Faith, Hope and Love to all of you who have become a special part of our lives and the Heritage family. It is wonderful to be alive and know that as long as you have a pulse, you have a purpose. I have a verse on my heart this week concerning our families. I woke up thinking about Joshua 24: 15...
This reminded me of some specific salvation experiences that I have known to be "true to life" conversions. They refer to unsaved husbands who were born again because of the faithfulness of their wives. You will find this passage in, Paul's letter to the Corinthian Church, 1 Corinthians 7:14.
THIS IS A GOOD FOLLOW UP ON OUR 7:14 MEETING TIMES
When the clocks hit 7:14, morning or evening we need to pray for the unsaved husbands.
Let me introduce you to a praying wife; her husband was the lead deacon in our church during our early pastorate in Beaumont, Texas. We lived in a subdivision less than a quarter of a mile from the Spindle Top oil rig. This is known as the Lucas gusher at Spindle Top, January 10, 1901: This was the first major gusher of the Texas oil boom. I could hear it pumping 67 years later when I got up in the morning, and when I went to bed at night.
We lived in the parsonage across the street from the head deacon and his wife, Brother McDaniel, He was a superintendent in the Mobil Oil Company. The main entrance was within a mile of our homes. He had been quite a man in his day and did not have a relationship with the Lord. His wife on the other hand was a praying woman and was passionate about the things of God. She had prayed for him for several years, standing on the this verse, "as for me and my house we will serve the Lord." He had been a hard case to say the least, and she had prayed for his salvation for many years. One day she was in a meeting and the evangelist was talking about prayer cloths, you can find this story in Acts chapter 19.
She came up with an idea -- she would wash and iron his clothes and starch his shirts and kaki trousers. He always looked like he stepped out of a bandbox. She would take his kaki's turn them inside out and between the slack and the back pocket she would sew prayer cloths in between them, so without him knowing it she was intensifying her prayer for his conversion daily. It was not long until he came under deep conviction and gave his heart to the Lord. He was a wonderful man of God and helped me in my early days of ministry. I can truly say, God answered the prayer and faith of his wife, who was confessing with Joshua, "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord."
My own Dad came to know the Lord, three years before he passed away at the age of 49. He was a good man, the greatest father I could have ever had and saved my life one night from falling 180 feet into the end of a silo where we were working the night shift on missile sites in Arizona. I grew up in a loving home, where Mom and Dad literally lived for each other, except for one thing, Dad was not saved. I never heard him cuss. I never heard, as I remember, my parents fussing or having a big fight. He cherished my Mom and I grew up seeing that every day of their lives but as I said, Dad was not saved.
I am a JR. and proud to carry his name, but he had been nicknamed Speedy Keith all his life. Jokingly he would say of his work, "If you don't like this gear I am in, I know you wouldn't like the other one." Meaning it was slower, but he always got more work done at the end of the day than anyone else. He lived through us being raised in the depression and having lost his parents in childhood was hard on him. We became the family that Dad wanted, my brother was like him in so many ways and my sister was just 5 when he died. When she came into the family, she was his pride and joy. I remember him buying a singer sewing machine for my mom, that she never learned how to use. He could make shirts and by following a pattern could make anything he wanted to. I can still remember him making my sister an Easter Dress and it was gorgeous. All of this, but he was not saved. My mother read him the Bible ever evening before he went to sleep, even the night before he passed away into the arms of Jesus. He did enter Heaven born again because of my mother's faithfulness and prayer for him through all the years, which were not long enough. My mother's holiness of life led him to the straight and narrow. I remember when work was scarce, how my Mom would pray and when no one else had work, my dad always had work. It was a lesson well learned and received, because my Dad knew and believed in the power of prayer, and as a result surrendered his life to the Lord. I learned the power of this verse found in 1 Corinthians 7:14, by watching my mothers relationship with my Dad. He was set apart to God by the Holiness of my mother.
Ladies let this be a encouragement to you and your families. A good verse to stand on is, "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord."
I believe in you,
Pastor Cleddie Keith
"And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
This reminded me of some specific salvation experiences that I have known to be "true to life" conversions. They refer to unsaved husbands who were born again because of the faithfulness of their wives. You will find this passage in, Paul's letter to the Corinthian Church, 1 Corinthians 7:14.
New Living Translation
For the believing wife BRINGS HOLINESS to her marriage.
English Standard Version
For the UNBELIEVING HUSBAND is made holy because of his wife
Berean Standard Bible
For the UNBELIEVING HUSBAND IS SANCTIFIED (SET APART) through his believing wife
THIS IS A GOOD FOLLOW UP ON OUR 7:14 MEETING TIMES
When the clocks hit 7:14, morning or evening we need to pray for the unsaved husbands.
Let me introduce you to a praying wife; her husband was the lead deacon in our church during our early pastorate in Beaumont, Texas. We lived in a subdivision less than a quarter of a mile from the Spindle Top oil rig. This is known as the Lucas gusher at Spindle Top, January 10, 1901: This was the first major gusher of the Texas oil boom. I could hear it pumping 67 years later when I got up in the morning, and when I went to bed at night.
We lived in the parsonage across the street from the head deacon and his wife, Brother McDaniel, He was a superintendent in the Mobil Oil Company. The main entrance was within a mile of our homes. He had been quite a man in his day and did not have a relationship with the Lord. His wife on the other hand was a praying woman and was passionate about the things of God. She had prayed for him for several years, standing on the this verse, "as for me and my house we will serve the Lord." He had been a hard case to say the least, and she had prayed for his salvation for many years. One day she was in a meeting and the evangelist was talking about prayer cloths, you can find this story in Acts chapter 19.
Acts 19:11-12
The Sons of Sceva - And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.(ESV)
or...
And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. (NIV)
She came up with an idea -- she would wash and iron his clothes and starch his shirts and kaki trousers. He always looked like he stepped out of a bandbox. She would take his kaki's turn them inside out and between the slack and the back pocket she would sew prayer cloths in between them, so without him knowing it she was intensifying her prayer for his conversion daily. It was not long until he came under deep conviction and gave his heart to the Lord. He was a wonderful man of God and helped me in my early days of ministry. I can truly say, God answered the prayer and faith of his wife, who was confessing with Joshua, "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord."
My own Dad came to know the Lord, three years before he passed away at the age of 49. He was a good man, the greatest father I could have ever had and saved my life one night from falling 180 feet into the end of a silo where we were working the night shift on missile sites in Arizona. I grew up in a loving home, where Mom and Dad literally lived for each other, except for one thing, Dad was not saved. I never heard him cuss. I never heard, as I remember, my parents fussing or having a big fight. He cherished my Mom and I grew up seeing that every day of their lives but as I said, Dad was not saved.
I am a JR. and proud to carry his name, but he had been nicknamed Speedy Keith all his life. Jokingly he would say of his work, "If you don't like this gear I am in, I know you wouldn't like the other one." Meaning it was slower, but he always got more work done at the end of the day than anyone else. He lived through us being raised in the depression and having lost his parents in childhood was hard on him. We became the family that Dad wanted, my brother was like him in so many ways and my sister was just 5 when he died. When she came into the family, she was his pride and joy. I remember him buying a singer sewing machine for my mom, that she never learned how to use. He could make shirts and by following a pattern could make anything he wanted to. I can still remember him making my sister an Easter Dress and it was gorgeous. All of this, but he was not saved. My mother read him the Bible ever evening before he went to sleep, even the night before he passed away into the arms of Jesus. He did enter Heaven born again because of my mother's faithfulness and prayer for him through all the years, which were not long enough. My mother's holiness of life led him to the straight and narrow. I remember when work was scarce, how my Mom would pray and when no one else had work, my dad always had work. It was a lesson well learned and received, because my Dad knew and believed in the power of prayer, and as a result surrendered his life to the Lord. I learned the power of this verse found in 1 Corinthians 7:14, by watching my mothers relationship with my Dad. He was set apart to God by the Holiness of my mother.
Ladies let this be a encouragement to you and your families. A good verse to stand on is, "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord."
I believe in you,
Pastor Cleddie Keith