I can only imagine the utmost joy that Mary felt when she saw the face of her son, Jesus, for the first time. I know how much joy I felt when I gave birth to our firstborn daughter four years ago, & then our son a few months ago.
In my eyes, there is not much that trumps a baby that smiles for no other reason than looking at someone that is smiling at them. It does not take much for a baby to smile. Why can't we all be like that? Think about how Jesus smiles at His children, & especially when they give their whole self to Him. Why not consider giving your whole self to Him since He died on the cross to do the same for us?
To show our daughter the true meaning of Christmas, we went to a nursing home tonight to hand out Christmas cards, & bless the lives of the elderly people who might not have loved ones to share the holidays with. It truly touched my heart to see our daughter bring a smile to their faces with her Rudolph nose & antlers.
This Christmas, why don't you take a minute to sew some joy & hope into someone's life. Someday we all will seek His face, & we want to make sure that we make a Godly impact on earth by being a light to the lost!
*Merry Christmas!*
"Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. - Deuteronomy 34:10
One of the great differences between Moses and any other character in the Bible is how God describes Moses. Moses was a friend of God, and he met God face to face. "The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend" (Ex. 33:11a). So often, we view others for what they can do for us, instead of who they are. There is a difference between being a servant and being a friend. There is a difference between being an employee and being a son.
Do you seek God's face, or do you find that you spend more time seeking His hand? God wants us to seek Him for our every need. However, there is a higher calling for every believer. That is to seek God's face, and to see Him for His love and tenderness toward us as His children. He can provide for our physical needs, but when we see Him face to face, we are changed. We no longer see Him as one to be feared as much as one to know intimately. We no longer view Him for what He can give to us, but for what He already has given for us.
When we see Jesus face to face, we are no longer slaves, but friends. We do not fear Him as a slave fears his master. We have entered a new kind of relationship-a relationship that has mutual respect and care.
Today, Jesus is calling you to seek His face, not just His hand. When you seek His face, you will know His provision and His mercy in all aspects of life. Seek His face today and become a friend of God."
Monday, December 24, 2012
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Psalm 62:5-6
I have not posted in a while, because I have been busy with our newest addition & 4 year-old daughter.
The below paragraphs are encouraging! We all want a cookie cutter life where there are no worries. However, that will never be the case here on earth. We can only expect the perfect life--utter bliss--when we get to Heaven! So, learn to turn all your worries over to God; read the Bible daily so that your living your life according to His will for you; & enjoy life as He intended us to no matter what your circumstances are.
"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. - Proverbs 13:12
Life is filled with disappointments. Many of God's greatest servants experienced deep disappointment in their journeys of faithfulness to God. Joseph, after spending years as a slave and in jail for crimes that he did not commit, revealed deep disappointment when he was forgotten another two years in prison. John the Baptist, when awaiting execution, doubted whether Jesus was, in fact, the Christ because he was sitting there awaiting his death. Elijah, losing all hope and despondent to the point of death, asked God to take his life in the desert; and Peter, who left his fishing business and invested three years of his life only to watch his Savior crucified, wondered whether the purpose of those three years could be justified.
When life doesn't add up, it leaves the heart sick. When we have done all we know to do and the formula has not worked, it leaves us questioning. These are times that try the very souls of men. There is no human sense to be made of it. We are left with a choice: to cling or not to cling. There are times when holding on to our Master's robe is all that we can do. It is all that He wants us to do.
The heights by great men reached and kept
Were not obtained by sudden flight;
But they, while their companions slept,
Were toiling upward in the night.
Standing on what too long we bore,
With shoulders bent and downcast eyes,
We may discern-unseen before-
A path to higher destinies!
~Longfellow
There is only one answer to life's disappointments. Like the psalmist, we must "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken" (Ps. 62:5-6)."
The below paragraphs are encouraging! We all want a cookie cutter life where there are no worries. However, that will never be the case here on earth. We can only expect the perfect life--utter bliss--when we get to Heaven! So, learn to turn all your worries over to God; read the Bible daily so that your living your life according to His will for you; & enjoy life as He intended us to no matter what your circumstances are.
"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. - Proverbs 13:12
Life is filled with disappointments. Many of God's greatest servants experienced deep disappointment in their journeys of faithfulness to God. Joseph, after spending years as a slave and in jail for crimes that he did not commit, revealed deep disappointment when he was forgotten another two years in prison. John the Baptist, when awaiting execution, doubted whether Jesus was, in fact, the Christ because he was sitting there awaiting his death. Elijah, losing all hope and despondent to the point of death, asked God to take his life in the desert; and Peter, who left his fishing business and invested three years of his life only to watch his Savior crucified, wondered whether the purpose of those three years could be justified.
When life doesn't add up, it leaves the heart sick. When we have done all we know to do and the formula has not worked, it leaves us questioning. These are times that try the very souls of men. There is no human sense to be made of it. We are left with a choice: to cling or not to cling. There are times when holding on to our Master's robe is all that we can do. It is all that He wants us to do.
The heights by great men reached and kept
Were not obtained by sudden flight;
But they, while their companions slept,
Were toiling upward in the night.
Standing on what too long we bore,
With shoulders bent and downcast eyes,
We may discern-unseen before-
A path to higher destinies!
~Longfellow
There is only one answer to life's disappointments. Like the psalmist, we must "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken" (Ps. 62:5-6)."
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