A MESSAGE FROM PRECIOUS MOMENTS CREATOR, SamButcher
express, “For God So Loved” – and that is the character of God. He didn’t come here to condemn the world, to destroy all the people. He came to save all the people who were lost. That’s the character of the loving God. Sam says, “He loved the world. Yes, He loved the world. We are not talking about just the flowers, the trees, and the oceans. The world here means you and me. For God so loved you and me that He gave the greatest gift that could ever be given. He gave His only begotten Son so that whosoever – that means ‘you-so-ever’ and ‘me-so-ever’ – believeth in him will have one of the greatest gifts they could ever dream of: everlasting life. When I think of this and the many people I’ve met in my journey through life, I see so many that carry with them a broken heart, a burden sometimes that’s way too much for them to even carry. People who have lost a husband, a wife, divorce, someone on drugs… things that are dangerous and destroy people. I know, there’s an answer for these people, just like there was an answer to the woman in the Bible who was a sinner. The answer is to give your heart to the Lord Jesus because He and only He is the healer of broken hearts. “And this is what he says to all of us in Matthew 11:28-30. He says ‘Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’ That is His message to you, and my message to you, because I felt that He called me to share it. Thank you so much and God bless you.” We appreciate these inspirational words from Sam Butcher and we hope you have enjoyed this special four-part series!
Samuel J. Butcher, the artist behind the Precious Moments collection, has been sharing his wit and wisdom with the world for more than 40 years now. During last year’s Family Reunion Event in Carthage, MO, he gave a speech that touched the hearts, minds, and souls of those in attendance. Over the past three issues of MOMENTS Magazine, we have been sharing with you a few of the highlights! Sam felt compelled to share “Four Things GodWants You to Know.” We have already talked about the first three things: that God is a God of mercy, that He is a God of wisdom, and that He is a God of the outcast and forgotten. The fourth, and possibly most important, is that He is a God of love. Sam recalls, “I remember one time when I met a man who worked for me at Jonathan & David. His name was Dieter Zelke. I consider that man to be one of the most spiritual people that I know, really a Godly man. He was born during the secondWorldWar in Berlin. He was able to escape, came to the United States, and he joined the Army here. While he was in the Army, he met a friend, a person who wanted to share the word of God with him.” One verse in particular struck Dieter in a special way. In fact, Dieter told Sam that when he saw that special verse he said, “The eyes of my understanding were crystal clear and I could understand every word that I read.” That verse was John 3:16, a verse familiar to many of us. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Sam also believes that it is a beautiful verse, but he encourages us to listen to the next one, John 3:17. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.”What Sam finds so very interesting is that these verses
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