I was praying a few days ago as I washed the dishes. I got to a point where I stopped, but knew my prayer wasn't finished. I waited... didn't know what I was waiting for, but I knew something good was coming from God.
I continued to wash dishes, waiting, and all of a sudden, He spoke to my spirit. I had been praying over some requests shared with me by friends, family, Facebook acquaintances. Some of these were seemingly small requests, some were requests that would require a miracle. I was absolutely thrilled that I could feel His presence in my little kitchen, that I knew He was about to speak. Would He give me a Word for my friend whose cancer battle has gone on so long she is about as tired as can be? Would He give me Wisdom to share with my daughter for my grandson's recent personality changes (which have us all worried)? I was so in hopes that He would speak to me about one of my many petitions.
He spoke to me, quietly, and told me "so many of my children are worrying and are upset over whether they are in My will concerning what they consider sinful behavior, that they aren't winning souls for my Kingdom... I don't know why they are making such a big deal over these things."
I struggled for a few minutes before I said, "Lord, are you sure that message was for me? I really have some important requests going on here." I named this person and that, reminded Him of their needs, their desperation, their immediate concerns. I just felt like He may not have heard me.
I was so disappointed that I almost MISSED it... GOD, the Creator, GOD the Almighty, GOD, the Alpha and Omega... HAD SPOKEN DIRECTLY TO ME! And, in hindsight, wasn't I the haughty one? I had responded as if he were an elderly person, prone to forgetfulness and subject to blurting out something totally unrelated to the conversation I THOUGHT we were having...(it's okay to laugh here- I have laughed a lot at myself. Just don't laugh because HE spoke to me-laugh at my human stupidity).
I got myself together, realized He had a message for someone, and that I should either share it with you on here, or share it with those I know and share my spiritual journey. Someone needed to hear this message..
So, I began searching the Word for His "rules". No, not the Ten Commandments... even those who have never darkened a Church door know those... I was searching for those "morsels" of direction that you get as you grow, sometimes insinuated, sometimes spoken outright, such as "go forth and sin no more"...
I found none of what I was looking for specifically, so I literally BEGGED Him to give me what He had for me. "I'll listen, I promise! I won't presume to be so smart-I'll tell it like YOU want it told, Lord".
He directed me to think of the things we who call ourselves Christians put into the heads of the world.
For example, we often judge those we know if we see them with a cocktail, or hear them talk about an drink they enjoy that we may see as sinful.
I am NOT getting into religious and denominational beliefs. Let GOD lead you as to whether it is a sin to enjoy a cocktail or a beer. I am NOT GOD- my walk is NOT yours. What God has told me to avoid or partake of may not be something He has given attention to in your relationship with Him.
What I felt He was telling me was that we were so caught up in the "rules" of our walk with Him, that we were literally stumbling over lost souls, tripping over hurting people, barging into the lives of others with our perception of what a Christian should or should not do, that we were allowing HIS creation to remain lost or lose sight of a relationship with HIM. In other words, WE ARE TOO BUSY LEGISLATING MORALITY TO WITNESS, SHARE HIS LOVE, MINISTER TO THE VERY REAL NEEDS OF A LOST AND DYING WORLD!!!!
Now, don't get me wrong, I am not saying you shouldn't teach your children not to use drugs. I am not promoting alcoholism. I am not saying that you should drop your personal convictions and go out and buy a ticket for the lottery if that is something you feel strongly you shouldn't do.
I am saying we get too caught up in what a Christian looks like on paper to be out and about "going about the Father's business".
I once had a person I considered a mentor ask me about a pastor she knew. She asked if I knew him, had I ever sung in his Church, heard him preach, etc. Boy, did I let loose! I told her I didn't have a lot of confidence in this pastor I had met a few times, because I saw him going into a "dive"... a beer joint, known for having its share of brawls, illegal activities, etc.
My friend asked me if I followed this pastor in, to see what his purpose in being there might be. "No", I said. "I don't need to know why he was there! My Bible says to "avoid the appearance of evil" (it does) and I will know a tree by the fruit it bears ( we do). He should know better, and besides, if he was going into a beer joint, what pure motive could he possibly have? He should know better, everyone sees him on TV, reads about his stands on politically and religiously intertwined issues... what good does that do, if word gets out that he is hanging out in a bar?"
I mean, here was someone I looked up to, proclaiming about this "Godly" pastor, and I, a relatively new Christian new more about this hypocrite than she did! I was on my soapbox, on a roll. I was pointing out how the most revered people can mislead others...
Until my friend shared with me that she knew a Church member (in said Pastor's Church), an elderly woman. This woman had been praying for years for her wayward son. She had gone to revival after revival, Christmas play upon Christmas play, service after service... always reminding the congregation to pray for her son, that God would arrest his heart, convict him of his sins, and save his soul. She clung for YEARS to the Promise that says all of our family will be saved if we are faithful to Him, keep His Word, live a Godly life. She wept at the altar time and time again over this child. He was a "druggie", and was in and out of jail, a nuisance to the local authorities, but the most important soul in the world to this mighty woman of God. It was her cross to bear that her son refused to listen to her pleas to attend Church with her, to pray with her, to give God a chance to change his life.In fact, it had gotten to the point where eyes would roll when Prayer requests were taken, because everyone knew she would "start again about that boy of hers" .
"Anita," my friend said... "that bar was the favorite hang out for this beloved son. His mom had a heart attack last Tuesday (or whatever day it was). Her pastor was called by the woman's children. He asked what he might do for them, and by that time, this saint had gone to Heaven.
None of her children would be caught dead in that bar, having given up on even associating with their brother.
Knowing how much his momma loved him, the pastor said he'd go get the son. He was there to get her boy, knowing that this mother wouldn't want a stranger to deliver the news. He had seen the son a few times while visiting the mom over the years. It would be his job to deliver this news."
She stopped talking, I just sat there...
He was being a pastor... even after the member of his Church had passed. He was being compassionate, not caring what judgemental folks like me would think if they saw him going into a "dive" when he was supposed to be setting an example...
I was thoroughly chastised, let me tell you!My friend, without telling me what an idiot I had been, had taught me a lesson in judging others.
I think I must have needed this lesson a second time and my friend has since gone on to meet Him face to face, so God Himself told me again... "my people are missing the mark"..
God is concerned with ALL sin. But it is HE who determines when we are mature enough in Him for Him to convict us, to say " Hey, that thing you do (insert sin of your choice here) is displeasing to me-Stop It" . It is He who says what IS and what ISN'T sin... NOT YOU and I...we have let Religion get in the way of Christianity.
He is concerned that HIS children are watching who is drinking a beer, smoking a cigarette, buying a Lottery ticket, and failing to WIN SOULS!
WE ARE COMMISSIONED TO SPREAD HIS LOVE, THE PLAN OF SALVATION, BRING LIGHT INTO A DARK AND LONELY WORLD!
He is capable of letting each of us know, AFTER we are born again, what we should and should not be doing. We don't listen before we are born again. Some of us, myself included, fail to listen sometimes AFTER we are born again.
Again, I am not trying to say we shouldn't teach moral, Christ-like behavior. I just know that HE told me we should be MORE concerned with those who are headed to a Devil's Hell.
We're too busy letting everyone know that Brother ____ plays the Lottery because we saw him with a ticket, when there was a person dangling off the side of a burning building needing to be rescued, someone you could have rescued, had you not been paying attention to Brother ______'s actions...
You tell me... which of those situations would God rather you were tending?
Monday, December 12, 2011
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Renewing Relationships
After having been married 29 years, raising two daughters, facing the loss of both our fathers, my husband's mother, and facing my husband's retirement and subsequent cancer,Gary and I FINALLY took our long-awaited honeymoon a couple of weeks ago.
We went to Savannah, Charleston and spent the last few days at Myrtle Beach. We had such a good time, and spent so much time exploring that we forgot to make it this big, romantic adventure, the Honeymoon we had talked of often.
We had reached a point in our marriage where we loved each other, but had lost sight of the initial relationship that resulted in all of the above-mentioned time spent together.
Gary and I have had a very tumultuous relationship, one fraught with happiness, pain and heartache, laughter, tears and hope. We had each pursued our individual dreams, without ever really having a common goal, other than being together. In other words, we were two people living separate lives, albeit under the same roof.
On those occasions when our goals forced us to spend more than a few hours together, planning the same event or the same goal, we were fire and ice, dynamite... we couldn't agree on anything.
But something happened on this vacation. I can't explain it.
You see, I planned a day trip on a boat, exploring the barrier islands of S. Carolina as my gift to Gary on our trip. He was supposed to plan a day for me, and the other 6 days we had were going to be planned as we went. Seven of those days were fantastic. The 8th never happened.
Gary failed to plan his day for me. He spent the entire trip home apologizing for what he felt was a missed opportunity.
I, on the other hand, didn't see things quite the same way- for the 1st time ever, I didn't seize the opportunity to let him know how he'd failed, once again, to plan for me, to do something for me..God had already shown me that He had provided the money for the entire trip by Gary's being willing to work overtime to pay for it, to scrimp and save on the body work on his truck after a hail storm, saving some of his insurance pay-out, to come up with the funds. To me, that was planning, and it showed me he HAD thought of me, and made me feel like the one who did the least.
To this day, Gary tells me every single day how much he loved our day on the boat. I did, too. I tell him how much I loved the entire trip.
I see this trip as a mirror of our time with God.
We plan and plan our walk with Him, only to focus on that one day, that one moment, when we slipped and fell. We focus on that anger we felt, or that misspoken word, rather than seeing how many times we didn't fail Him.
He, on the other hand, sees the journey, not the detours. He sees the time that we could have reacted in anger or hatred when some offense occurred, but turned to Him in prayer. He sees the many times you could have ignored a phone call from a lonely person, but chose to answer and spend a few minutes with them, no matter how insignificant the topic.
We see our shortcomings, He sees our potential. He just waits for us to take a step at a time to reach it.
Gary and I have found ourselves rushing home each day since our trip, just so we can squeeze in a few minutes together. It wasn't what we were seeking when we went on vacation. We thought we could go back almost 30 years, and find that new, white-hot, all consuming love that a couple has when they first start out.While important, that attraction is mostly physical, and doesn't last. What we got was the real thing... we look forward to a few minutes sharing the events of our day, so that the other isn't left out of that part of our lives. We got the respect for the other person's feelings, the appreciation for the little things each does for the other.
For example, the fact that I seldom, if ever have to pump gas may not sound very romantic to you. But my husband is still not back to his strong, healthy self. He works 12-14 hours five days per week to support us. Yet, he takes time every day to meet me or take my car to get gas, so that I don't have to stand in heat or cold, rain, etc. to get gas.I dont' ask him to do this... he insists it is important to him to do it. To me, that is love, concern, caring.
If I'm running late, I don't have to add to the problem to stop and get fuel, if I it's raining, I'm warm and dry. It makes me call him and tell him thank you... that makes him feel valued.
He makes tea every day, brings me the first glass out of it every time,and tells me he loves me and thinks I am beautiful, even though I am overweight, even when I'm sweaty from working in the yard, dirty from playing with our grandchildren, or just having a bad hair day.
He tells me how much he appreciates that he never has to come home to a sandwich, a TV dinner, etc. He is a man who not only loves food, but had to be fed via tube for a long time- a time during which he was told he would die, and the liquid formula I fed him through that tube would eventually be his last meal-(yes, he could've fed himself. I just did it. so he didn't feel so alone)
That is why I cook like a maniac, and as often as I can. I plan and plan for his dinners on the weeks I go to the store. I get his input, make all his favorites, and try something new at least once a month, to keep it interesting. He never fails to call me from work to thank me for last night's dinner. I feel appreciated.
We both have decided these are the things that make our marriage one that will last.That first love, the one where you have to touch, kiss, steal away those private moments- those are the times that only two can share. But these are the memories we keep- the ones where a tired, overworked man takes the time to tell his wife how much he appreciates her loving him over the years, not with words, but by making tea, pumping her gas, listening to her day, even though he doesn't know the first thing about the people she mentions.
It's the memory of a Thanksgiving Dinner cooked in Sept, because the treatments he was going to be taking would burn his throat to the point that he couldn't swallow water by November, and he just happened to mention that he hated to miss Thanksgiving.
Those are the memories we will have when one of us leaves the other, if we dont' go in the Rapture first.
Our relationship with God is just like that. We start out serving Him, expecting every day to be fireworks and light. To a point, it is. I mean, He is the Creator of the Universe.
But, as we try to be His hands and feet, everyday life gets in the way. We begin to lose that "first love" , or maybe we just move it to the side. We fail to realize that, like I appreciate the fuel, and Gary appreciates his food, God appreciates our faithfulness to read His Word, Pray, Seek His Will for our lives, and just generally try not to be who we used to be. When we avoid that situation that could threaten our Walk with Him, He Rejoices... I like to think He grabs an angel and says, "See that one? They chose well in that situation... that one's Mine!"... or something like that, as a proud parent would do.
Those are the moments we get to take with us when we meet Him. As long as we seek His will, He understands that we may not always be filled with our first joy, that feeling we had when we first met Him as our Savior. He appreciates the deep, abiding love we have for Him that comes from time spent trying to do His will.
The idea I'd like for you to take away from this post is that you can take your own vacation, like Gary and I did. Just take a few minutes each day to renew your relationship with Him. You'll be surprised how much renewal can happen in a very short time.
We spend so much time worrying about how we talk to Him, how reverent we are- and we should be... but He is more concerned with whether we spend time with Him at all. We worry over the how... He sees the attempt to do well.
Compare your time with Him to a visit with a grandparent... they don't care if you are in your Sunday best, or your work out clothes. Neither does He... both are simply happy that you chose to visit with them at all...
Don't forget to spend a moment resting in His arms, His word, His presence, each day! You will never have a boring relationship with Him if you try to please Him in just a small way, everyday.
We went to Savannah, Charleston and spent the last few days at Myrtle Beach. We had such a good time, and spent so much time exploring that we forgot to make it this big, romantic adventure, the Honeymoon we had talked of often.
We had reached a point in our marriage where we loved each other, but had lost sight of the initial relationship that resulted in all of the above-mentioned time spent together.
Gary and I have had a very tumultuous relationship, one fraught with happiness, pain and heartache, laughter, tears and hope. We had each pursued our individual dreams, without ever really having a common goal, other than being together. In other words, we were two people living separate lives, albeit under the same roof.
On those occasions when our goals forced us to spend more than a few hours together, planning the same event or the same goal, we were fire and ice, dynamite... we couldn't agree on anything.
But something happened on this vacation. I can't explain it.
You see, I planned a day trip on a boat, exploring the barrier islands of S. Carolina as my gift to Gary on our trip. He was supposed to plan a day for me, and the other 6 days we had were going to be planned as we went. Seven of those days were fantastic. The 8th never happened.
Gary failed to plan his day for me. He spent the entire trip home apologizing for what he felt was a missed opportunity.
I, on the other hand, didn't see things quite the same way- for the 1st time ever, I didn't seize the opportunity to let him know how he'd failed, once again, to plan for me, to do something for me..God had already shown me that He had provided the money for the entire trip by Gary's being willing to work overtime to pay for it, to scrimp and save on the body work on his truck after a hail storm, saving some of his insurance pay-out, to come up with the funds. To me, that was planning, and it showed me he HAD thought of me, and made me feel like the one who did the least.
To this day, Gary tells me every single day how much he loved our day on the boat. I did, too. I tell him how much I loved the entire trip.
I see this trip as a mirror of our time with God.
We plan and plan our walk with Him, only to focus on that one day, that one moment, when we slipped and fell. We focus on that anger we felt, or that misspoken word, rather than seeing how many times we didn't fail Him.
He, on the other hand, sees the journey, not the detours. He sees the time that we could have reacted in anger or hatred when some offense occurred, but turned to Him in prayer. He sees the many times you could have ignored a phone call from a lonely person, but chose to answer and spend a few minutes with them, no matter how insignificant the topic.
We see our shortcomings, He sees our potential. He just waits for us to take a step at a time to reach it.
Gary and I have found ourselves rushing home each day since our trip, just so we can squeeze in a few minutes together. It wasn't what we were seeking when we went on vacation. We thought we could go back almost 30 years, and find that new, white-hot, all consuming love that a couple has when they first start out.While important, that attraction is mostly physical, and doesn't last. What we got was the real thing... we look forward to a few minutes sharing the events of our day, so that the other isn't left out of that part of our lives. We got the respect for the other person's feelings, the appreciation for the little things each does for the other.
For example, the fact that I seldom, if ever have to pump gas may not sound very romantic to you. But my husband is still not back to his strong, healthy self. He works 12-14 hours five days per week to support us. Yet, he takes time every day to meet me or take my car to get gas, so that I don't have to stand in heat or cold, rain, etc. to get gas.I dont' ask him to do this... he insists it is important to him to do it. To me, that is love, concern, caring.
If I'm running late, I don't have to add to the problem to stop and get fuel, if I it's raining, I'm warm and dry. It makes me call him and tell him thank you... that makes him feel valued.
He makes tea every day, brings me the first glass out of it every time,and tells me he loves me and thinks I am beautiful, even though I am overweight, even when I'm sweaty from working in the yard, dirty from playing with our grandchildren, or just having a bad hair day.
He tells me how much he appreciates that he never has to come home to a sandwich, a TV dinner, etc. He is a man who not only loves food, but had to be fed via tube for a long time- a time during which he was told he would die, and the liquid formula I fed him through that tube would eventually be his last meal-(yes, he could've fed himself. I just did it. so he didn't feel so alone)
That is why I cook like a maniac, and as often as I can. I plan and plan for his dinners on the weeks I go to the store. I get his input, make all his favorites, and try something new at least once a month, to keep it interesting. He never fails to call me from work to thank me for last night's dinner. I feel appreciated.
We both have decided these are the things that make our marriage one that will last.That first love, the one where you have to touch, kiss, steal away those private moments- those are the times that only two can share. But these are the memories we keep- the ones where a tired, overworked man takes the time to tell his wife how much he appreciates her loving him over the years, not with words, but by making tea, pumping her gas, listening to her day, even though he doesn't know the first thing about the people she mentions.
It's the memory of a Thanksgiving Dinner cooked in Sept, because the treatments he was going to be taking would burn his throat to the point that he couldn't swallow water by November, and he just happened to mention that he hated to miss Thanksgiving.
Those are the memories we will have when one of us leaves the other, if we dont' go in the Rapture first.
Our relationship with God is just like that. We start out serving Him, expecting every day to be fireworks and light. To a point, it is. I mean, He is the Creator of the Universe.
But, as we try to be His hands and feet, everyday life gets in the way. We begin to lose that "first love" , or maybe we just move it to the side. We fail to realize that, like I appreciate the fuel, and Gary appreciates his food, God appreciates our faithfulness to read His Word, Pray, Seek His Will for our lives, and just generally try not to be who we used to be. When we avoid that situation that could threaten our Walk with Him, He Rejoices... I like to think He grabs an angel and says, "See that one? They chose well in that situation... that one's Mine!"... or something like that, as a proud parent would do.
Those are the moments we get to take with us when we meet Him. As long as we seek His will, He understands that we may not always be filled with our first joy, that feeling we had when we first met Him as our Savior. He appreciates the deep, abiding love we have for Him that comes from time spent trying to do His will.
The idea I'd like for you to take away from this post is that you can take your own vacation, like Gary and I did. Just take a few minutes each day to renew your relationship with Him. You'll be surprised how much renewal can happen in a very short time.
We spend so much time worrying about how we talk to Him, how reverent we are- and we should be... but He is more concerned with whether we spend time with Him at all. We worry over the how... He sees the attempt to do well.
Compare your time with Him to a visit with a grandparent... they don't care if you are in your Sunday best, or your work out clothes. Neither does He... both are simply happy that you chose to visit with them at all...
Don't forget to spend a moment resting in His arms, His word, His presence, each day! You will never have a boring relationship with Him if you try to please Him in just a small way, everyday.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Worst Day In History
As a child, I could never figure out why people my Grandparents' age cried when recounting Pearl Harbor, WW II or Korea.( I knew why I cried when I realized what Vietnam was. It was because my uncle served there, and got no hero's welcome when he returned.To this day, I don't think he has gotten a thank you!)
On Sept 11, 2001, I totally understood why it made people cry so many years later when my elders talked about the moment that shifted the direction of that generation.
In a few days, we will be honoring those who passed away in the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and a Field in Pennsylvania, and I cry every time I see the familiar billows of smoke.A Journalist once referred to that day as the Worst Day in History.
I don't even have to have sound on my TV when that image is shown, to instantly be in my mind, exactly where I was when it happened! Do you?
As I have grown in the Lord, there is another day, a day like Pearl Harbor, that I never witnessed first hand, but it affects me, just the same. It is the day Jesus gave his life for me! I think, to a Child of God, THAT should be and is, the Worst Day in History!
I can imagine if I were to travel back in time, I would meet someone who was on the road to Calvary that day... can you imagine how they would tell us what they witnessed? I have to think it was a moment, like Pearl Harbor, or the day John Kennedy was assassinated, or like 9/11 to those people... it was a life altering moment.
Can you imagine how they would describe His anguish, his torture, the cruelty inflicted upon Him, as He laid down His life, just for us?
If you were there, based on what you know today, can you imagine just getting up in the morning on the day after and life just going on, as usual? Come on, the sky grew dark, the earth quaked, the veil in the Temple was torn... JESUS DIED! He was supposed to be their King and he just.... died up there on that Cross, and now everything His followers knew was in question.
Do you remember, if you were old enough to be a parent, the questions our kids had for us the day after 9/11? Mine asked me if their school may be blown up, or if their bus was safe, and all around America, the news of the day paled in comparison... forget America, the WORLD talked about what had happened... even for those who didn't believe Jesus was the Messiah, don't you think the WORLD of that day talked about all the events that happened? Don't you think they were forever changed?
Can you imagine passing Mary, the Disciples, those who had been healed by Him, in those days? I imagine no one would look them in the eye, whether from guilt, anguish, or pure human discomfort, the kind that comes from knowing a great injustice has been done to someone, but you did nothing, could do nothing, to stop it.
Can you imagine having been one of the people who KNEW who He was, because you were the Blind man whose sight was restored, or the Leper who was healed... how about being Lazarus? If ever there was a man who knew beyond all shadow of a doubt that Jesus was the Messiah, it was him. Now, imagine being alive on Crucifixion Day... and being powerless to help the one who brought you back from the dead....
No, Pearl Harbor, that November Day in Texas, 9/11/01.... none of those compare to THAT DAY... yet we forget that without it, we would have NO HOPE.
The days we mark as tragedies in our lives are minuscule moments in the great scheme of things, but are NOTHING when we think of That Day!
As we mourn those lost on September 11, and as we rightfully shed tears at those memories, can we, the Sons and Daughters of the King of Kings, remember the Worst Day in History- The day the King of Kings laid down His life, so that you and I might someday accept the gift of Love He has for us?
If you have asked Jesus to be your Savior, this should be a daily act of Praise and Thanksgiving.
I love the T Shirts we wore in the 80's and 90's that said "I asked the Lord, "How much do you love me?" He spread His arms, said "THIS MUCH" and DIED!
God Bless those who lost loved ones on Sept. 11, at Pearl Harbor, etc. I am in no way diminishing that loss! But let's not forget the true Worst Day in History !
On Sept 11, 2001, I totally understood why it made people cry so many years later when my elders talked about the moment that shifted the direction of that generation.
In a few days, we will be honoring those who passed away in the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and a Field in Pennsylvania, and I cry every time I see the familiar billows of smoke.A Journalist once referred to that day as the Worst Day in History.
I don't even have to have sound on my TV when that image is shown, to instantly be in my mind, exactly where I was when it happened! Do you?
As I have grown in the Lord, there is another day, a day like Pearl Harbor, that I never witnessed first hand, but it affects me, just the same. It is the day Jesus gave his life for me! I think, to a Child of God, THAT should be and is, the Worst Day in History!
I can imagine if I were to travel back in time, I would meet someone who was on the road to Calvary that day... can you imagine how they would tell us what they witnessed? I have to think it was a moment, like Pearl Harbor, or the day John Kennedy was assassinated, or like 9/11 to those people... it was a life altering moment.
Can you imagine how they would describe His anguish, his torture, the cruelty inflicted upon Him, as He laid down His life, just for us?
If you were there, based on what you know today, can you imagine just getting up in the morning on the day after and life just going on, as usual? Come on, the sky grew dark, the earth quaked, the veil in the Temple was torn... JESUS DIED! He was supposed to be their King and he just.... died up there on that Cross, and now everything His followers knew was in question.
Do you remember, if you were old enough to be a parent, the questions our kids had for us the day after 9/11? Mine asked me if their school may be blown up, or if their bus was safe, and all around America, the news of the day paled in comparison... forget America, the WORLD talked about what had happened... even for those who didn't believe Jesus was the Messiah, don't you think the WORLD of that day talked about all the events that happened? Don't you think they were forever changed?
Can you imagine passing Mary, the Disciples, those who had been healed by Him, in those days? I imagine no one would look them in the eye, whether from guilt, anguish, or pure human discomfort, the kind that comes from knowing a great injustice has been done to someone, but you did nothing, could do nothing, to stop it.
Can you imagine having been one of the people who KNEW who He was, because you were the Blind man whose sight was restored, or the Leper who was healed... how about being Lazarus? If ever there was a man who knew beyond all shadow of a doubt that Jesus was the Messiah, it was him. Now, imagine being alive on Crucifixion Day... and being powerless to help the one who brought you back from the dead....
No, Pearl Harbor, that November Day in Texas, 9/11/01.... none of those compare to THAT DAY... yet we forget that without it, we would have NO HOPE.
The days we mark as tragedies in our lives are minuscule moments in the great scheme of things, but are NOTHING when we think of That Day!
As we mourn those lost on September 11, and as we rightfully shed tears at those memories, can we, the Sons and Daughters of the King of Kings, remember the Worst Day in History- The day the King of Kings laid down His life, so that you and I might someday accept the gift of Love He has for us?
If you have asked Jesus to be your Savior, this should be a daily act of Praise and Thanksgiving.
I love the T Shirts we wore in the 80's and 90's that said "I asked the Lord, "How much do you love me?" He spread His arms, said "THIS MUCH" and DIED!
God Bless those who lost loved ones on Sept. 11, at Pearl Harbor, etc. I am in no way diminishing that loss! But let's not forget the true Worst Day in History !
Let's Get Started
Hello.
I don't know what I am going to be saying in this blog. A lot of it will be guided by you, my friends, or by events in my life. I pray that I never say anything that isn't ordained by my Savior, Jesus Christ.
He laid it on my heart to begin this blog.
I am often surprised at how we, the children of the King of Kings, myself most of all, fail to live as royalty. We accept poor and abusive treatment, or worse, we inflict it on others.
We allow others to talk about our Father, our Savior, our Creator, in a way that is so much less than He deserves! We often forget that He loved each of us so very much that he turned His back on His Son, allowing US to kill Him! He loved EACH of us this much... do we ever stop to realize that if only ONE of us had accepted the plan of Salvation, the PLAN would still have been put into motion?
What a concept! ONE of us was worth His best One! How He loves us! Oh, how He loves us!
My challenge for all of us today is to Thank Him, at least once each day for that!
If we start and end our day with that thought, with that thanks in our hearts, there really can't be anything that can ruin us!
We spend twenty minutes or more cleaning house, chatting on Facebook, responding to emails, chatting, etc. We spend an hour or more each week holding a grudge (yes, I am guilty of that, too) or being angry with someone over a word said about or to us.
Can we spend ten minutes, five each morning and five each night, holding onto that thought? The thought that he loves us so much that ONE of us would have been enough for Him to give His life.
And let NO ONE convince you that His life was taken-oh, no, my friends... HE GAVE IT! WILLINGLY, LOVINGLY, WILLFULLY, so that we could know this Love!
John 3:16 says, "for God so loved the world (you and I) that He gave His ONLY begotten Son, that whosoever (you and I) believeth in Him should not perih, but have EVERLASTING life"... have you ever actually grasped that? Whoseover surely meaneth me, as the song says...
Does whoseoever meaneth you?
I don't know what I am going to be saying in this blog. A lot of it will be guided by you, my friends, or by events in my life. I pray that I never say anything that isn't ordained by my Savior, Jesus Christ.
He laid it on my heart to begin this blog.
I am often surprised at how we, the children of the King of Kings, myself most of all, fail to live as royalty. We accept poor and abusive treatment, or worse, we inflict it on others.
We allow others to talk about our Father, our Savior, our Creator, in a way that is so much less than He deserves! We often forget that He loved each of us so very much that he turned His back on His Son, allowing US to kill Him! He loved EACH of us this much... do we ever stop to realize that if only ONE of us had accepted the plan of Salvation, the PLAN would still have been put into motion?
What a concept! ONE of us was worth His best One! How He loves us! Oh, how He loves us!
My challenge for all of us today is to Thank Him, at least once each day for that!
If we start and end our day with that thought, with that thanks in our hearts, there really can't be anything that can ruin us!
We spend twenty minutes or more cleaning house, chatting on Facebook, responding to emails, chatting, etc. We spend an hour or more each week holding a grudge (yes, I am guilty of that, too) or being angry with someone over a word said about or to us.
Can we spend ten minutes, five each morning and five each night, holding onto that thought? The thought that he loves us so much that ONE of us would have been enough for Him to give His life.
And let NO ONE convince you that His life was taken-oh, no, my friends... HE GAVE IT! WILLINGLY, LOVINGLY, WILLFULLY, so that we could know this Love!
John 3:16 says, "for God so loved the world (you and I) that He gave His ONLY begotten Son, that whosoever (you and I) believeth in Him should not perih, but have EVERLASTING life"... have you ever actually grasped that? Whoseover surely meaneth me, as the song says...
Does whoseoever meaneth you?
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)