seen in red. Then, when asked to drive nine miles out of my way to take a kid home who had stayed overnight, the needle on the gas gauge seems 10 foot tall.

“Good Friday finds me less than in a prayerful mood. Discouragement has come to spend the day. It’s best I stop everything, read some Scriptures and pray. But now, to pick up the phone to stop the ringing.

“It’s my friend, reminding me of this being Good Friday.

 ‘Listen to this,’ she says,’ I found three Scripture for starting this amazing day.’ (She sleeps late.)

“I didn’t hear the second passage or the third, as the first verse struck a bullseye: “The wages of sin are death, but the free gift of God is eternal life.” Yes, everything seems to cost. Expenses do win, sometimes, when push comes to shove. But here, in one short verse I see the Truth. The greatest of all gifts a believer ever receives is the gift of eternal life—and it’s free! Given without a single fee—and tax free! There, simply to be cherished and received.”

Yes. This day we call “Good Friday,” allows us to once again rejoice in what Jesus, our Lord, has done for us. His destiny was known to Him. In a brutal process of being questioned and “tried,” Jesus was given the opportunity to defend Himself before Herod Antipater, ruler of Galilee, and then by Pilate, procurator of Judea. With both, Jesus chose not to protect Himself. He knew by laying down His life for us He would become our Redeemer.

All who ask for forgiveness from sin receive His merciful touch on our lives. Restoration, lasting peace, joy and righteous living result.

Jesus said to look at the way the birds are cared for and to observe how beautifully the flowers are clothed. He promised to provide for us as we learn to trust. Sometimes, I think He looks at me and says, “Hey, you of little faith….” But, there is a smile on His face. Love is felt. When I truly seek to comprehend—it is God’s Holy Spirit living within. Following His lead will see every genuine need is met.

It is easy to become so filled with the temporal—what’s going on every day of our lives—that we cannot “see the Divine.” Yes, there will always be bills, maybe more than can be paid. But fear, frustration and anxiety need not rob us of the peace intended, once we realize how loved we are.

Surely all the little creature comforts and all the things I think are needed will continue to take their hits, but God help me to remember all that is free: sunshine’s warmth . . . a child’s smile .. . a good night’s sleep . . . the love of another . . . my very heartbeat. But the best is yet to come. Eternal life. All because one Good Friday, many lifetimes ago Jesus embraced the pain, the sorrow, the desolation and chose the cross. All because of us—and what we really need: peace and joy in the truth that the Lord Jesus has done so much for us. Undoubtedly, He is going to bring us through!  

I was a high school student the day I met Jaylyn, a young woman that I will remember forever. I only encountered this person on one occasion. The three of us who were visiting had less than an hour with Jaylyn that day, yet, she became an unforgettable person in my life. She survived a fire seven years before we met her. I admit being taken back inwardly at first glance. Her scaring was immense. Then I saw her Bible.

I have loved my Bible from childhood, but never before had I seen one so worn. How could the book be so enlarged and seemingly frayed? Obviously, from years of being her mainstay. She must have lived within those pages that were roughed up from being so very well read.

From the moment of seeing this book, it stood fast in my mind as having been a monumental force and strength in her life. Jaylyn had found God’s great love, His strength, comfort and solace.

Self-sufficiency can keep us from the Bible. Yet, for a person who recognizes their need of God and faith, the Bible becomes the greatest of all sources for courage, tenacity and strength. What made Jaylyn different, besides the scars? How could she exude such grace and peace to us, three teenagers who came to visit? Seeing Her Bible was enough. We knew she had found Christ.

That day while being in her home, I could not know how deep and wide her influence would become for me. In a very short time–in less than two years–I would be enduring emboli as they struck my heart and lungs. Hoping and praying to stay alive, the Bible became my fortress, day and night. I came to more fully lean on the One around which Scripture swirls. Here is what the Bible reveals as the crux of the cross:

Jesus is known to be “the true Light which gives light to every person who comes into this world,” (John 1:9). John, a disciple of our Lord reveals Jesus as “the Word.” At the beginning of his writing, in verse one, John helps us see what this means:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” In verse 5, more is explained, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

The Lord came to save us from our sins, but also to teach us how God wants us to live. While here on earth, His message was received exceedingly well at first, based too, on the miracles He performed. But because of Jesus’ growing influence, those who despised Him for His growing popularity with the people built a case against Him. They used their sway with the Romans, who were the governing principal in Jerusalem, calling for Jesus’ execution. This was a practice the Roman hierarchy frequently used in their thrust for political order.

He knew it was coming! He told his disciples what would happen. He told them that He would be killed and buried, yes, but rise again in the resurrection–and that He would come again to receive us to himself for eternity. Let’s be clear as to who gets this great gift.

In only a couple of sentences, John answers that question: “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God . . .”

Jesus knew what His work would be. And, He knew He would die for what He came to the earth to accomplish. He knew that the purpose would be to shed His blood to provide a covering for the sins we commit. He taught us how to live in a kingdom that is different from the kingdom of the world—one of “righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit,” (Romans 14:17). Here, we are children of God. “And, because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ,” (Galatians 4:6-7).

We gradually learn how to live into the freedom this spiritual kingdom provides. No longer slaves to our sins, we move forward into our potential of becoming more fully human, fully alive.

The purpose of Jesus’s sacrificial death is clear. It was a rescue mission! Open to all who want the light of Christ, which leads us to the Father, Creator God.