Matthew 18:2-4 "He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Sunday was a special day for me. Three precious little girls I have known since they were babies; were baptized. I love it when I see one of these precious ones come to Him. Jesus clearly said for us to change and come to Him like little children. What does that mean exactly? How do children come to Him? I think they come with pure trust. He actually tells us to change into children to come to him. In the King James Version, it says "be converted" which means to turn around or reverse ourselves back to a child. He says to "humble" as a child. As grown-ups, we try to psychoanalyze the salvation process. We make it so hard. Children come with such an innocence. They trust their Heavenly Daddy, just like they trust a Dad on this earth. They might go on a walk with their father to the park, and they may not know exactly where they are going or how they are going to get there or get home, but they hold their daddy's hand and they trust him to get them there and back safely. That's like their innocence in coming to Jesus. They may not know everything, but they are humbled enough and trust enough in Jesus, that they know He is going to get them there and back safely.
Now these little girls are all rare jewels indeed. If you took a moment to sit down and have a conversation with them, I imagine they could tell you more about the gospel and the love of Jesus in just a few minutes than most theologians could summarize in hours. They all three have a heart for God at such a young age and I know that is because their parents have been faithful to train them at home and bring them up in the way they should go. I am anxious and excited to see what God is going to do in their lives. My heart continues to break for the kids who don't have these kind of families to train them. To my little special princesses, Elisabeth, Ashlyn & Taylor, you have touched my heart in more ways than you will ever know and I am so very proud of you!! Don't ever forget you are a princess, and a child of the King! Matt. 19:14 Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
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Showing posts with label Faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Faith. Show all posts
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Ornament of Faith
I spoke at our Ladies Extravaganza Friday night, and just thought I would share what God laid on my heart about building Ornaments of Faith...To get the full effect, read the Christmas story in Luke 1 & 2.
We all love Christmas. The ribbons and bows. The tree. The songs. The lights. The ornaments. So many different ornaments. Many uniquely made and adorned beautifully. As I was driving one day, this thought came to me about an ornament of faith. As God impressed it on my heart, it was as if He were saying “Faith is an ornament we should decorate ourselves with.” We are the tree. Faith is one of the ornaments that lets our light shine. But what is faith? How do we get it? What makes it stronger? Where does faith come from? I’ve come to think that faith mostly comes from miracles, trials, and tribulations. It has to build upon something. Our faith doesn’t grow much during the good times. Faith comes from adversity. What is Faith? Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.” In Hebrew the word is AMAN means to trust or believe, In Greek the word means persuasion.. I find that interesting…….faith is to be persuaded! Through adversity we are persuaded to believe more strongly.
We know Mary was a young lady of faith. She had faith in God and had found great favor with him. Can you imagine? Being such a young woman, that God looked down and said Her! She is the ONE! She is going to be the mother of the Messiah!!! What kind of faith would that look like? How had she so adorned herself with ornaments of Faith in God, that He chose her and she was Highly favored? I love the definitions of these words….. Ornament is livyâh something attached..... Something attached….
Adorn means to decorate. So Mary attached faith to herself. She adorned, decorated herself with faith so strongly that God said she was highly favored. I don’t know about you, but I want God to be able to say I have favor in his eyes!( From G5485; to grace, that is, indue with special honor: - make accepted, be highly favoured.)
To be so young and already adorned with that kind of faith……..but then she was about to take the biggest faith journey of her life. She had to tell Joseph she was pregnant. She had to tell her parents. Joseph wanted to divorce her. She was about 14. The age of my youngest daughter. Some of your daughters. Then she had to most likely endure ridicule. Ride a donkey 9 months pregnant to another town!!! No hospital, but only a stable to have a baby. How scared she must have been….However she fully trusted God. She said ,”I am the Lord’s servant. May it be as you have said.” I wonder how many times she had to keep reminding herself? "I am the Lord’s servant. I am the Lord’s servant. I AM the Lord’s servant." How many faith ornaments did she get just from the life of Christ? How many times did she have to attach herself to faith just to make it through? When he disappeared and went missing? When he was out preaching? When He was led away to be crucified? When they spat on Him? Beat him. Cursed him. Crucified him. Buried him. And how her faith must have soared when he rose from that grave that beautiful morning!!!
Things don’t always work out the way we want them to, or the way we think they will. Sometimes we don’t even see it coming. We get hit with some form of pain out of nowhere leaving us feeling desperate and helpless. That’s the way life is. Maybe it’s when we’re in these situations, where everything seems to be falling apart, that God gets an opportunity to remind us of how much he really loves us. He carries us and holds us close and its then that our faith grows.
I believe through the life of Christ, God carried Mary. He held her close. She didn’t quite know where they were going, but she knew she could trust her God. What are your faith ornaments? What miracles, tribulations and tragedies have happened that now hang on you in adornment of faith?
Do you ever ponder them in your heart and say, God strengthened me then? Can you look back at times where even though you may not have been sure, you know now that he carried you? I’ve had so many faith ornaments in my life. I know God has carried me through many many times I didn't think I could make it. Isaiah 61:10
"I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." Look back on your life and I think you will see where Christ has adorned you with fine jewels of faith. And guess what? They are meant to shine and be shared!!
We all love Christmas. The ribbons and bows. The tree. The songs. The lights. The ornaments. So many different ornaments. Many uniquely made and adorned beautifully. As I was driving one day, this thought came to me about an ornament of faith. As God impressed it on my heart, it was as if He were saying “Faith is an ornament we should decorate ourselves with.” We are the tree. Faith is one of the ornaments that lets our light shine. But what is faith? How do we get it? What makes it stronger? Where does faith come from? I’ve come to think that faith mostly comes from miracles, trials, and tribulations. It has to build upon something. Our faith doesn’t grow much during the good times. Faith comes from adversity. What is Faith? Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.” In Hebrew the word is AMAN means to trust or believe, In Greek the word means persuasion.. I find that interesting…….faith is to be persuaded! Through adversity we are persuaded to believe more strongly.
We know Mary was a young lady of faith. She had faith in God and had found great favor with him. Can you imagine? Being such a young woman, that God looked down and said Her! She is the ONE! She is going to be the mother of the Messiah!!! What kind of faith would that look like? How had she so adorned herself with ornaments of Faith in God, that He chose her and she was Highly favored? I love the definitions of these words….. Ornament is livyâh something attached..... Something attached….
Adorn means to decorate. So Mary attached faith to herself. She adorned, decorated herself with faith so strongly that God said she was highly favored. I don’t know about you, but I want God to be able to say I have favor in his eyes!( From G5485; to grace, that is, indue with special honor: - make accepted, be highly favoured.)
To be so young and already adorned with that kind of faith……..but then she was about to take the biggest faith journey of her life. She had to tell Joseph she was pregnant. She had to tell her parents. Joseph wanted to divorce her. She was about 14. The age of my youngest daughter. Some of your daughters. Then she had to most likely endure ridicule. Ride a donkey 9 months pregnant to another town!!! No hospital, but only a stable to have a baby. How scared she must have been….However she fully trusted God. She said ,”I am the Lord’s servant. May it be as you have said.” I wonder how many times she had to keep reminding herself? "I am the Lord’s servant. I am the Lord’s servant. I AM the Lord’s servant." How many faith ornaments did she get just from the life of Christ? How many times did she have to attach herself to faith just to make it through? When he disappeared and went missing? When he was out preaching? When He was led away to be crucified? When they spat on Him? Beat him. Cursed him. Crucified him. Buried him. And how her faith must have soared when he rose from that grave that beautiful morning!!!
Things don’t always work out the way we want them to, or the way we think they will. Sometimes we don’t even see it coming. We get hit with some form of pain out of nowhere leaving us feeling desperate and helpless. That’s the way life is. Maybe it’s when we’re in these situations, where everything seems to be falling apart, that God gets an opportunity to remind us of how much he really loves us. He carries us and holds us close and its then that our faith grows.
I believe through the life of Christ, God carried Mary. He held her close. She didn’t quite know where they were going, but she knew she could trust her God. What are your faith ornaments? What miracles, tribulations and tragedies have happened that now hang on you in adornment of faith?
Do you ever ponder them in your heart and say, God strengthened me then? Can you look back at times where even though you may not have been sure, you know now that he carried you? I’ve had so many faith ornaments in my life. I know God has carried me through many many times I didn't think I could make it. Isaiah 61:10
"I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." Look back on your life and I think you will see where Christ has adorned you with fine jewels of faith. And guess what? They are meant to shine and be shared!!
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