Lessons from a Housewife

Most housewives like for their homes to be clean, and I, for one, am one of those who takes great pleasure in knowing that my house isn't just clean, but spotless!  I love for our bedroom to be neat and tidy, for the bathroom to look and smell good, for the kitchen to be absolutely spotless and for our living room to be as tidy as one can hope for (seeming that it's mostly a man's domain). 

The other day, as I was dusting our bedroom dresser, I knelt down to pick up I'm not sure I remember quite what, and I when I got back up on my feet, the sun had starting shining through our window and to my dismay, I noticed more dust on our dresser!  I couldn't believe it.  After all, I had just got done with dusting it and I had made sure to wipe away every spec! It was then that the thought came to me.  God's word says the following:

"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags..." Isaiah 64:6

God's word also tells us that not any one of us is "good" (Psalm 14:3) and that we are all sinners (Romans 3:23).  We always want to measure ourselves up to man's standards, however, in God's standards, not anyone of us stands a chance, for He is a Holy and Perfect God. We sometimes think we are good because we haven't committed any of the "BIG" sins, such as adultery, theft or murder.  But God the Father is a holy and righteous Judge and there is no such thing as "little" or "big" sins according to His Law.  In fact, James 2:10 says the following:

"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."

The only one that can measure up and has measured up to God's holy standards is God Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ.  He was born of a virgin and entered into this world through a holy birth and lived a holy life.  You see, it was important and urgent for Him not to commit sin.  The devil tried to tempt Him into offending God's law, but He endured it all and never once sinned.  Our Lord Jesus came to live and die and offer Himself up as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.  Had He committed even the slightest of sins, He couldn't be a perfect sacrifice for us. But thankfully, He endured it all, even the mocking of man, and gave Himself up as a perfect sacrifice so that we could all be saved and justified in God's eyes. 

So we know that we are no good and cannot keep God's law, but there is one that is good and has kept God's law, and that's the Lord Jesus Christ.  So what we must do is realize that we are sinners and guilty before God and repent and ask for His forgiveness.  It's that simple!  Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31) and confess Him as your Saviour (Romans 10:10) and ask Him to give you eternal life. 

Once you receive Him as your Saviour, God the Father looks upon you and sees His perfect and holy Son through you and in His eyes you are absolutely guiltless. It's just as though you are perfect - not that you are - but it is Jesus Christ in you who is perfect.  And even though  you will still come short of God's glory each and every day, you will always be God's Son but you will notice that now your sins will start bothering you and you won't like or want to live the way that you did before.  That's conviction - it's God telling you "you shouldn't have done or said that!"  Thankfully, we serve a good and merciful God and when we do come short of His glory, we can claim 1 John 1:9:

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

It's amazing the things that God can reveal to us in the simplest of things to remind us of how good and how great a Saviour He is.  I'm so thankful that the Lord Jesus Christ ransomed Himself for me and made eternal life so easy to obtain.  Having eternal life is simple - it's just a matter of what you do with God's Son.  Do you accept the Lord Jesus Christ or do you reject Him?  Your answer to that question will determine where you will spend eternity. 

Stand still and see the Salvation of the Lord

"...stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day...". Exodus 14:13

A simple verse. A most familiar Bible passage. Christians, as well as non-believers, most certainly know how that God brought salvation to the Israelites by parting the Red Sea and helped them escape the evil hands of Pharaoh and his Egyptian army. There is much power to God's words "stand still". In fact, one of my favorite Psalms comes from chapter 46, verse 10 "Be still and know that I am God". It seems to me that every time we need Him, all He requires us to do is to be still. How simple! We are to be still and to keep our trust in Him and He will do all the work and prove that His is the Almighty God and that nothing is ever too difficult for Him.

Recently, those words "stand still and see the salvation of the Lord" seem to mean so much more to me. Not long after getting married in April to a most wonderful Christian young man, I found out that I was expecting. My husband and I couldn't be any happier, because we've both always wanted to have a family. But God willed to take the child home, and He did so early on. I was only about 4 weeks into the pregnancy. As much as it did hurt, I was still very thankful that He took the baby early on. As Job once said "the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."

In early August, I found out that I was pregnant again! My husband and I quickly fell to our knees and thanked the Lord for this wonderful gift of His. During the first few weeks into the pregnancy, I quickly started experiencing the common pregnancy symptoms and I was often getting sick. Then, eleven weeks into my pregnancy, on a Sunday afternoon, without any other prior symptoms, I started bleeding very heavily and we quickly assumed that I was having yet another miscarriage. My husband took my hand and prayed with me and then we both rushed to the hospital expecting the worst. Thankfully, a lot of people were praying for us as they were sharing our hurt. On the way to the hospital, my loving mom sent me a text message on my phone with the following words: "stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord." As sad I was feeling, I knew that it was God's will to take the child home. After all, that had been our prayer from the very first day; we simply wanted God's perfect will for our lives. After reading my mom's message and knowing that she, along with our families and friends were praying for us, God gave both my husband and I peace.

Then, at the hospital, I was given an ultra-sound and as the technician was looking at the screen, I kept thinking "there's nothing in there for you to see". But just like that, there it was. A heartbeat. There was our child on the screen. As we heard that first little heartbeat, we couldn't but think "God is good". From the hospital room, I was able to talk to my mom on the phone and we kept thinking of the verse that God had put on her heart to send me. Out of all the things she could have said, and out of all the Bible verses she could have thought of, God gave her "stand still and see the salvation of the Lord." I still get chills in my body when I think how that He saved our baby. We saw His salvation.

A few days later, one of my best friends, more like a dear sister of mine, Nadia, called me and told me to go back to Exodus 14:13. You see, that day, that very same passage was her morning Bible Reading and God showed her the rest of the verse. Not only did He say to stand still and see His salvation, but He went on to promise "which He will show you today". That is exactly what God did for us on Oct 2, 2011. He saved our baby boy on that very same day.

Now as we prepare for His arrival in late April, I can't but thank the Lord for our little miracle baby boy each and every day. Hebrews 13:8 says that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today and forever. How very true! The same God that wrought a miracle by parting the Red Sea, has wrought a miracle by saving our little baby boy. I look forward to the day that he is old enough for us to tell him how that God saved Him and how that I consider him my little miracle and gift from God's own hands. My husband and I already pray that He in turn, will grow up and be saved and call on the name of Jesus Christ at a young age and that He will always have a tender heart for the Lord and for His word. Thank you, dear Lord Jesus, that you are and always be the God that brings Salvation to His people.

Abiding With Jesus Christ

There are so many Hymns that I truly enjoy...one of them is Abide With Me. I just love its words...in life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

The word "abide" means to dwell, to continue, to endure and to await. To abide pretty much sums up the Christian Life!! But what does it take for you and I to adibe with Jesus Christ, to fully dwell and walk with Him? Well I think the answer is rather a simple one. I believe that we must realize and understand that God is holy, and so, to abide with Him, we must clean up our lives a litte and get rid of the old ways; get rid of sin. If there is sin in your life, or in my life, than you and I must go to Him and confess it and ask Him to help us walk in righteousness. Never forget that we serve a merciful, longsuffering and loving God who is always willing and ready to forgive us all of our sins!

~ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

I have learned through my walk with God that to abide with God is to abide in His word. God's word can do so much for you and I, it's the only way we can learn about Him and the more we learn about Him, the more we love Him.

Jesus said in John 15:1-4
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me."

If you want to be clean and live a victorious life over sin and temptations, then you must Abide With Christ. You must dwell in His word day and night. Didn't David say "Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee". Psalm 119:11

It's so sweet to abide with Jesus Christ; it's so easy to fall in love with such a loving God. O Thou who changest not, abide with me.

But Whom Say Ye That I Am

Passage to read: Matthew 16:13-17

The disciples of Jesus Christ had been walking with Hm for quite some time now. They've heard him teach and had even seen him perform many miracles, yet still lacked so much faith, that even the Lord Himself was baffled by their unbelief! Look at Matthew 16:5-11 (just a few verses above our passage). But let's give them some credit, after the Lord's rebuke, they finally understood that he was speaking concerning doctrine.

Now back to our original text. The Lord asks them an important question, "whom do men say that I the Son of man am?" Verse 13...notice, that in a way, the Lord Jesus Christ gives away the answer (Answer: The Son of man). But they answered that some think he was John the Baptist, some Elijah, some Jeremiah or one of the prophets. You see, many recongnized that Jesus was no ordinary man. And neither was He! But recognizing Him as "no ordinary man" is not good enough. Muslims will tell you and agree with you that Jesus was a "good man", a "prophet", and many in today's world say that he was a "good teacher with a good message". But that is not good enough. Thinking all these nice things about Jesus Christ will still land you in Hell. Beware!! You must give Jesus Christ the glory and honour due unto Him. He is more than just a good man...He is LORD OF LORDS, AND KING OF KINGS.

But going back to our text, after hearing their answers, the Lord decides to make it more personal, after all, they were his chosen disciples whom He loved very much. Verse 15 "but whom say ye that I am?" Verse 16: Notice that only Simon Peter jumps up to answer the question. Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Amen!!

Read verse 17. Who revealed this important truth about Jesus Christ to Peter? No one else but the Father Himself. God the Father revealed to Simon Peter that Jesus was not just an ordinary man, but that He was and Is the CHRIST, the Son of the living God!! Read verses 20 and 21. After that truth was make known unto Peter, and the rest of the disciples, that is when Jesus was finally able to reveal his sole purpose of coming to earth - to suffer and to exchange His life a reason for our souls. You see, once you recongize the Lord Jesus as THE CHRIST, only then can you understand the plan of salvation. Only then can you understand what He did on the cross of Calvary. Only then can you be saved. You must know Him as the Christ, as the Saviour of your soul. After all, that is what His name means: Jesus - For He shall saved His people from their sins (Matt 1:21). And notice HIS people!!

Allow me to show you one more thing. You see, someone once told me a very important truth. In everything in life, we first must see it to believe it. But with God, it takes faith! You believe on Him FIRST, and then He'll reveal and prove Himself to you.

Now read Matthew 17:19. Imagine this. Six days after Peter puts His faith in Jesus and recognizes Him as the Christ, the Son of the living God, He is taken, along with James & John, to the Mount of Transfiguration, and there, they witness something unimaginable. Remember, Jesus had no beauty that we shoul desire Him. Isaiah 53:2. He looked like an ordinary man (though he was no ordinary man). But He just took on the form of a man, but really, He was God!!! Oh the Glory that He left just to come and die for me!!! And on that day, on the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter, James & John got to see Him in all His MAJESTY!!! They got to see Him as KING JESUS!! Oh, one day, I too will see Him, my King of Kings!! Peter, James & John got to see Him in all His glory. He face shone like the sun, and his rainment was white as the Light...imagine...even His clothes changed and reavealed His glory! Look at verse 15. "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; Hear ye Him." Amen & Amen! You see, only six days after Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ (the King of Kings!), he got to see Him in all His Kingly Majesty.

My friends, have faith in Jesus. Take Him at His word, put your belief in Him. You've tried everything else. Now surrender and put your faith in Jesus Christ. He will without a doubt reveal Himself to you and you will get to know Him as the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. And you know something, Peter, James & John never did forget that day!! (John 1:14 and 2 Peter 1:16-18). You will never forget the day that you meet the Lord. I encourage you (and I URGE you) to BELIEVE ON JESUS CHRIST. He is the ONLY WAY to Heaven. John 14:6. The desitny of your soul lies in "whom say that Jesus is".

Because He delighted in me

In Genesis 1:31, the Bible tells us that “God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good”. He looked back at all His creation and looked at it with delight. We are His creation; the work of His hands and thus, God takes special delight in us. We are so precious to Him that He even bothered redeeming us back!! If we were of no value to Him, He wouldn’t have bothered reconciling us back to Him. But He went as far as purchasing us back with His own blood. That’s a heavy price to pay.

~In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins. 1 Cor 1:14

I still don’t really understand how we could bring great joy and delight to His Heart. But that’s a Bible truth, He really does delight in His creation. Even David understood that because in Psalm 18:19, he writes: “he delivered me, because he delighted in me”. That applies to us today – it applies to me. I can say that when my life was a chaotic mess and I was desperate, when sin had a stronghold on me, Jesus Christ came and rescued me, because He delighted in me.

~But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

I am basking in God’s love for me. While I was yet a sinner, Christ died for me. While I was yet a sinner, the Lord Jesus Christ rescued me from the wages of sin, death and gave me a special gift, eternal life. And what did I do to earn this gift? Nothing. It cost me absolutely nothing, but it cost Him his own blood. And He did it all because He delighted in me, because He loved me. When someone delights in you and loves you, it’s easy to love that person back. That’s why today I delight in Him and that’s why I love Him. Because He first loved me…because He first delighted in me!

~We love him, because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19

Psalm 150

Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbreland dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD. Ps. 150

So this is not very deep or anything, but I just realized that Psalm 150 begins with Praise ye the LORD and ends with Praise ye the LORD. It's mentioned in the beginning an at the end. Jesus Christ is the beginning and the end. The Alpha and the Omega. The First and the Last. The Beginning and the End. I don't know how but this made me stop and think. How many times do I praise the Lord in the beginning of a situation and continue praising Him all through the end. Not too many times, I must confess. Psalm 150 is clear - God wants me to praise Him. He commands me to. But praising God should not be a very difficult commandment to obey. It should just come. Even in the darkest of times He can give us peace that passeth all understanding (Phil 4:7). We have great examples of such men all trhough the Bible (Daniel, Paul, Stephen...). They had peace during their darkest trials and never stopped praising the Lord. It's possible - all I have to do is spend more time on my knees. I have to keep in mind that He promised to never leave me nor forsake me. He'll be with me during the beginning of my darkest hour and will guide me through the end. I want to praise the Lord always. He is worthy to be praised. I have so much to praise Him for...I wouldn't know where to begin!

Jesus is coming SOON

Isn’t it great knowing that Jesus is coming soon! Yep, He’s not just coming, but He’s coming SOON. “Behold, I come quickly”, Rev. 3:11. How do we know that quickly is not another 2000 years? Because the Bible teaches us to compare current events with the signs of His coming.

And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. Luke 21:28

The verse doesn’t read “maybe, just maybe, your redemption will draw nigh soon”. Nope, YOUR REDEMPTION DRAWETH NIGH. From every Believer’s point of view, things are looking bad. Even from a lost soul’s point of view, the world is in a mess. Everyone is looking for hope. Many think Obama is that hope - that light at the end of the tunnel. But we know that there is no hope outside of the Lord Jesus Christ. “For thou art my hope, O Lord God”, Ps. 71:5. My hope is in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ – my hope is KNOWING that Jesus is coming soon.

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm. With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King. Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity. Psalm. 98:5-9

The theme is joyfulness! The King is coming!