THIS WEEK I went to a great Christian music concert called Winter Jam. I heard many songs I know and love, and I had a wonderful time singing to God with the other 13,000 people in the Arena.
A pastor, whose name I'm afraid I do not know, came and said a few words at one point during the show. He explained that he had a very difficult background and that he had been adopted for $200. When his adopted father got drunk sometimes he would shout at him that he regretted ever paying those $200 dollars for him. The man's life was all downhill until he received salvation in Jesus, who died for all people's sins. Now he says that he rejoices in the fact that his adopted Heavenly Father never has regretted paying for him in the priceless blood of His own Son.
This week I'm reminded of what a truly astounding thing it is that God made that sacrifice, and what it means. I don't ever want to start to forget. He defines my life.
When Jesus died on the cross, everything changed. The people were trying to be near God by keeping the commandments, but nobody could be perfect enough to keep them all, all the time. It's just not in our power to make ourselves free of sin. They had to make sacrifices of animals to bear the punishment for their sin in their place. So what did God do? He loves us so much that He even made a sacrifice that would take away the sins of anyone who would believe. He gave His Son for the sins of the world. Romans 5:8 says "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
This sacrifice broke down all barriers. When I was at a Bible Study meeting on Friday morning we looked at Ephesians 2, which explains that all Christians have been given access to the same God through the same sacrifice, so that we are neither divided from God nor from each other. Ephesians 2:14 really caught my attention. "For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation."
This refers to the structure of the temple in Jerusalem, where people used to go to worship God. The building was divided so that everyone could come into the outer area, but there was a wall that meant only Jews could go beyond a certain point, and another wall for male Jews only, and it narrowed down to holier and smaller groups of people. In Jesus, it doesn't matter where we come from, what color we are, or what we've done. He wants Idians, Argentinians, Irish, Middle Eastern, French, Japanese, Australian - everybody! All people are invited. v. 18 "For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
To make it even better, God makes it clear that our sin has been payed for, and that once we accept salvation through His act of love there is nothing that separates us from Him! Today I read Mark 15 and 16, which tell all about Jesus' crucifixion, death, and resurrection.
Mark 15:37, "And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last." Look at this amazing little verse that comes immediately after: v. 38 "Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom."
This veil divided the Holy Place, where only priests could go, from the Holy of Holies in the Temple. It is a true, historical fact that this important object, which divided even the holiest people from the place reserved for the Holy Presence of God, was ripped in half the moment Jesus died. This means that God had completed all that was necessary to end the division between Him and His people. All that is left is for a person to accept it and enter God's family.
I celebrate the fact that God has torn down all the walls. He has made it so that we do not need the walls of the temple, for we are the temple. We don't need walls to divide us from one another, and we don't need a veil to divide us from Him. Our sins are gone, because He took them away. So we celebrate His buying us away from bondage to sin and placing us safely in bondage to Him, which is true freedom.
When the pastor at Winter Jam finishing speaking, he led the group in a prayer to let Jesus be the Lord of our lives. I interpreted this prayer as being not only for those who were receiving salvation in that moment but for anyone whose Lord is Jesus Christ. So I prayed it too. And when he invited everyone who prayed it to stand up on the count of three and shout "Jesus is my Lord!!!" I stood and shouted it too, as if it were the first time. We are called to being unashamed, so I am determined not to be shy about it. I want everybody to know who He is.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Sunday, January 9, 2011
"My Heart Greatly Rejoices"
THIS WEEK has been blessing after blessing. As I told my friend Jenny White on Wednesday, there has been joy everywhere all over my life. This joy derived from answered prayer and awe-inspiring stories.
First, in response to my prayers God gave me the strength to let go of some hard feelings I had left over from the past year. As a result I have renewed a friendship and seen a raincloud removed from my sky.
So the week had already gotten off to a great start when I heard a very amazing story from my friend Arun at Bible Study. I have been telling it to many people for the past few days, and my Youth Pastor has agreed to let me share it with my Youth Group on Wednesday!
Arun's mother's friend, Sheba, went Christmas caroling with her church in New Jersey a few weeks ago. They went to the houses of non-Christians to sing for them. They came to one house where the woman who answered the door was crying. When they asked her what was wrong, she told them that her niece in India, who had just had a healthy baby, was very sick. The doctors had given up on her and had told the family to begin planning the funeral.
This woman and her family had been praying to their Hindu gods that the girl in India would recover, but nothing was working. So the carolers asked if they could pray with them. They came inside and prayed to Jesus for her healing.
Very soon after this, the woman informed the carolers that her niece had made a 70% recovery. The doctors could not figure it out. They were going to try to let her start walking around.
As for the family in New Jersey, they have all been converted because Jesus answered their prayers while their prayer to other gods had not worked. They attended the church's Christmas event. The girl in India is alive and well for her son and husband, and she wants to know all about this Jesus who saved her life.
I love telling this story. God performed this miracle across half the world - from New Jersey to India! It's just very reassuring to see that He is not done doing miracles. He does now what He did when He walked the earth - healing the sick, making the blind see and the deaf hear, casting out demons, and much more - because He is still alive! And His Holy Spirit has given us, His people, the power to do things that are only possible through God.
Mark 16:15-18 "[15] And He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. [16] He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. [17] And these signs will follow those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; [18] they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.'"
God does truly amazing things in very surprising ways. For example, at Youth Quake Live on Friday night I watched a skit which was meant to be a reenactment of a true story right that happened in my city, Jacksonville.
A young man who loved the Lord was sitting in his Spanish class, taking a test. Suddenly he heard God telling him very clearly and unmistakably, "Say 'Burrito'." He was very hesitant to say 'burrito.' It seemed very awkward to blurt out such a seemingly random word while his class was trying to take a test. But God insisted that he say this word, specifically to te girl sitting in front of him.
So the young man told the girl that God wanted him to tell her 'burrito'. She was overcome with emotion. She said that she had prayed that if God exists He would just say this one word, and she would be sure. Now she was sure.
I'm so glad God listens to prayer and responds. For the past few weeks, actually, I was praying that I could hear His voice in a way that is well represented by the story I just told you. I want to hear Him say things like 'burrito', and I want to be the kind of person who will say it if He tells me to. I was begging Him to tell me what college to go to, for example.
He spoke right to me through my Youth Pastor this Wednesday. Near the end of the sermon, Pastor Ryan explained that we do not need to worry about things like what college we should attend or whom we should marry in the future. That's God's mysterious will. Our concern is with obeying God's known will, which we learn by reading in His word and by seeking Him in prayer. My mouth dropped open when I heard the Pastor saying this, because I knew this was the answer to my prayers. He had even used examples which were in my own prayers! Now I understand that God doesn't want me to stress about receiving answers to my questions my way and in my timing. He knows what I need, and He will answer me when I call, as He always has.
So instead of praying that I'll hear Him speaking into my ear right when I decide I want Him to, I'm praying that I'll hear Him when He calls. I'm going to seek Him in His word and in prayer, and I'm going to pay attention every day so that if He is saying 'burrito', or anything else, I'll be aware.
Psalm 28:7 "The Lord is my strength and my sheild; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him."
Have a great week!
First, in response to my prayers God gave me the strength to let go of some hard feelings I had left over from the past year. As a result I have renewed a friendship and seen a raincloud removed from my sky.
So the week had already gotten off to a great start when I heard a very amazing story from my friend Arun at Bible Study. I have been telling it to many people for the past few days, and my Youth Pastor has agreed to let me share it with my Youth Group on Wednesday!
Arun's mother's friend, Sheba, went Christmas caroling with her church in New Jersey a few weeks ago. They went to the houses of non-Christians to sing for them. They came to one house where the woman who answered the door was crying. When they asked her what was wrong, she told them that her niece in India, who had just had a healthy baby, was very sick. The doctors had given up on her and had told the family to begin planning the funeral.
This woman and her family had been praying to their Hindu gods that the girl in India would recover, but nothing was working. So the carolers asked if they could pray with them. They came inside and prayed to Jesus for her healing.
Very soon after this, the woman informed the carolers that her niece had made a 70% recovery. The doctors could not figure it out. They were going to try to let her start walking around.
As for the family in New Jersey, they have all been converted because Jesus answered their prayers while their prayer to other gods had not worked. They attended the church's Christmas event. The girl in India is alive and well for her son and husband, and she wants to know all about this Jesus who saved her life.
I love telling this story. God performed this miracle across half the world - from New Jersey to India! It's just very reassuring to see that He is not done doing miracles. He does now what He did when He walked the earth - healing the sick, making the blind see and the deaf hear, casting out demons, and much more - because He is still alive! And His Holy Spirit has given us, His people, the power to do things that are only possible through God.
Mark 16:15-18 "[15] And He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. [16] He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. [17] And these signs will follow those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; [18] they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.'"
God does truly amazing things in very surprising ways. For example, at Youth Quake Live on Friday night I watched a skit which was meant to be a reenactment of a true story right that happened in my city, Jacksonville.
A young man who loved the Lord was sitting in his Spanish class, taking a test. Suddenly he heard God telling him very clearly and unmistakably, "Say 'Burrito'." He was very hesitant to say 'burrito.' It seemed very awkward to blurt out such a seemingly random word while his class was trying to take a test. But God insisted that he say this word, specifically to te girl sitting in front of him.
So the young man told the girl that God wanted him to tell her 'burrito'. She was overcome with emotion. She said that she had prayed that if God exists He would just say this one word, and she would be sure. Now she was sure.
I'm so glad God listens to prayer and responds. For the past few weeks, actually, I was praying that I could hear His voice in a way that is well represented by the story I just told you. I want to hear Him say things like 'burrito', and I want to be the kind of person who will say it if He tells me to. I was begging Him to tell me what college to go to, for example.
He spoke right to me through my Youth Pastor this Wednesday. Near the end of the sermon, Pastor Ryan explained that we do not need to worry about things like what college we should attend or whom we should marry in the future. That's God's mysterious will. Our concern is with obeying God's known will, which we learn by reading in His word and by seeking Him in prayer. My mouth dropped open when I heard the Pastor saying this, because I knew this was the answer to my prayers. He had even used examples which were in my own prayers! Now I understand that God doesn't want me to stress about receiving answers to my questions my way and in my timing. He knows what I need, and He will answer me when I call, as He always has.
So instead of praying that I'll hear Him speaking into my ear right when I decide I want Him to, I'm praying that I'll hear Him when He calls. I'm going to seek Him in His word and in prayer, and I'm going to pay attention every day so that if He is saying 'burrito', or anything else, I'll be aware.
Psalm 28:7 "The Lord is my strength and my sheild; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my song I will praise Him."
Have a great week!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Couscous and Fruit Juice
THIS WEEK marks the beginning of a new year, 2011 A.D. - my graduation year!! I had a great time partying Christian style at my church with my friends and family on New Year's Night. With this new year I'm making a point of listening more carefully to God, letting go any hard feelings of the past year, and just celebrating the fact that I get to celebrate Jesus in the world during a brand new year. This is going to be awesome. I know He has some beautiful things planned, and I'm excited that we all get to be part of His plan.
One night this week before the new year I did not get any sleep at all. Not five minutes. I spent part of the long night reading, part trying to fall asleep, and the last part knitting with the radio on (88.1 "The Promise"). This meant that I had the chance to wake up early this Thursday morning and think about what to do first. After my dad had left for work and before my mom woke up, I decided to have breakfast with Jesus in the backyard.
I heated up for myself some couscous and poured some fruit juice, grabbed my journal and my Bible, and went out and sat at the old picnic table. The morning sky was light and cold, and the sun had not quite come up yet.
I wore my boots and a big jacket over my fuzzy pajamas, and since I hadn't put on my contacts yet I was still in my glasses. I could see my breath rising above my couscous like steam from a kettle. And I just sat there eating and enjoying the day the Lord had made. It was very beautiful. There were birds in the trees far above and around me. I even saw a blue bird go across from the leafless tree to my left to the rainbow-painted oak tree to my right.
And then the sun came up, and there was gold all over everything to my right. I walked over and saw that the sun was now visible, and the more I watched the trees the more beautiful they got. I sang a little to Jesus. I read Luke 17 and wrote about it in my journal. I am glad I had that moment to rest and to just talk to God. I'm so glad He always listens.
Later that day I watched a very interesting movie called "Eat Pray Love." It is a story about a woman who spends a year traveling in Italy, India, and Bali looking for inner peace and self-discovery. She speaks with new friends, tries out the teachings of an Indian guru, and consults a little old mountain man to aid her in this search. All the while she is trying to deal with the end of her brief marriage as well as that of her relationship with her actor boyfriend, whom she had met about the time of her divorce.
I liked this movie. It is an interesting view of a woman's eye-opening journey through the world. I enjoyed the beautiful scenery and places featured in the film.
In the end she seems to have found happiness with a Brazilian man she met in Bali. I prayed, wondering why she could be happy in the end without having found a relationsip with Jesus Christ. After all, she looked in a lot of different places but not to Him. I see that although she had become happier and learned to "love herself," she did not find the inner peace she was searching for. She did learn some good lessons. For example, she learned that she shouldn't worry too much. She also learned that she shouldn't cling to the past and let it hurt her. She learned about a need for "balance," which in practice seems very difficult to acheive.
I was reminded that there are a lot of ways to happiness, but only one way to peace. Every heart desires eternity and significance, which can only come from God. But we can't get to God by our own strength - that's why He came to us in the flesh and gave Himself for us.
After the movie was over (when I should have been going to sleep) I went and found a World Religions book on one of the shelves in my room. I like to read about other people's religions because I think it's good to know what other people believe. I read about some of the more popular religions in the world. People seek God in a lot of different ways, because we all need Him.
It's stunning to me how God has made His way so separate from every other religion in the world. In two sentences He made it so that He cannot be satisfactorily grouped with the others. John 14:6 "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." He has designed it with such wisdom that however surprising and unusual it is, it can only have been designed by a God who can see all of time at once, so that old prophecies could be fulfilled. He is the only God who ever gave His life to save the world. And He is alive today. I love having Him in my life.
1 Corinthians 1:18 "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." and v.21 "For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe."
How wonderful it is that He is willing to save anybody! And how beautiful that He made the message of salvation accessible to anybody. It's not complex at all. That's just the thing that appears "foolish" about it, when it is truly very wise. John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believed in Him shuold not perish but have everlasting life."
That' what I wanted to tell the woman in "Eat Pray Love." I wanted to let her know that although learning and travel are good, she didn't have to go across the world to find self-discovery and inner peace. God loves us. He wants to help us find ourselves in Him and to give us the peace we can't find anywhere else. Like I told my cousin Rina at the New Year Party, this woman could have just come to my church where we were celebrating a new year in Christ and seen what it is we're so excited about.
Have a very Happy New Year!!
One night this week before the new year I did not get any sleep at all. Not five minutes. I spent part of the long night reading, part trying to fall asleep, and the last part knitting with the radio on (88.1 "The Promise"). This meant that I had the chance to wake up early this Thursday morning and think about what to do first. After my dad had left for work and before my mom woke up, I decided to have breakfast with Jesus in the backyard.
I heated up for myself some couscous and poured some fruit juice, grabbed my journal and my Bible, and went out and sat at the old picnic table. The morning sky was light and cold, and the sun had not quite come up yet.
I wore my boots and a big jacket over my fuzzy pajamas, and since I hadn't put on my contacts yet I was still in my glasses. I could see my breath rising above my couscous like steam from a kettle. And I just sat there eating and enjoying the day the Lord had made. It was very beautiful. There were birds in the trees far above and around me. I even saw a blue bird go across from the leafless tree to my left to the rainbow-painted oak tree to my right.
And then the sun came up, and there was gold all over everything to my right. I walked over and saw that the sun was now visible, and the more I watched the trees the more beautiful they got. I sang a little to Jesus. I read Luke 17 and wrote about it in my journal. I am glad I had that moment to rest and to just talk to God. I'm so glad He always listens.
Later that day I watched a very interesting movie called "Eat Pray Love." It is a story about a woman who spends a year traveling in Italy, India, and Bali looking for inner peace and self-discovery. She speaks with new friends, tries out the teachings of an Indian guru, and consults a little old mountain man to aid her in this search. All the while she is trying to deal with the end of her brief marriage as well as that of her relationship with her actor boyfriend, whom she had met about the time of her divorce.
I liked this movie. It is an interesting view of a woman's eye-opening journey through the world. I enjoyed the beautiful scenery and places featured in the film.
In the end she seems to have found happiness with a Brazilian man she met in Bali. I prayed, wondering why she could be happy in the end without having found a relationsip with Jesus Christ. After all, she looked in a lot of different places but not to Him. I see that although she had become happier and learned to "love herself," she did not find the inner peace she was searching for. She did learn some good lessons. For example, she learned that she shouldn't worry too much. She also learned that she shouldn't cling to the past and let it hurt her. She learned about a need for "balance," which in practice seems very difficult to acheive.
I was reminded that there are a lot of ways to happiness, but only one way to peace. Every heart desires eternity and significance, which can only come from God. But we can't get to God by our own strength - that's why He came to us in the flesh and gave Himself for us.
After the movie was over (when I should have been going to sleep) I went and found a World Religions book on one of the shelves in my room. I like to read about other people's religions because I think it's good to know what other people believe. I read about some of the more popular religions in the world. People seek God in a lot of different ways, because we all need Him.
It's stunning to me how God has made His way so separate from every other religion in the world. In two sentences He made it so that He cannot be satisfactorily grouped with the others. John 14:6 "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." He has designed it with such wisdom that however surprising and unusual it is, it can only have been designed by a God who can see all of time at once, so that old prophecies could be fulfilled. He is the only God who ever gave His life to save the world. And He is alive today. I love having Him in my life.
1 Corinthians 1:18 "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." and v.21 "For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe."
How wonderful it is that He is willing to save anybody! And how beautiful that He made the message of salvation accessible to anybody. It's not complex at all. That's just the thing that appears "foolish" about it, when it is truly very wise. John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believed in Him shuold not perish but have everlasting life."
That' what I wanted to tell the woman in "Eat Pray Love." I wanted to let her know that although learning and travel are good, she didn't have to go across the world to find self-discovery and inner peace. God loves us. He wants to help us find ourselves in Him and to give us the peace we can't find anywhere else. Like I told my cousin Rina at the New Year Party, this woman could have just come to my church where we were celebrating a new year in Christ and seen what it is we're so excited about.
Have a very Happy New Year!!
Sunday, December 26, 2010
God's Son
THIS WEEK has been a very merry Christmas week. I've been blessed with nights when I have gone out with my family and seen the lights or stayed home, watched movies like "It's a Wonderful Life," and gone shopping at the Town Center, which is one of my favorite places to go.
One of my favorite things this week was the special Christmas Eve Service at Southpoint Community Church. We sang the best Christmas songs - the ones that are actually about Jesus Christ - and we listened to Pastor Russ' message about the wonder that God came in the flesh to have a human experience. That human experience meant that we can know He knows how we feel and that He could die in the place of sinful humanity. We needed a perfect sacrifice to take all our sins away, and so He gave Himself to us.
We also had Communion that evening. Pastor Russ calls it a "spiritual meal." It's amazing what a tiny, square cracker and a little cup of red juice represent. It is truly a spiritual experience to eat these things, for I remember that Christ really died - died! - for me, and that it is so much more than a story. When I'm eating that cracker - not even enough to fill my mouth - I remember His body being hung up on a cross. When I take that single sip of juice - only enough to cover my tongue -I remember His blood falling to the ground, and it all becomes more real to me than it already was. It's good. Jesus told us to do this is remembrance of Him, and that is precisely the purpose it serves. It is a gift that He has given us just to help us keep Him in our minds.
The worship at church that night was spectacular, but in particular one song that we sang has really stuck with me. It really reminds me of what a wonderful thing it is that God has given us His Son, Himself. I just looked it up: it's called "How Many Kings" by Downhere. The chorus goes:
"How many kings stepped down from their thrones? How many lords have abandoned their thrones? How many greats have become the least for me? How many gods have poured out their hearts to romance a world that was torn all apart? How many fathers gave up their sons for me? Only one did that for me."
John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
Can you imagine anything that is so precious to you that you would give a child for it? I think of Abraham, whom God told to sacrifice his long-awaited, only son. Abraham consented, although God did sent an angel to stop him at the final second and a ram to be the sacrifice instead. God was measuring Abraham's faith and obedience.
I don't think Abraham would have given his son for just anything. Would you? No, only the most important thing - God - could make him willing to do that. How much more amazing is it that God came into this world in the body of a Man, His own Son Jesus, to reconcile us to Himself? Only God can make a sacrifice like that.
Yesterday I was at a Christmas party with my family, and I saw my brand new cousin Marco for the first time in several weeks. He was born on the first of this month, and today he is only 25 days old. His every movement is precious and wonderful and amazing, and he is so small and fragile. He is the perfect thing to cover with kisses cradle with love. I see how very much Marco's parents love him. I have not yet had the chance in my life to love someone quite as much as a father or a mother loves a son or a daughter. But I know it is a very strong, protective, unconditional love, because I have been loved this way by my own parents.
It was someone even more precious than little Marco that God gave for us. He knew we needed someone perfect, someone completely sinless and righteous, to take up the sins of anyone who believes. We needed someone to come and suffer for no sin of His own, but for all of ours, in our place. We needed someone of immeasurable, infinite price. Only He could be that perfect. So He sent Himself. That's what we celebrate at Christmas.
Think about the fact that God gave something so precious as His own Son, even His own self in the flesh, to this world to die for us. Please think about this. It means that God the Father loves the sinful world enough to give His only precious Son, so that if we'll just believe in Him and come back home to Him our souls won't die but will live forever in His arms. That is a love too big to wrap our minds around. It's too big to fathom even with all of the minds in the world put together.
It means that He wants so much for us to be His, to serve Him and love Him, to come home and be cherished, that He is willing to give up His own Son in our place. As precious as Jesus is, it was something that was more profound even than Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son.
The great thing is that once Jesus Christ had been sacrificed, God continued the miracle even further and resurrected Him, showing Him to so many people that it could not be reasonably denied that He is risen. So the faith spread and still spreads continually.
In Romans 8:31-34 Paul writes, "[31] What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? [32] He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? [33] Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. [34] Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us."
Let's celebrate Jesus' birth, life, death, and resurrection, and the sure hope of His return, not only during Christmas but on every day of the year. Let's show how real He is to us, keeping the idea of Communion in our hearts all the time. Let's show how beautiful it is that He is so good to us and fills us with such life, such living water, such an abundance of the Holy Spirit. Let's tell the world who it is who has been born King of the Jews, in the town of Bethlehem.
One of my favorite things this week was the special Christmas Eve Service at Southpoint Community Church. We sang the best Christmas songs - the ones that are actually about Jesus Christ - and we listened to Pastor Russ' message about the wonder that God came in the flesh to have a human experience. That human experience meant that we can know He knows how we feel and that He could die in the place of sinful humanity. We needed a perfect sacrifice to take all our sins away, and so He gave Himself to us.
We also had Communion that evening. Pastor Russ calls it a "spiritual meal." It's amazing what a tiny, square cracker and a little cup of red juice represent. It is truly a spiritual experience to eat these things, for I remember that Christ really died - died! - for me, and that it is so much more than a story. When I'm eating that cracker - not even enough to fill my mouth - I remember His body being hung up on a cross. When I take that single sip of juice - only enough to cover my tongue -I remember His blood falling to the ground, and it all becomes more real to me than it already was. It's good. Jesus told us to do this is remembrance of Him, and that is precisely the purpose it serves. It is a gift that He has given us just to help us keep Him in our minds.
The worship at church that night was spectacular, but in particular one song that we sang has really stuck with me. It really reminds me of what a wonderful thing it is that God has given us His Son, Himself. I just looked it up: it's called "How Many Kings" by Downhere. The chorus goes:
"How many kings stepped down from their thrones? How many lords have abandoned their thrones? How many greats have become the least for me? How many gods have poured out their hearts to romance a world that was torn all apart? How many fathers gave up their sons for me? Only one did that for me."
John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
Can you imagine anything that is so precious to you that you would give a child for it? I think of Abraham, whom God told to sacrifice his long-awaited, only son. Abraham consented, although God did sent an angel to stop him at the final second and a ram to be the sacrifice instead. God was measuring Abraham's faith and obedience.
I don't think Abraham would have given his son for just anything. Would you? No, only the most important thing - God - could make him willing to do that. How much more amazing is it that God came into this world in the body of a Man, His own Son Jesus, to reconcile us to Himself? Only God can make a sacrifice like that.
Yesterday I was at a Christmas party with my family, and I saw my brand new cousin Marco for the first time in several weeks. He was born on the first of this month, and today he is only 25 days old. His every movement is precious and wonderful and amazing, and he is so small and fragile. He is the perfect thing to cover with kisses cradle with love. I see how very much Marco's parents love him. I have not yet had the chance in my life to love someone quite as much as a father or a mother loves a son or a daughter. But I know it is a very strong, protective, unconditional love, because I have been loved this way by my own parents.
It was someone even more precious than little Marco that God gave for us. He knew we needed someone perfect, someone completely sinless and righteous, to take up the sins of anyone who believes. We needed someone to come and suffer for no sin of His own, but for all of ours, in our place. We needed someone of immeasurable, infinite price. Only He could be that perfect. So He sent Himself. That's what we celebrate at Christmas.
Think about the fact that God gave something so precious as His own Son, even His own self in the flesh, to this world to die for us. Please think about this. It means that God the Father loves the sinful world enough to give His only precious Son, so that if we'll just believe in Him and come back home to Him our souls won't die but will live forever in His arms. That is a love too big to wrap our minds around. It's too big to fathom even with all of the minds in the world put together.
It means that He wants so much for us to be His, to serve Him and love Him, to come home and be cherished, that He is willing to give up His own Son in our place. As precious as Jesus is, it was something that was more profound even than Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son.
The great thing is that once Jesus Christ had been sacrificed, God continued the miracle even further and resurrected Him, showing Him to so many people that it could not be reasonably denied that He is risen. So the faith spread and still spreads continually.
In Romans 8:31-34 Paul writes, "[31] What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? [32] He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? [33] Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. [34] Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us."
Let's celebrate Jesus' birth, life, death, and resurrection, and the sure hope of His return, not only during Christmas but on every day of the year. Let's show how real He is to us, keeping the idea of Communion in our hearts all the time. Let's show how beautiful it is that He is so good to us and fills us with such life, such living water, such an abundance of the Holy Spirit. Let's tell the world who it is who has been born King of the Jews, in the town of Bethlehem.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Service
THIS WEEK I'm celebrating one year of blogging! One year ago yesterday I started this blog, and I haven't missed a Sunday since. This week I also finished filling up my first Bible Study journal, which now contains my Bible Study notes between July 6 and December 14, 2010. I started another journal on the 15th.
This week I am also celebrating answered prayers. A lot of important things were due at school this week, so I prayed believing that I would be victorious over this week and that would not become overwhelmed. My prayers have been answered, and I'm celebrating God's faithfulness. I have been filled with joy just to belong to Him, just to be heard by Him, just to know that He will always be there. Whether the mountain is as big as a heartbreak or as small as a pile of homework, He promises to guide us over it and never leave.
This blog is one of the ways I like to try to serve God. What's been on my mind this week is the concept of "service." What does is mean to serve? And how does one best go about serving God?
This has been on my mind lately because I've been praying about whether I should go on a mission trip, and where, and when. I understand that not everybody has been called to the mission field. In addition to these prayers I have been trying to understand what the call of the Spirit is in my life, since we can only serve God if we are obedient to Him.
On Tuesday my friend Arun brought 1 Corinthians 12 to Bible Study, and I learned a lot from it. This is the chapter which describes all Christians as being the body of Christ, unified by Him as a set of members which each serve a specific purpose. This means that everyone is necessary, but not everyone has the same gifts. v. 4-7 "[4] There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. [5] There are diversities of ministries, but the same Lord. [6] And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. [7] But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each of for the profit of all." And v. 30-31 "[30] Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? [31] But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way."
I love this because it tells me something about serving God. He has given us each gifts to use for serving Him, and when we use them we benefit the rest of the body of Christ. It's okay that some people speak in tongues and others do not. If God wants to give somebody that gift, or any gift, then He will. What gifts has He given you? What are you good at doing? Whatever it is, God can use it for the glory of His name.
1 Corinthians 10:31 "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." This means that all of our actions should be directed toward lifting Him up. That is how a servant and child of God is called to live.
I feel that He has given me gifts in art, in writing, in understanding and in explaining things. He has given all kinds of gifts to all parts of the body of Christ, just as He gives a heart the ability to pump blood, the ears the ability to hear, etc. But not every part is meant to do everything. We serve God by doing what He has made us to do, not just whatever looks good to us. After all, our bodies would be a mess if our feet decided to be hands and our kidneys decided to be stomachs. The important thing is to be willing to obey Him and to do things for His glory rather than for own.
Having begun to learn about service already by Tuesday, I sat down with my Youth group on Wednesday and listened to Pastor Ryan telling us about the meaning of 'service'. I learned that service is not just an action, but it requires a heart that seeks God's glory. Even a pastor or a singer in the choir can only serve God if his heart is for praising our praiseworthy Savior rather than for being seen. Jesus had many problems with the attitudes of the scribes and Pharisees during the time when He walked the earth. They were the religious leaders who had an appearance of great spirituality but were full of vanity and greed. They announced their charitable deeds so that people would glorify them, and as a result, Jesus said, their reward would not be from heaven but from humans.
In Matthew 6:3-4 He tells us how to act instead. "[3] But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, [4] that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly." I admit that I have trouble with this myself, and I'm working on it. From Jesus' words I learn that it is important to watch who we're worshipping when we do good. To be safe, better to just keep it a secret as much as possible. And when we use our talents, better to honor God with them than to desire to have people watching us.
Jesus Himself gives us the perfect example of the heart of a servant in the way He treated His disciples. In John 13 He washed their feet, and in John 19 He died to save the world. What is service, then? It is putting oneself aside out of love for another, to lift someone else up. Philippians 2:8 "And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." He did this for the glory of God and for our salvation, and at Christmas we celebrate this gift of salvation to the world.
At the end of the Youth service I learned that there is to be a mission trip to Peru in June. It is planned to be a week or two right after I graduate high school! I have been praying that the Holy Spirit will tell me whether I should go on a mission trip, and now I am praying to know whether this is something He wants me to do.
This week I read the story of the man who was possessed by many demons, which collectively called themselves "Legion." In Mark 5 Jesus casts these demons into a herd of swine, which then proceeded to run off the edge of a cliff. The people of the region begged Him to leave when they heard about it, but the man whom Jesus had healed wanted to come with Jesus as He left.
v. 18-20 "[18] And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. [19] However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, 'Go home to you friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.' [20] And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled."
I always wondered why Jesus didn't want him to come. He told other people to come and follow Him, so why not this man? Now I understand that this man was following Him by being obedient, which is a demonstration of love and respect. This man served where he already was by telling everybody what God had done. Whatever Jesus' reasons may have been for wanting this particular fellow to stay rather than come along, it is clear that He still wanted him to serve by glorifying God.
No amount of activity, even religious activity, can be called 'serving God' if it is not done for God's glory. It has to be what He wants us to do, and it has to be done out of a desire to glorify Him. Let's be like the Lord Jesus in character and serve by showing love, by humbling ourselves, by benefitting the body of Christ and by putting God's glory first. That is what we have been made to do.
This week I am also celebrating answered prayers. A lot of important things were due at school this week, so I prayed believing that I would be victorious over this week and that would not become overwhelmed. My prayers have been answered, and I'm celebrating God's faithfulness. I have been filled with joy just to belong to Him, just to be heard by Him, just to know that He will always be there. Whether the mountain is as big as a heartbreak or as small as a pile of homework, He promises to guide us over it and never leave.
This blog is one of the ways I like to try to serve God. What's been on my mind this week is the concept of "service." What does is mean to serve? And how does one best go about serving God?
This has been on my mind lately because I've been praying about whether I should go on a mission trip, and where, and when. I understand that not everybody has been called to the mission field. In addition to these prayers I have been trying to understand what the call of the Spirit is in my life, since we can only serve God if we are obedient to Him.
On Tuesday my friend Arun brought 1 Corinthians 12 to Bible Study, and I learned a lot from it. This is the chapter which describes all Christians as being the body of Christ, unified by Him as a set of members which each serve a specific purpose. This means that everyone is necessary, but not everyone has the same gifts. v. 4-7 "[4] There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. [5] There are diversities of ministries, but the same Lord. [6] And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. [7] But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each of for the profit of all." And v. 30-31 "[30] Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? [31] But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way."
I love this because it tells me something about serving God. He has given us each gifts to use for serving Him, and when we use them we benefit the rest of the body of Christ. It's okay that some people speak in tongues and others do not. If God wants to give somebody that gift, or any gift, then He will. What gifts has He given you? What are you good at doing? Whatever it is, God can use it for the glory of His name.
1 Corinthians 10:31 "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." This means that all of our actions should be directed toward lifting Him up. That is how a servant and child of God is called to live.
I feel that He has given me gifts in art, in writing, in understanding and in explaining things. He has given all kinds of gifts to all parts of the body of Christ, just as He gives a heart the ability to pump blood, the ears the ability to hear, etc. But not every part is meant to do everything. We serve God by doing what He has made us to do, not just whatever looks good to us. After all, our bodies would be a mess if our feet decided to be hands and our kidneys decided to be stomachs. The important thing is to be willing to obey Him and to do things for His glory rather than for own.
Having begun to learn about service already by Tuesday, I sat down with my Youth group on Wednesday and listened to Pastor Ryan telling us about the meaning of 'service'. I learned that service is not just an action, but it requires a heart that seeks God's glory. Even a pastor or a singer in the choir can only serve God if his heart is for praising our praiseworthy Savior rather than for being seen. Jesus had many problems with the attitudes of the scribes and Pharisees during the time when He walked the earth. They were the religious leaders who had an appearance of great spirituality but were full of vanity and greed. They announced their charitable deeds so that people would glorify them, and as a result, Jesus said, their reward would not be from heaven but from humans.
In Matthew 6:3-4 He tells us how to act instead. "[3] But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, [4] that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly." I admit that I have trouble with this myself, and I'm working on it. From Jesus' words I learn that it is important to watch who we're worshipping when we do good. To be safe, better to just keep it a secret as much as possible. And when we use our talents, better to honor God with them than to desire to have people watching us.
Jesus Himself gives us the perfect example of the heart of a servant in the way He treated His disciples. In John 13 He washed their feet, and in John 19 He died to save the world. What is service, then? It is putting oneself aside out of love for another, to lift someone else up. Philippians 2:8 "And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." He did this for the glory of God and for our salvation, and at Christmas we celebrate this gift of salvation to the world.
At the end of the Youth service I learned that there is to be a mission trip to Peru in June. It is planned to be a week or two right after I graduate high school! I have been praying that the Holy Spirit will tell me whether I should go on a mission trip, and now I am praying to know whether this is something He wants me to do.
This week I read the story of the man who was possessed by many demons, which collectively called themselves "Legion." In Mark 5 Jesus casts these demons into a herd of swine, which then proceeded to run off the edge of a cliff. The people of the region begged Him to leave when they heard about it, but the man whom Jesus had healed wanted to come with Jesus as He left.
v. 18-20 "[18] And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him. [19] However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, 'Go home to you friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.' [20] And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled."
I always wondered why Jesus didn't want him to come. He told other people to come and follow Him, so why not this man? Now I understand that this man was following Him by being obedient, which is a demonstration of love and respect. This man served where he already was by telling everybody what God had done. Whatever Jesus' reasons may have been for wanting this particular fellow to stay rather than come along, it is clear that He still wanted him to serve by glorifying God.
No amount of activity, even religious activity, can be called 'serving God' if it is not done for God's glory. It has to be what He wants us to do, and it has to be done out of a desire to glorify Him. Let's be like the Lord Jesus in character and serve by showing love, by humbling ourselves, by benefitting the body of Christ and by putting God's glory first. That is what we have been made to do.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
About 1 Kings 18:20-40
THIS WEEK there has been one chapter in particular which I have enjoyed discussing with my friends. We talked about it both at Bible Study on Wednesday and at FISH club on Thursday. It's 1 Kings 18, a wonderful story about how awesome God is.
I don't know why I thought about this story. I think I must have heard it at church once upon a time, and for some reason it was on my mind earlier this week. I looked in the dictionary in the back of my Bible under "Elijah" to find where it might be, and I found that he was performing miracles in 1 Kings, so I looked around in there and I found it.
The part that really got my attention was 1 Kings 18:20-40. Elijah was the only prophet of God left among the children of Israel, and everybody was following the prophets of a false god named Baal. God gave Elijah boldness and guided him in what to do. Elijah challenged the 450 prophets of Baal, to decide who is the real God.
v. 23-24 "[23] 'Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. [24] The you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God who answers by fire, He is God.' So all the people answered and said, 'It is well spoken.'"
So the two sides would set up sacrifices, and the real God - the only one who should be worshipped - would set His sacrifice on fire. So the prophets of Baal go first, yelling all morning until noon and trying again in the evening, begging their deaf god to answer them. v. 27 "And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said 'Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.'" So the prophets of Baal cut themselves and they prophesied all afternoon and begged again in the evening, and at the end of the day Elijah told the people to put buckets and buckets of water on the other sacrifice - the one God would light on fire. They poured twelve waterpots on the altar and then filled a trench around it with water.
Elijah prayed once to God in asking Him to light the fire. He did not have to pray all day long like the others, because his God heard him. v. 36-37, "[36] And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, 'Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. [37] Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again."
v. 38 "Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench."
And all the people of Israel worshipped God, and the prophets of Baal were executed on the Brook Kishon.
Isn't that amazing, that this is the God we worship even today? He is the same now as He was then. What I learned from this is that when we pray within His will, full of faith and without doubt, He will answer. That sacrifice was completely drenched in water. Elijah's faith was so strong that he knew God could catch this wet sacrifice on fire - He could catch the ocean on fire if He wanted to! But what He wanted to do was bring these people back to Him, by doing what no false god could ever do. If a god besides this God cannot even catch a sacrifice on fire when his worshippers ask him, beg him to - even a dry sacrifice - then certainly that god cannot save souls like this God can.
God wanted his people to understand that He is the only one who should be worshipped, and to stop wasting their devotion on someone who could not bless them like He wants to do. The worshippers of Baal cut themselves and yelled, while the worshippers of God do not have to do these things to be heard. We need only present to Him humble and repentant hearts, full of devotion and reverence toward Him, willing to be corrected and to serve. That's what the children of Israel did when they saw what the true God had done. v. 39 "Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said 'The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!'"
And how wonderful that He wanted them back, even though they had turned from Him to follow their passions and pleasures with a god who couldn't see them and correct them. That's what He is doing, even today! He shows us who He is, how He can do the impossible and turn hearts around, by giving the life of His precious Son Jesus Christ for our sakes, and by resurrecting Him from death with many witnesses to see it. And He calls us back to Him by showing us that He loves us enough to do that. All He wants for us is what is good for us, and all He wants from us is a humble heart, a willingness to serve Him instead of somebody else. He will never disappoint.
I don't know why I thought about this story. I think I must have heard it at church once upon a time, and for some reason it was on my mind earlier this week. I looked in the dictionary in the back of my Bible under "Elijah" to find where it might be, and I found that he was performing miracles in 1 Kings, so I looked around in there and I found it.
The part that really got my attention was 1 Kings 18:20-40. Elijah was the only prophet of God left among the children of Israel, and everybody was following the prophets of a false god named Baal. God gave Elijah boldness and guided him in what to do. Elijah challenged the 450 prophets of Baal, to decide who is the real God.
v. 23-24 "[23] 'Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. [24] The you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God who answers by fire, He is God.' So all the people answered and said, 'It is well spoken.'"
So the two sides would set up sacrifices, and the real God - the only one who should be worshipped - would set His sacrifice on fire. So the prophets of Baal go first, yelling all morning until noon and trying again in the evening, begging their deaf god to answer them. v. 27 "And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said 'Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.'" So the prophets of Baal cut themselves and they prophesied all afternoon and begged again in the evening, and at the end of the day Elijah told the people to put buckets and buckets of water on the other sacrifice - the one God would light on fire. They poured twelve waterpots on the altar and then filled a trench around it with water.
Elijah prayed once to God in asking Him to light the fire. He did not have to pray all day long like the others, because his God heard him. v. 36-37, "[36] And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, 'Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. [37] Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again."
v. 38 "Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench."
And all the people of Israel worshipped God, and the prophets of Baal were executed on the Brook Kishon.
Isn't that amazing, that this is the God we worship even today? He is the same now as He was then. What I learned from this is that when we pray within His will, full of faith and without doubt, He will answer. That sacrifice was completely drenched in water. Elijah's faith was so strong that he knew God could catch this wet sacrifice on fire - He could catch the ocean on fire if He wanted to! But what He wanted to do was bring these people back to Him, by doing what no false god could ever do. If a god besides this God cannot even catch a sacrifice on fire when his worshippers ask him, beg him to - even a dry sacrifice - then certainly that god cannot save souls like this God can.
God wanted his people to understand that He is the only one who should be worshipped, and to stop wasting their devotion on someone who could not bless them like He wants to do. The worshippers of Baal cut themselves and yelled, while the worshippers of God do not have to do these things to be heard. We need only present to Him humble and repentant hearts, full of devotion and reverence toward Him, willing to be corrected and to serve. That's what the children of Israel did when they saw what the true God had done. v. 39 "Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said 'The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!'"
And how wonderful that He wanted them back, even though they had turned from Him to follow their passions and pleasures with a god who couldn't see them and correct them. That's what He is doing, even today! He shows us who He is, how He can do the impossible and turn hearts around, by giving the life of His precious Son Jesus Christ for our sakes, and by resurrecting Him from death with many witnesses to see it. And He calls us back to Him by showing us that He loves us enough to do that. All He wants for us is what is good for us, and all He wants from us is a humble heart, a willingness to serve Him instead of somebody else. He will never disappoint.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Marco Polo
THIS WEEK my Aunt Qatresha had a baby boy - Marco Neil Champagne. He is her and my uncle Neil's second child.
When I found out on Tuesday night, the last day of November, that she had gone into the hospital, I hoped that I would get the chance to wait in the waiting room for him to be born like I had for several of my other little cousins. I got my wish. My mother and I got to the hospital around 8:00 pm and went to my aunt's room. She had not had the baby yet.
I went with my mom, my grandparents, and my little cousin Maya to wait in the waiting room. This was the hospital where Maya had been born two and a half years ago, and this was the waiting room where I had waited for her to be born. Since I had no idea how long we would be there, I worked on homework while I waited. Then I finished my homework, and I watched some television while I waited some more. Then it was past midnight, and we turned off the lights while we watched Roxeanne and M.A.S.H. and tried to get to sleep. The room was chilly and the chairs were not built for sleeping. But I do not regret the wait, which lasted until about 4:00 am, because at the end of it I got to see Marco.
Seven lbs., seven ounces, born in Room Seven. Marco was precious as he wimpered for food and wrinkled his eyes, unaccustomed to air. What a miraculous thing, what a wonderful way God designed for new people to be born. To begin protected by their mothers, to be so delicate that every instinct instructs others to protect them, their voices being like tiny birds or fallen snow. To have all working parts, covered in the softest of skin. To be the most precious kind of person, one for whom even the opening of the eyes is a miracle, and everyone gets the chance to be a baby at some point. It reminds me how precious we are to God, and how much He wants to hold us and keep us safe, how He wants us to know we have been created by Him, for Him. Every baby is another reason to believe in God.
Psalm 139: 13-16 "[13] For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. [14] I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. [15] My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. [16] Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them."
Maya, Marco's big sister as she proudly declares, would not get to see Marco until much later that day, because she had been waiting for so long that she had become grumpy. Her parents wouldn't want her to be unhappy the first time they met. It must have been very difficult for Maya, having been an only child for her two and a half years, to understand why she couldn't see her mom for hours that night, and where her daddy kept going, and what exactly she was waiting for. As I waited with her she seemed to get increasingly tired and grumpy, although she was still very cute with her "Big Sister" shirt and her curly hair. She told my grandma that her Bankey Dog, the toy dog she carries around, was mad, but that probably meant that she was mad.
Maya was asleep when I left the hospital that night/morning. The difficulty of her waiting made me think of how hard it is sometimes for us to understand our circumstances. Like Maya knew there was a wonderful little brother on the way, we trust God that He has good things planned for us. So it's sometimes frustrating when we run into problems and challenges or when things don't go the way we expect. But even if the process irritates us, it is good for us.
One of my favorite verses lately is Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." This is encouraging because although we will inevitably face discouragement and frustration, God has not forgotten us. We are His children, after all. In the same chapter, Romans 8:14-15 say "[14] For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. [15] For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, 'Abba, Father,'" 'Abba' means 'Daddy.' We are precious to God, so He will challenge us and teach us, and He will not leave us disappointed. At the end of the day, Maya did get to see her brother. If we hold on to God's promises, we will never be disappointed.
When I found out on Tuesday night, the last day of November, that she had gone into the hospital, I hoped that I would get the chance to wait in the waiting room for him to be born like I had for several of my other little cousins. I got my wish. My mother and I got to the hospital around 8:00 pm and went to my aunt's room. She had not had the baby yet.
I went with my mom, my grandparents, and my little cousin Maya to wait in the waiting room. This was the hospital where Maya had been born two and a half years ago, and this was the waiting room where I had waited for her to be born. Since I had no idea how long we would be there, I worked on homework while I waited. Then I finished my homework, and I watched some television while I waited some more. Then it was past midnight, and we turned off the lights while we watched Roxeanne and M.A.S.H. and tried to get to sleep. The room was chilly and the chairs were not built for sleeping. But I do not regret the wait, which lasted until about 4:00 am, because at the end of it I got to see Marco.
Seven lbs., seven ounces, born in Room Seven. Marco was precious as he wimpered for food and wrinkled his eyes, unaccustomed to air. What a miraculous thing, what a wonderful way God designed for new people to be born. To begin protected by their mothers, to be so delicate that every instinct instructs others to protect them, their voices being like tiny birds or fallen snow. To have all working parts, covered in the softest of skin. To be the most precious kind of person, one for whom even the opening of the eyes is a miracle, and everyone gets the chance to be a baby at some point. It reminds me how precious we are to God, and how much He wants to hold us and keep us safe, how He wants us to know we have been created by Him, for Him. Every baby is another reason to believe in God.
Psalm 139: 13-16 "[13] For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. [14] I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. [15] My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. [16] Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them."
Maya, Marco's big sister as she proudly declares, would not get to see Marco until much later that day, because she had been waiting for so long that she had become grumpy. Her parents wouldn't want her to be unhappy the first time they met. It must have been very difficult for Maya, having been an only child for her two and a half years, to understand why she couldn't see her mom for hours that night, and where her daddy kept going, and what exactly she was waiting for. As I waited with her she seemed to get increasingly tired and grumpy, although she was still very cute with her "Big Sister" shirt and her curly hair. She told my grandma that her Bankey Dog, the toy dog she carries around, was mad, but that probably meant that she was mad.
Maya was asleep when I left the hospital that night/morning. The difficulty of her waiting made me think of how hard it is sometimes for us to understand our circumstances. Like Maya knew there was a wonderful little brother on the way, we trust God that He has good things planned for us. So it's sometimes frustrating when we run into problems and challenges or when things don't go the way we expect. But even if the process irritates us, it is good for us.
One of my favorite verses lately is Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." This is encouraging because although we will inevitably face discouragement and frustration, God has not forgotten us. We are His children, after all. In the same chapter, Romans 8:14-15 say "[14] For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. [15] For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, 'Abba, Father,'" 'Abba' means 'Daddy.' We are precious to God, so He will challenge us and teach us, and He will not leave us disappointed. At the end of the day, Maya did get to see her brother. If we hold on to God's promises, we will never be disappointed.
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