A Contact with Thirteen Cents, Pt 2

A contract that reads: $_____.13

Could this really be how God might work in our life today? Does He answer our prayers in ways that “WOW!” us or in ways that we cannot see, or maybe both? If you read last weeks article, you began the story from Dottie Rambo and her career as a gospel music writer/singer. Let’s conclude with the ‘rest of the story’ from Dottie Rambo, and I hope you’ll take time to consider and remember all that God has done in your life. Dottie’s personal account of this narrative continues…

“When we arrived (in Nashville to meet with Pop Benson) we began to look over the contract, I was dying to find out the amount. I said, ‘Let me look at it.’ Mr. Benson looked over his glasses and said, ‘Well, Dot, my girl, this is the best I can do.’ I really wasn’t interested in anything except the thirteen cents. When I looked at the amount, it read so many dollars and thirteen cents! When I saw that I said, ‘Give me a pencil.’ There was a mild protest, ‘Wait a minute, we haven’t read it that well. We don’t know that much about it.’ I said, ‘We don’t need to know anything else. We’re just supposed to sign it.’ So we signed it.”

“We got into our car and began pulling away from the curb. All of a sudden, I began talking quietly to the Lord. I said, ‘Lord, I appreciate You doing this for me. I know You must have done a million things like this that I didn’t know about or don’t remember, and haven’t thank You for, but You know me – I’m human and I forget. But when You do good things, just roll back the curtain and remind me of them and I’ll thank You for them!’ “

“When that happened the melody in my heart started rolling and I started weeping. I was asked, ‘What’s wrong with you?’ I said, “Nothing, I’m just rejoicing. I’m writing a song.’ During those one hundred miles home, without an instrument, I wrote, ‘Remind Me, Dear Lord.’ “

Whether God gave Dottie Rambo a ‘sign’ or if it was just a coincidence, no one can argue the fact her first contract ended with thirteen cents. And personally, I’m glad it did. For without it, we might not have this song to remind us that the things we love and hold dear to our hearts are just borrowed, they’re not ours at all. And whether you’ve sung this song before or not, Dottie reminds us that there is nothing good that we have done to deserve God’s Son. We’re not worthy of the scars in His hands. Today let me encourage you to take some time and just talk with God. Tell Him your plans, your wishes and then may…ask Him for thirteen cents!

1, August 31, 20181, August 25, 2018

A Contract with Thirteen Cents, Pt 1

The lesson’s we can learn from the pages of God’s word never cease to amaze me. Unfortunately, it seems we don’t open the Book often enough to learn those lessons. For example, do you remember Judges chapter 6 when God calls Gideon to deliver His people from the oppression of the Midianites? An angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon calling on him to “…deliver Israel from the hand of Midian.” In one of the most noted negotiations in Old Testament history, Gideon asked not once, but three times for God to ‘show me (him) a sign.’ (Read Judges 6:17, 18 & 36-40 to learn about the offering, the dry fleece on wet ground and dew-soaked fleece on dry ground.) When we read God’s word, we often find that we really haven’t changed much from Gideon’s day. For example, when was the last time you asked God for a sign to confirm His authority? Maybe you said something like…

“Lord, if you will , then I will ___.”

And though it’s true God works in ways we cannot see, we have to realize we are not in negotiations with God. It’s simply not how God operates today. At the same time that certainly does not mean we should stop seeking His guidance in all that we do. Christ’s own words in Matthew 7 tell us to, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you…”

Recently I came across the backdrop of one of our older ‘spiritual songs,’ by Dottie Rambo. Written in the mid-1960’s, Dottie shares her personal story behind the writing of this song…

“At the time I wrote this song, we were living in Kentucky just getting started in the music ministry. I was holding down a job and singing on the weekends. I received a call from John T. Benson. We called him ‘Pop.’ He called about having me sign a writer’s contract and about having our family sing for him. We didn’t know about contracts or what to do about such things. Since it was only a hundred miles from Nashville, my family and I drove to see Pop Benson.”

“As we traveled I prayed: ‘Lord, we don’t know anything about contracts, so You will have to lead us. If we are to sign the contract, let it read so many hundred dollars and thirteen cents. If You’ll just let thirteen cents be the last numbers on the contract, then I’ll know that we are supposed to sign it.’ I told NO ONE about my prayer.”

To see what song was born from this experience, next week we’ll conclude Dottie Rambo’s story and see how (if) God answered her prayer and provided her with… “thirteen cents.”

1, February 20, 20151, February 21, 2015

Convinced, Convicted, Converted…Feb. 22nd

It’s one thing to be convinced of something, but something totally different to be converted. Then again, how can I be converted without ever having been convicted? When you consider the Christian walk, we understand this progression. But perhaps it was never more clearly established as it was on the Day of Pentecost as noted in Acts chapter 2.

After hearing Peter’s ‘sermon’ the crowd was convinced that, “…God (had) made Him both Lord and Christ (Messiah) – this Jesus whom you (they) crucified.” Their response leads us to know that they were more than convinced, they were convicted; “Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brethren, what shall we do?” Reading further we see how they are ‘converted.’ But maybe we need to dig deeper to see how convinced we are that Jesus is the Messiah. Looking at your life, ask the question; if I have been ‘converted,’ am I truly convicted? Does my behavior convince others that Jesus is Lord of my life?

“…I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also.” I Corinthians 14:15

Sunday morning, Feb. 22, 2014

You’ll notice the following songs come from the hymnal, Songs of Faith & Praise.

“My Hope is Built on Nothing Less” – 538

Beginning our worship together, we’ll sing an old spiritual song to admonish each other and confirm our conviction. “My hope is built on Jesus blood and righteousness,”…and nothing less than that. What better way to communicate that hope than when we sing the third verse, “His oath, His covenant, His blood, support me in the whelming flood (trials of life). When all around (me) my soul gives way (I start to feel like I’m losing my hold on things), He then is all my hope and stay (security).” Are you convicted enough to say, “On Christ the Solid Rock I stand.”

“I Know Whom I Have Believed” – 524

Our contribution will come early this morning, and as we consider our ‘giving’ ask the simple question…why do I give? I don’t know why God’s wondrous grace was made know to me, and I don’t know how the Holy Spirit moves men to convict them of the sin in their life, and none of us have a clue when the Lord will return. But I do know the grace of Jesus is mine, the Holy Spirit lives in me and the Lord will return. We know and we give because He gave His Son to us. And convinced of this we give and we sing, “I know whom I have believed…”

“Thomas’ Song” – 269

When we lose a loved one, we often weep knowing we’ll never be able to walk with them, talk with them or hold their hand. We know the comfortable relationship we once shared is gone. We miss them and know things have changes. Maybe that’s what Thomas was thinking as we are singing, “If I could only hold your hand…” Though Christ died on the cross, we know, we are convinced, that He rose from the dead and lives today. We can walk with Him, talk with Him and hold His hand. And we can echo Thomas as he proclaimed, “You are my Lord and my God!”

“In His Presence” – 99

Following the Lord’s Supper we’ll sing, “In His presence, there is comfort. In His presence, there is peace…” Do you feel at peace with God? Are you convinced that He is everything He said He was? Do you have a conviction that moves you to self-sacrifice? Are you truly converted? Are you ‘covered’ with His presence?

“I Need Thee Every Hour” – 837

After the scripture reading, Acts 2:36, 37, we’ll sing an old hymn of comfort. Listen to the words from Acts 2, then sing the words of our hymn; “Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said…”what shall we do?” “I need Thee every hour, most Holy One…”

“O For a Faith that Will Not Shrink” – 540

With this song before our lesson, consider the flow of the songs; “O bless me now my Savior, I come to Thee…” “O for a faith that will not shrink, though pressed by every foe…” If you are convinced that Jesus is your source of salvation, and if you are convicted with a faith that ‘will not shrink,’ how well does your life demonstrate a converted heart?

“Nothing But the Blood” – 902

“Oh precious is the flow…” but you might ask, ‘the flow of what?’ Our answer is found in scripture as we consider the words of the Hebrew writer. The blood of bulls and goats flowed from the altar as the priest offered sacrifices. But, “how much more will the blood of Christ…cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

“Blessed Assurance” – 480

If we are convinced, convicted and converted then we can truly sing with blessed assurance…Jesus IS mine. And a converted soul pours forth the joy of living in Christ, “This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long!”