Not being a Father or even a man I am speculating a bit on this one. How proud God must have been to have a son so willing to go the distance and do it well. This was a life and death matter. His son laying aside his own life and royal heavenly home for years to accomplish something that would benefit many for many more years.
He knew how His son would be recieved and then betrayed by those who He was sent to be a gift to. He didn't have any better way than to give His best-Jesus- to let people know Who He was, how much He cared for them and to purchase them back from sin and Satans cruel captivity. Jesus said to His followers "if you see me, you see the Father" because he did what he saw his Father doing. He imitated his dad. Healing, forgiving,
loving, removing demonic oppression, walking, eating, rebuking stubborn religious leaders, teaching by his very life, inviting others to join the Father's household with him. People wanted to hang out with him.
What I see also though in the Father's walk is one of the greatest strategies for an April Fools joke ever pulled. I am taking a bit of liberty here with this I know. Think of this, all along God knew the devil knew that He, God the Father and this righteous one named Jesus were up to something! See the devil doesn't know everything but wants us to think he does. He figured he had to get rid of this Jesus fellow since he hadn't been able to have him killed as a child when Herod was on a baby killing spree to protect his throne from the newborn who was to become king someday. And he couldn't trip him up and make him sin ever. All he knew was Jesus was making waves and disturbing his demonic kingdom and may be the one the prophecies were talking about. Maybe he thought the prophecies were meaning a physical here on earth king taking over. Any way he was definately in the stirring up of the pharisees against Jesus to put him to death.
Pretty easy to do since they were a power hungry group for the most part. The scripture says in 1 Corinthians 2:7-8 if he (the devil) being a ruler of this world had known what God had planned, he would have never had Jesus put to death! And that my readers, was the awesome trick the Father played on the devil. The very death, burial and resurrection of His magnificent Son Jesus is the thing that is the salvation of mankind! It is the ultimate demise of Satan who now knows his time is very short so is trying to whip up all kinds of trouble if we as God's people will let him. Those who think of God as stuffy or mean or just a crutch or untouchable have got it wrong. Read the life of His son and when you see Jesus, you will see the picture of God Almighty who wants to be your Father.
Did you ever get to where the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus almost became more religion than real in your life? Sometimes I think about that in my life. The walk is kind of on auto pilot and the things I do "in the Name of Jesus" and for Him and His purposes take on a common feel. Out of a place of habit maybe rather than awe for Who He is and what He has done for me. Since I am always feeling the need to explain myself I will say here, there are habits that are good to have so I am not knocking developing habits.
Last night I watched the Passion of Christ. The one produced by Mel Gibson that had a success that took Hollywood by surprise. It naturally refreshed some things in me that needed some refreshing. You would have to be a hard pressed stone hearted person to not be moved by the movie and the truth behind it. Now if you are getting mad at me - don't - just watch it and see for yourself!
So many things were happening in me as the movie unfolded. I remembered first of all why I love Him so much! The words scourged and whipped took on life and pain and a fresh realization that it was my sin not just everyones sin in a general impersonal sanitary way that He endured for.
Several angles stood out to me. Last night I was thinking of His mother's walk. His real down to earth chosen by God Mom who had mom feelings. His mom who counted His fingers and toes and planted kisses on them and being Jewish probably didn't play this little piggie but surely played toddler games with him. Who had to move just to protect him from would be life takers. Who knew His favorite foods and tucked him in at night. Who made sure He had clothes and sandles that fit and were cleaned. Who reminded Him to wash up and do His chores. Who searched for Him when he turned up missing as a 12 year old. (If she could misplace her son that certainly eases the mind of any mother with a known escape artist for a child or with a momentary lapse of awareness in the hustle of the days activities)
His mom who had been given the amazing announcement that she was CHOSEN by God Creator of herself and of the universe to be the vessel who would be pregnant with and mom to His Son by an overshadowing of the Holy Spirit causing her - a virgin to conceive this miraculous child.
There were some awkward moments about this naturally and isn't it something that what we think might be awkward wasn't a stumbling block to God? Like she was "betrothed" to Joseph. A bit different than our idea of engagement here in our culture. She was still a virgin yet essentially married to him just in a period of waiting for a few things to be put into place before she could have the final steps taken that would allow her to go home with him and fully be his wife in every sense of the word. Now how was she to explain this to him? This was a huge area to trust God in. A big area to "Fear not" in. She knew she had seen an angel but who else would believe her? Especially once it was known she was pregnant and not with Joseph's baby either. Obviously God was in the details and she wasn't supposed to fret.
She went to stay with her cousin who was also pregnant now in her own amazing miracle as the angel had also told her would be the case in her own prophetic circumstances who then began to prophesy to Mary reafirming the angels news and letting her know in that way God has her and whatever is important about her reputation covered.
Then God not leaving Joseph out of the loop either has an angel visitation for him with instructions about Mary and her baby and how he is to take her as his wife not divorce her because really God chose him also.
There were other prophetic words along the way about Jesus to Mary from other people and we are told Mary "kept these things and pondered them in her heart". I believe they came flooding back in full force as she watched her Son carry the cross on his beaten back. And in that moment the prophetic word she had been given about a sword piercing her own heart was more real than any of us ever want to know.
Can I just venture something here though without seeming like I am irreverent? Is there any mother out there who could not say she has tasted the sword in some measure as she raised her children? Those are children who we want to say are perfect but know they may mess up a little bit sometimes and some kids a whole lot and we treasure them anyway. Is there anyone of us mothers who have had children ridiculed or bullied or terribly sick or struggling with something and died a bit inside ourselves from the pain of our child and don't we stick with them?
Mary stuck with Jesus through the bitter death on the cross. Through people mocking, beating and betraying her son. Jesus looked at her from the cross and looked out for her from the cross. In the midst of his anguish He assigned one of His dearest followers to care for her as his own mother and for her to look to that one as her own son. She had other sons mind you but this disciple followed Him to deaths door with Mary. Those little baby hands and feet she had cherished. Those little toddler hands that held her hands and chubby toddler feet that perhaps stood upon hers in a dance or learning to walk. The feet that learned to take the strides of a man out distancing her steps walking the countryside to share just Who God really is and the hands that grasped a hammer surely but also reached to heal broken and sick people that many others refused to even touch. Those were the hands outsretched on the beam of the cross held in place by large nails. Those were the feet pierced for our transgressions. She had to trust and fear not that God surely had a plan, a last overcoming final word yet to be said in spite of her pain. And we know He did!!! Her sorrow was turned to dancing when Jesus rose from the grave triumphant and glorified securing our salvation when we believe He did it for our sins to be forgiven. So thankful for Gods plan and salvation by His faithful son Jesus. And so thankful for a mother that trusted enough for her Son to follow Gods plan for Him.
Late this morning as I sat eating left over KFC chicken and coleslaw for a brunch sort of thing, I read a devotional book I had not used before. I love to read and eat at the same time. So I opened not to the beginning but pretty much to the middle and noticed the devo's I happened to be reading included references to food among other things. Naturally I thought about what I was eating compared to some of the recipes in the book. Not stellar really.
Then I came across one written by Sheila Walsh in story form about a little boy who always took the lunch his mom made him each day but many times didn't eat it and his thoughts about why his mom was always trying to get him to eat something. That right there struck home because as my kids are growing I am like that. Looking for the right meal or snack to get some nutritious something into them to help them grow strong and healthy. And I find that while they eat some of what I send to school, sometimes it just gets shared at the table with the kids they are eating with. Like the boy who gave his lunch up to Jesus that day when he heard food was needed. Maybe he didn't like fish. Maybe he captured the essence of Jesus and His words and wanted to just be helpful. But Jesus took that little bit that in our natural eyes was FAR,FAR SHORT of what the situation called for and made it MORE THAN ENOUGH...such an amazing miracle! Have you ever had that happen? Someone coming by around dinner time and you only have so much but you ended up with leftovers anyway? It's the end of the month and creative cooking is called for and you end up with a recipe idea that gets made from whatever is on hand that is so good you know you will use it again?
Sheila tied this together with the words "...Too often we miss the point as daughters of the King. We look at what we have to offer, and it is clear to us that it's not enough so we hold back. Yet the fact that we don't have enough is the whole point. We are given the outrageous invitation to partner with the King of kings as he lavishes his love and grace on this earth. God uses little boys lunches and women's conferences and a few words spoken in kindness- and through these simple vessels, he changes the world.
Whatever you have today is enough. It might not look like it to you but put into Jesus's hands, it is more than enough."
I needed that today! I hope it helps you too.
I will adapt her prayer. Father, You take little and make it much. You make it more than enough. I give You my life today and ask You to meet needs with it. Take my words, take my talents that seem incomplete and use them how You choose. Don't let me look so much at how big the giants in my circumstances are and decide I can do nothing much so why do anything at all. It is in You I live and move and have my being and You make giants look like a speck of dust. Here I am Lord. Use me.
If a Rose by any other name smells as sweet doesn't the opposite hold true also? As in a skunk by any other name still stinks when spraying.
This has to do with words and attitude AGAIN! Shouldn't I have improved in this by now? I was better in my early days even if it was from a misguided concept that submission meant I did not express my opinion and preferences.Why is it that I think my opinion is so right anyway? Or that it needs to be spoken all the time. And who made me judge of the intents of anothers heart and motive? Oh I know we can discern stuff and the word of God is a plumb line and does show the intents of our hearts. But isn't that just it tonight? I need it to show the intents of my OWN heart first and foremost.
Here is a bit of the behind the scenes on this. Have you ever had someone in passing hear just a snatch of what you were saying or doing and determine something about you from just that snatch? Well I think I had that happen to me tonight. Ouch. Someone overheard a kitchen conversation (not their fault they couldn't help but hear from the other room). What they could not know however was for part of what was happening even though the voices sounded harsh (all over a hamburger mind you of all the crazy things) there was really pantomime,teasing and exaggerated hand motions going on through that bit of what sounded like evil rebellious arguing. Then there were a couple comments made on another topic which were judgemental frankly and I am ashamed of that. However what could not be known again to the casual listener was the long history in our lives that would have pricked such a sharp, albeit, brief remark.
All I can say, well obviously I am saying alot, but I think this is an area God is really dealing with me on. To the point of " am I behaving in such a way as to represent Him even in the privacy of my home?" Just what does that mean? Representing Him well. Does it mean I never mess up or now that I have a Savior I never do anything I need saving from ever again? And the person I was party to making a carelessly harsh remark about has really been making progress honestly and I think I need to watch out that I don't become like the Prodigal son's big brother- the one who did every thing "right"- but forgive. Or the pharisee who was saying to God "I thank You God I am not like that sinful tax collector over there. Let me show you my list of good things, religious things I do. I carry a copy in my purse along with the pictures of my kids and grandkids and hang another copy on my wall in a lovely frame so every one can see including You God. That way every one who comes around will know how Christian I am" And there we see calling a skunk a rose does not make it smell like one...and I want to be a person who carries the fragrance living life for Jesus brings, not just try to cover a skunky attitude with a temporary fragrance spray.
My first real introduction to this block of scripture was my not yet husband sitting next to me on the couch at my parents doing a bible study together. I was newly saved (just a few months into geting a handle on the New Creature in Christ walk and renewing my mind) and he had been into this thing for years now. Flipping open to Proverbs 31 and handing it to me to read, he seriously said "This is what I want in a wife". Has anyone else ever been overwhelmed (alright intimidated) by the job description of this Superwoman? Knowing myself as I did, I secretly thought but didn't speak the words by any means,"You are going to have to look somewhere else..." And here we are going on 33 years of marriage.
Let me ask you this. Did any of you ever buy a coat or a pair of shoes just a bit too big for your kids because you knew they would be growing into them (and hoped for a little more use what with the cost and all)? I think lots of times God does that with a call or position we are to fill. The "coat or shoes" He gives us feel slightly too big. Maybe even way too big. But God knows we will grow into it.
These days my husband tells me off and on that I fit the description. It has taken years and I still don't spin wool or sell belts in the market or have a house of servants to command. But one thing I get is that it is not a snap shot of one moment in this womans life. It is a progressive movement through seasons in her life...
She is obviously to the point of having grown children who "get it" now. Who may even have their own kids they are doing for and they bless her deliberate, loving, efforts in their lives. (No you are older now and that bathing suit is too skimpy...pick your clothes up off your floor...if you miss the trash can, pick it up...I am not the only one here who wanted a dog...unload the dishwasher...do your homework... brush your teeth...yes you do have to go to church...even "because I said so"...*sigh*...all makes sense now).
Uniquely fitted for the generation we are born in, our superwoman days have all kinds of things crammed in. If you are a parent too you are fitting those things in between carpooling like a jig-saw puzzle some times. Grocery shopping, Dr visits, pharmacy, school, work, watching movies with kids or husband, making sure the kids are fed and clothed, laundry, pets, delegation, driving lessons, haircuts, grandchildren, yard work, cleaning in general, volunteer work and so on. And the pieces don't always want to fit where I want. And then I am handed another piece to fit in just as I think I've got it balancing pretty well. Nope they are definately not all crisis moments but too many "goods" can lead to a crisis...
I think that was one of the intriguing things in proverbs 31. This woman handled it all without any show of crisis! She smiled at the future so she definately trusted God and balanced her priorities.That's where I want to be. I believe it is possible. Today I listed all my "obligations" and committments and realized NO WONDER I DONT FEEL LIKE WONDERWOMAN! Definately need some scaling back especially since so much seems to take me to doing things that take alot of hours and is primarily not for my family.
Don't get me wrong. I love what I find myself doing for others essentially in my mind "for the LORD" but also find it leaves me drained even as it gives a sense of satisfaction because I feel affirmed by doing something that ties into my giftings. So now I am in that pondering/praying mode (ok maybe I am still pondering more than praying at this point). What do I let go of? What do I keep?
