LEARNING TO SIT AT THE FEET OF JESUS

One morning , I was reading the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42, when the Lord gave me this revelation.  It is helping me so much and it really is a THOUGHT TO PONDER. You probably know the story and how Martha was busy in the kitchen, while Mary sat at Jesus' feet.  Martha  needs help in the kitchen, but Mary needs help for her soul.  Who is right? Jesus said that Mary had chosen the best portion, which will not be taken away from her. Why did Jesus say a thing like that?  Didn't He care about how much Martha is serving Him working so hard in the kitchen? Of course, He appreciated her efforts, but how much more it would have meant to Him, if Martha first desired was to sit with Mary and cook later? 

I was thinking about this and I thought to myself, "How many times have I tried to serve Jesus myself without even asking what He wants me to do? I just want Him to bless my agenda and hope it is His.  Could many of my works to serve be considered wood, hay and stubble?  That made me sad and I knew I was missing something. Mary was building on gold, silver and precious stone, by first letting the Lord serve her.  Mary wanted a deep relationship with him. 

Learning to walk in the spirit and not in my flesh (old nature) is an every day trial for me. The Lord is so patience, kind and gentle in His ways. I am grateful to be a CHILD of God, because He doesn't expect a CHILD to know everything or to do everything right. Children are learners and I have so much to learn about His ways.

Mary sat at His feet and let Him FIRST serve her.  THAT WAS IT. Her desire was to first sit before the Lord and not be so anxious to do, do do, but to be, be, be with Him, and then she would know what He wanted her to do, do, do.  Did He not say, "even as the Son of Man came NOT TO BE served, but TO SERVE and to give His life as a ransom for many."  (Matthew 20:25-28). 

As the Lord continues to bring His body together in the last day, it will be more and more important for each of us to learn to wait upon the Lord.  Why are we so anxious to serve the Lord, when we don't even know what we wants us to do?  If He is the HEAD and WE are HIS BODY, than how can we do anything that is holy , righteous and good apart from the Head.

 In our physical bodies, it is not the head that tells our body what to do and it responds?  How many times I have found myself running around like a chicken with its head cut off the head, only to find it may have been a good thing, but it wasn't what the Lord wanted me to do. What kind of a foundation am I building upon,gold, silver, gold and precious stone, or wood, hay or stable? A thought to ponder.

DON'T WASTE YOUR BREATH

So many times I have taken for granted the very air I breathe. I hardly ever think about it.  It just do it. It's natural, so I think.  But is that true? Is it really me that keeps me alive? Am I really in control of my breath?  Am I truly aware that the breath He gives me has a divine purpose? 

 Psalm 150:6 says it the best. " Let everything that has breath praise the Lord."  How amazing is this! Have you ever noticed how tree branches grow upward towards the sun and how the birds sing their different  morning and evening songs? Even the wind has its soft whispers of praise, as the flowers turn their lovely faces towards the sun. All this praise surrounds us all the time.  It is so easy to ignore it and to seek the praise for oneself instead of praise for our creator.

There was a time in my life when I hardly ever recognized God's splendor.  I was too busy seeking my own glory. I was so blinded by my own self importance that I never took the time to delight in the beauty of nature around me.

I will never forget the day when the Lord graciously told me, "My daughter, your pride is stealing My glory." I was stopped  dead in my tracks!  The sin of pride in my heart was seeking its own praise and glory, because I wanted to feel accepted and important. It was the truth. I was so blinded seeking the praises of men.  It wasn't until the Lord opened my eyes with the gospel, that I realized that I was born to glorify God. Adam lost God's glory that once clothed him in the Garden, when he choose to rebel.  Christ purchased it back for His bride, the church, to wear His glory forever. There is no competition between God's glory and man's.  It is all God's glory and pride surrenders to the cross.  The sinner must die.

As a born again Christian, there is no greater purpose in this life then to glorify our Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ. We have been given back spiritual breath, so that we can join with all of creation and sing with King David,"Let everything that has breath praise the Lord."  Don't waste your breath on this temporary world that is passing away. Let our praise resound in heavenly places until He takes our last breath from this world and we enter our eternal home. To Him be all praise, honor, and glory forever and ever. 

A GOOD CHUCKLE

I had to chuckle, even though at the time it really wasn't funny.  One of our grand daughters, when she was three years old, stood with her hands on her hips announcing to the whole family,"I don't want anyone telling me what to do!"

 I thought to myself, "What was that all about.?" It came out of nowhere. I wish you could have seen the expression on my daughter and son-in-law's face. In moments like this, I love being a grandmother.   I removed myself into another room, while the parents dealt with it.

Why am I chuckling. That same rebellious and independent spirit in her, was also birthed in me. 

 My little grand daughter  became a major prayer request. When she was a teenager, she was born again. Later she attended college, received her associate degree, married, and today she has three little sinners of her own being carried in her heart to the cross.

As a parent, grandparent and now a great grandparent, I walk daily on my knees, grateful for the prayers of the many saints who prayed me into the Kingdom.  

The world is ugly and getting very evil. Will you join me and pray for our Nation's children, grandchildren and great grandchildren across this land?  The Lord Jesus Christ is our only hope for the coming days and we need to prepare. 

 Remember the word of the Lord in 2 Chronicles "If My people who are called by my name will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land" 

This is the Lord's conditional promise for any Nation, if His church will pray.  Let us walk together on our knees before our Holy God and bring glory to the Name of His Son ,Jesus. 

WHERE IS YOUR IDENTITY?

When I was a young Christian, it took me many years to understand true repentance.  I was taught to confess my sins, because I was a sinner and that Jesus had forgiven me. But, why did I still feel like I was going around and around in a circles and never free? It seemed like the same sins were always rearing their ugly head. Where was the FREEDOM and POWER of the cross to change me more and more into the image of Christ? (Romans 8:29) Something was missing

It wasn't until I understood this truth.  I SINNED because I was a SINNER. Sin was natural for me.  I had to identify with Adam's sin before I could identify with Christ resurrection. ADAM'S SIN was MY OWN ALSO. It was called the Original Sin.  Without true repentance of the the Original Sin of Adam (including Eve), I was like a dog chasing his own tail, Satan loved me confessing sin over and over again, but he sure did not want me to know the power of the cross that crucified Adam!  As I continued to ask God for more revelation of Adam's sin as my own, He gave me analogy to helped me to understand the POWER OF THE CROSS and what happened when I was born again.

"I was living in a house all alone, back in the hills of West Virginia.  Down in my basement was a machine making 'moonshine' by the gallons,and I was storing it in quart bottles, hiding them in closets, drawers and under beds throughout my house. No one would ever have known that I was making and selling moonshine, so I thought.  Then one morning the door bell rang.  I answered it. It was the law.  The officer entered, rushed by me and headed  for the basement.door. He went down the cellar stairs and quickly went right  to the distillery. He took a huge sledge hammer and totally smashed  it to pieces," It is finished." He declared. " That machine will never produce an ounce of alcohol  again.  I know that you have bottles hidden away, but the choice is now yours to drink or not to drink. As you hand  bottles over to me, I will smash each one of them and will continue to smash every bottle, because I know you have a many hidden .  This house has been sold and it has a new owner.  He said that you can still live here, but first he has to destroy the distillery. He said that He would help you to get rid of the bottles and replace them with a healthier drink."

For the first time I understood salvation.  The house was me, and the distillery was my Adamic sin nature. The bottles were my hidden SINS (plural) that I was trying to keep hidden to look religious. I was supposed to be a Christian, but it was so hard.  For the first time I realized that I needed to repent of the sin of Adam as my very own sin.  It was the Adamic nature that was producing all the sins in me and now I was beginning to understand the POWER OF THE CROSS.  The cross was the sledge hammer that crushed the Adamic nature. I was free from  the  power of sin and I knew what I had to repent of!  It was my identity in Adam.  I was conceived in sin in my mother's womb  (Psalm 51:7) and born into this world a sinner.  Then I was BORN AGAIN by faith into Christ became a saint. (One set apart to God)

I am forever grateful for Jesus, I now have a new identity. I am a new creation in Christ Jesus and all things have become new. Positionally,  I am no longer in Adam,(1 Cor 5:17) . The only difference is that when I sin as a believer, and I still do,  I DON'T WANT TO SIN.  Now I can go to Calvary and by faith receive God's unconditional forgiveness without any condemnation.  What wonderful grace and mercy has been extended to me and to whosoever will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. They too will be saved and made new.