Yesterday I sat with a friend who is dying from cancer.  Every time I visit with her,  she always knows who I am and gives me a great smile.  As I watch her body deteriorate, I notice that she constantly has praise for God on her lips.  She counts everything that is done for her as a blessing.  I watched as many friends and family try to make her as comfortable as possible.  We are all trying to make her last moments with us precious.  My friend loved to cook and bake.  As we stood around her bedside she starting saying to us "Everyone needs something to do!"  She began calling out a recipe for making a cake.  She told us to write down the ingredients and then she gave each one of us a part in the process.  I was to do the mixing and keep up with the time.  As time was going by she asked  me had it been in the oven long enough and was it ready.   I began to comfort her and tell her it was not ready yet.  My friend was always a worker for the Lord.  She was always busy helping others.  It was she who came to sit with me when I had my first child so that my husband could attend church.  She often was found visiting and sitting with the sick.  She loved to bake whole wheat rolls.  (I could never get mine to taste like hers.)  As I sat in the room with her,  I began to think of how brief and fragile life is.  Things that I thought was important didn't matter anymore.  We came into this world with nothing and nothing will we take from this world.  Only the way we lived will be important.  Only the way we loved Jesus and others will matter.

This morning for my personal worship I was reading Luke 19.  The chapter begins with the story about a man named Zacchaeus.  It said that he was chief among the publicans and he was rich.  He wanted to see Jesus.  He wanted to see who He was. He heard that Jesus was coming to Jericho!!  Because he was a short man, he couldn't see Jesus when He came down road because there were too many people in the way.  He climbed up into a tree!!  Now when Jesus came to that tree, He stopped, looked up and saw him, and said, "Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house."  Amazing!!!!  Here was a man who wanted to see Jesus and Jesus came exactly where he was.  This tells me that no matter where you are or what you are doing in your life, if you want to see Jesus, He will come to you and reveal to you who He is!!!!! What an Awesome God!!!  Zacchaeus was so impressed with Jesus that he said, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold."  Zacchaeus repented of his sins. Then Jesus said to him, "This day is salvation come to this house, for so much as he also is a son of Abraham.  For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."  If you are reading this and perhaps you really don't know who Jesus is and you want to get to know Him.  ASK Him to reveal Himself to you!!!!!  All you got to do is ASK!!  Perhaps you feel that you are such a great sinner and Jesus will not bother with you.  That is a LIE!!!  He said that He came to seek and to save that which was lost!!!  He is waiting for you with open arms!!!!!  See the beauty of His character!!!

Hudson Taylor was an English Missionary in China in the 1800's.  He wanted all the Chineese people to know of Jesus' love for them.   At first, none of the Missionary societies of his church would sponsor him.  He deciced to take on this task with only the help of God.   He left his home in Europe and went to China!!!!  He went from village to village telling these people of God's love.  He felt such love for these people and wanted to be able to witness to them more.  He decided that the only way to effectively witness to them was to become one with them.  He took off his European clothes and began to dress like the China men.  Some of the other European Missionaries told him he was a disgrace.  But his great love for his Chineese bretheren compelled him to be  closer with them.  He dressed like them,  ate their food, cared for their sick, and shared his Jesus. He endured great privations in China. 

 

As I watched this movie, my mind began to reflect on the Greatest Missionary that ever was!!  You see my bible tells me that Jesus so loved me that He left a home where the angels loved and adored Him and came to a world full of sin and hatred to show me His great love for me!!!  He took off His Kingly robes and dressed in carpenters clothes to demonstrate this love to me!!!  He went through great humiliation and torture because of His love for me.  He was spat upon, beaten, and hung upon a cross naked for all to see for me!!  He took the punishment that I so deserved.  It was my sinful actions that caused all this suffering to Him.  As I look at this great love for me, my love for Him grows and I want everyone to know of this love. It wasn't just for me He came.  It was for the whole world!!  "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begottten Son"

"Has thou considered my servant Job"

Today was a very eventful day for me.  I woke up late so therefore I made the decision to wait and have my time in the word at work (like that ever works).  When I got to work, guess what?  I started to work immediately!  There was no time to have a brief moment with the Lord to receive directions for the day.   By the end of the day things

"The joy of the Lord is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10

When you truly know Christ, no one or nothing can steal your joy!!!! To everyone woman out there who may be feeling discouraged, know that the Lord loves you!!!! Go to Him and claim His promises!!!!

"He left all the splendor of heaven knowing that His destiny was a lonely hill called Golgatha there to lay down His life for me." What a wonderful and awesome thought!!!!!!!! Just to know that Jesus loves me so much that He gave His life for me. For this love that He gives me, I can give to others. Now He didn't give this love to me when I started to love Him. He gave this love before I knew Him. Even when I was comitting my worst sin, He loved me!!!!!!!! Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners!!!!!!! Pass the message on!!!!!!!

"God is good all the time and all the time God is good!!!!"

Those words seem just like an old cliche but the words are very true. This past year has been a serious one. My family has been through alot of trials. But the trials that have concerned me most is how I see the enemy trying to destroy my children especially my son. The magnitude that I've seen him come after my son is unreal. My son has been going through alot of trials. A lot of character building test if you would say. The enemy has sought to stab my son in his heart. To weaken him emotionally. But God is a Victor!!! I see Him holding my son in his hands!!! I have had to get on my knees and really cry unto the Master for help!!! I have had to ask other mothers to intercede with me for my son and I am seeing Christ come away Conqueror!!!! This week I have talked to many mothers who have told me that their sons have went through or are going through similar trials. I asked the Lord why does the enemy attack them in this particular way and the answer came back that the enemy knows that they will one day be heads of households and if he has already damaged the head, he has the family. It is our men folk who will do serious damage to the enemy's kingdom!!!! The Lord has showed me that my role is to give encouragement and love to my men folk. As I do this, I see my daughter doing it as well. Men need alot of encouragement. Today I challenge you, if you have any men folk in your life, please encourage them!!!11!!