During morning devotions, as I have said before I will start with a daily calendar and a daily devotional book. Recently a friend and I have been using an app, where a subject is chosen then daily, we read thru the devotional part, the scriptures and then we share with each other how the Lord spoke to us. This is the starting point for my day, of course with a cup of coffee in hand.
Often these devotions lead me to a concordance, which can then lead to a dictionary for a word that either I have never heard of or am unsure of the meaning such as the word: Liturgy……I will let you look it up 😊
Today started with how each one of us is unique, fashioned in a way that there is no one exactly like us. How each one of us has a purpose to fulfill. II Peter 3:9 says: “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” From the very start God Almighty had a purpose for our lives. First and foremost is to be reconciled back to Him. That our spirit is reborn. In John chapter 3, Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus: “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” So often you hear the words “born again” when a lost person, someone who has not accepted Christ as their Saviour, they come to repentance and accept Jesus as Lord……they are born again.
With that new birth, there is joy, there is excitement, there is rejoicing in Heaven. Now parallel that new birth in Christ to the birth of a baby….one that has been nurtured and cared for in their mother’s womb, one that has been prepared for, one that is already loved before they make their entrance into this world.
As that newborn baby enters the world their lives are limited in what they can do. They, eat, they poop, they cry, they sleep and as parents, we still love them. We will watch them sleep, we will check on them when they haven’t stirred in a while, we become concerned when their cries can’t seem to be soothed. Then one day, there comes a “coo” or a “laugh” and then “dada” We are over the moon as we watch our child grow, change, their eyes shift, their heads turn because they know THAT voice, they know THOSE hands that pick them up, to feed them, change them, love on them.
What kind of parent would we be if, when that baby is born and we look and them and say: They aren’t walking, they don’t talk, they can’t read! Why aren’t they doing these things? What is wrong with this baby? I have never heard a parent voice such idiotic words, why? We know a baby has to grow, they have to be taught, they need practice, experience. I was always amazed at how our mom taught us, how she loved on us. The reason it amazed me is she had no example given to her, as her momma died when she was 18 months old.
We lived out in the country and yes, we learned to drive long before the age the government said was legal. Sometimes our lessons were in the field, other times on the dirt roads leading home. One time we had a Volkswagen Rabbit; it was a standard transmission with the gear shift in the floor with 4 gears. Typically, I would have said it was 4 in the floor, but there are some here that would not understand that terminology. We are off the main roads and knowing me I am bugging mom to let me drive, I believe I had my permit at this point. She pulls over and we swap places. Oh, I could hardly wait until the day I turned 16. Back then, the day you turned 16 you could go take your driver’s test…. I’m sure I was counting down the days. Remember this is a standard, with the gear shift in the floor between the 2 seats. I take off in 1st gear, I engage the clutch and shift down to 2nd gear……gaining speed …now I need to shift gears again…..however I am having problems…the clutch is engaged…..as I’m trying to shift up to the next gear, there is a grinding noise….nope that’s not it……I’m looking at the gear shift trying to find where it goes. Then my mom calmly says: Stephanie, you are in the ditch. Immediately I look up from that gear shift and sure enough, I was not on the road but had veered to the right into a ditch that was nicely mowed. I jerk the car out of the ditch, by now the speed is almost nothing as the car is clunking along, needing to be shift downward instead of upward. My response was almost a shriek…I was scared, the adrenalin was flowing and yet in that moment, mom remained calmed. I can’t remember if I finished the drive home that day. However, there would be another day, to be taught, to practice and gain experience. She taught me well. You can name almost any major city in the US, and I have driven in them……still prefer country roads.
Just as when a baby is born, we do not expect them to do what a 16-year-old does or what a 30-year-old does. They have to grow. This is the same for a newborn in Christ. A newborn in Christ most likely does not understand what it took for them to come to Christ, the overall plan from God the Father, God the Son, – Jesus and God the Holy Spirit. As we grow, we should begin to understand, mercy, grace, truth. As we continue to grow, we begin to understand the fruits of the Spirit. We begin to see that He must increase, and I must decrease. That we are to die daily to self and that in my weakness than am I made strong. That my Abba has “chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise: and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty:” 1 Corinthians 1:27
Time to grow……this takes patience, teaching, grace, consistency, correction, love above all and……time.
Look Up, Keep Serving Jesus, He is Worthy!