But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His Name. John 20:31
For one last time we will make it clear just what is required of the soul that comes to God through Christ. There are those who speak of conditions. There is one, and only one, condition. You must cease from any trust in yourself or anything that comes from yourself, and you must rest in Him alone.
The word “rest” must be taken in its strictest sense. This leads naturally to a story that will illustrate the nature of a belief better than anything known to me.
When John G. Paton landed in the New Hebrides to begin his mission work, he faced an enormous task. The language had never been reduced to writing. He had to listen to the speech of the natives and write down in his notebook the sounds he heard them speak. Little by little he developed a large vocabulary, and finally thoughtt he could begin his work of translating a part of the New Testament.
It was not long before he discovered he had no word for “belief,” for “trust,” for “faith.” One cannot get far in the New Testament without a word that conveys to us the idea or thought of “trusting,” yet try as he might, he could not obtain any expression of this thought from the natives.
But one day he went on a hunting trip with one of the islanders. The day was hot, the road was long. A large deer was shot and the game carried down the long mountain toward his house. The two men struggled with their burden and finally reached home. They flung the deer down on the grass and dropped, exhausted, onto two lounge chairs on the porch overlooking the sea. The islander said: “My, but it is good to stretch yourself out here!”
It was an expression Paton had never heard before, and he made haste to have it recorded in his notebook. When his translation was complete, this was the word that was used for “belief” and “trust.” God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever stretcheth himself out upon the Saviour, shall not perish, but shall have everlasting life. And Stretch yourself out on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thine house.”
This, then, is faith. It is the turning away from everything that is in self, and the utter reliance upon all Christ has done for us. If this has been your experience, then you may claim the promise that goes with the resting in Christ. It is something that belongs to you, then, as a right. You have the right to say: I am saved. I have been born again. I now possess eternal life. You have that right, because God has given you the authority to speak so.
Lord, teach me to rely upon you and not upon myself. Amen.
The excerpt was taken from “God’s Methods For Holy Living” by Donald Grey Barnhouse through the Daily Prayer, a volunteer publication of Daily Prayer Ministries, a non-denominational ministry dedicated to the glory of Jesus Christ. Barnhouse, Th.D., was an American Christian preacher, pastor, theologian, radio pioneer, and writer. He was pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, PA, from 1927 to his death in 1960.
THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: The moment you begin to worry about the things you want and the things you don’t have in life is the moment you will lose your gratitude …The greatest source of happiness is the ability to be grateful at all times. — Zig Ziglar
Starts NOW
John found himself back in the hospital when he couldn’t move his arms or legs. The movement is slowly coming back.
We come to You, Lord, because prayer is the least yet the greatest thing we can do for each other. When two or more are gathered in 
Have you ever wonder why the original 12 apostles were willing to drop everything and follow Jesus? I mean, He certainly was charismatic {after all He was God}, but He wasn’t a superstar in religious circles around Galilee. He didn’t have a mega-temple where He preached and taught, but rather sort of wandered around. And He was following the ministry of John the Baptist, who we know, did have a following.
This wanderlust is nothing new. For most of my life, I looked forward to new adventures. Karen and I talked about chucking it all, buying an RV and traveling wherever the winds take us {until she thought about it more deeply and realized it meant being together with me 24/7 🙂 }. Since she died, I’ve nurtured the thought, spending seven years on the Maine back roads before settling in Dover-Foxcroft.
The only — and biggest — reservation is the cost. I’m not quite sure how I would bridge the expenses and income. Suggestions are welcome.
Why Soccer Puzzles Me
In other words, I told them it was important for your thoughts to reflect your values. It doesn’t matter if anyone else reads your words — they are a history of, well, you. It puts your life in context.
That meant they had to personalize each segment based on someone else’s thoughts, think and write on the fly, and come up with a fairly readable final product. They succeeded! Each of the short stories were readable and made sense. They were not just random thoughts, but built upon what they were given.
Another short reminder, this one from John Winston Ono Lennon
Christmas in July 
Summertime Clearance Sale 
Please continue lifting Angelina in prayer. She’s now in a coma from complications from pneumonia and a staph infection. She is a young mom.
The Light 