WELL DONE, DAVE SHOPPY

WELL DONE, DAVE SHOPPY

Yesterday heaven gained another friend of America's KESWICK. Dave Shoppy, our Director of Development closed his eyes on this side of heaven and opened them in eternity. From what we can determine, Dave had a massive heart attack and was instantly in the presence of Jesus.

Dave was a faithful servant who was committed to serving His Savior and loving people. He invested most of his life in education and served as Administrator of several Christian schools. During the past several years, Dave ministered to our donors and guests as Director of Development. He was a man that was committed to integrity and excellence. (www.americaskeswick.org)

During the night as I was reflecting on the events of yesterday, the enemy was flooding my mind with all the "what ifs" that he likes to use. A number of our key staff have already been feeling overwhelmed, and the thoughts of now having to add Dave's responsibilities to the list, well quite honestly, it felt very overwhelming. The Holy Spirit quickly brought to my mind this verse from 2 Corinthians 12:9: "MY grace is sufficient for you." It immediately brought peace to my aching heart.

As I started by quiet time, I flipped through Streams of the Desert and remembered this devotional from August 5th:

"God was pleased to take my youngest child from this world, under circumstances that caused me severe trials and pain. As I returned home from the church cemetery, having just laid my little one's body in the grace, I felt a compulsion to preach to my people on the meaning of trials.

I found the verse 'My grace is sufficient for you' was the text of next week's Sunday School lesson, so I chose it as my Master's message to the congregation, as well as His message to me. Yet while trying to write the sermon, I found that in all honesty, I could not say that the words were true in my life. Therefore I knelt down and asked the Lord to make His grace sufficient for me.

While I was pleading in this way, I opened my eyes and saw this exact verse framed and hanging on the wall. My mother had given it to me a few days before, when I was still on vacation resort where our little child had been taken from us. I had asked someone to hang it on the wall at home during my absence but had not yet noticed its words. Now as I looked up and wiped my eyes, the words met my gaze: 'My grace IS sufficient for you.'

The word IS was highlighted in bright green, while the words MY and YOU were painted in yet another color. In a moment, a message flashed straight to my soul, coming as a rebuke for having prayed such a prayer as, 'Lord, make your grace sufficient for me.' His answer was almost an audible voice that said, 'How dare you ask for something that IS? I cannot make my grace any more sufficient than I have already made it. Get up and believe it, and you will find it to be true in your life.

The Lord says in the simplest way: 'My grace IS [not will be or may be] sufficient for you.' The words MY and YOU were from that moment indelibly written upon my heart. And thankfully, I have been trying to live in the reality of that truth from that day to the present time.

The underlying lesson that came to me through this experience, and that I seek to convey to others is this: NEVER CHANGE GOD'S FACTS INTO HOPES AND PRAYERS BUT SIMPLY ACCEPT THEM AS REALITIES AND YOU WILL FIND THEM TO BE POWERFUL AS YOU BELIEVE THEM!" Webb Peploe as written in STREAMS IN THE DESERT

He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,
He sendedth more strength when the labors increase;
To added affliction He addeth His mercies,
To multiplied trials His multiplied peace.

When we have exhausted OUR store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our horded resources
Our Father's full giving is only begun.

His love has NO limit, His grace has NO measure,
He power NO BOUNDARY known unto men;
For out of HIS infinite riches in JESUS
He giveth and giveth and giveth again. -- Annie Johnson Flint