A Second Chance

 

When my second child went to school, I was so lonely that I went with her and took my younger son along with me. I served in her classroom as a parent volunteer, and the teacher was so grateful to get my help in her overly crowded classroom.

The next year, my youngest started school, and he was already used to it - had the same teacher and went to the same classroom. I was able to just keep on serving as a parent volunteer that second year too.

The next year, my baby went to first grade, so I volunteered as an art teacher for the local alternative school for miscreant teens. I did that for one year and the principle hired me without a degree as a teacher in math and history for the next three years.

I quit teaching these core subjects the next year and went back to volunteering as an art teacher...that was my passion and they had no money for an arts program. I was able to influence so many kids for Christ during those years.

My family also joined me in this ministry when we had the students over one or two each week for supper at our home. A few students without a family even lived with us from time to time for brief intervals.

God had a plan for this time as well. Several of the students were blown away by the unity and love in our family. They never experienced that, family dinners or joining hands and praying before the meal.

A few even accepted Christ during their visits in our home. One particular student stayed with us for a few weeks, then left our home and went to a rehab school to learn a trade. During his time there, they discovered that he had heart issues.

My husband happened to have an insurance exam in Little Rock at the same time that Anthony was hospitalized there for his heart. I went to spend the day with my former student while my husband took his test.

Anthony and I chatted, prayed, did a Bible study, played games and passed the time in companionship until he started having chest pains and his machines gave off loud alarms.

The hospital staff asked me to wait outside of the room, which was simply a glass enclosure in the middle of ICU. Anthony followed me with his eyes as I left the little glass room, and they never left my face - our eyes riveted on one another as the doctors and nurses gave him medical attention.

I stood out there crying and praying for this dear young man, even after the life left his body and the medical team tried shocking his heart, doing CPR and squeezing bags of air into him to fill his lungs with oxygen.

His eyes remained opened the whole time, and his face was still turned in my direction as he stared at me. So, I expected God to bring him back to life as I prayed and waited on Him to perform a miracle.

The miracle that day was that Anthony went to live with our God and Savior Jesus Christ. I remained on this side of glory, with my three children; but I was profoundly changed on that day.

I was the last person Anthony saw before God's angels came to escort him to heaven. I will never stop praising God for using me in this way to bring comfort to this dear boy who lived through so much pain and disappointment throughout his short 19 years of life.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for using us in Your way and timing in such a perfect manner in Your divine appointments. Keep us ever mindful that You have a multitude of mundane and miraculous tasks for us to perform for You throughout our lifetime.

You already planned them before we were ever born (Ephesians 2:10), and it is up to us to follow the leading of Your Holy Spirit to put us in the right place at the right time to do Your will for us. We cannot thank You enough for including us in Your plans for the lives of others and for using us to further Your Kingdom in the earth.

Thought for the Day:
No activity is random and frivolous and mundane when it is created for us by God to allow His Son, Jesus, to work through us and to use us for His ultimate glory.

Opposites Attract

God made men and women with differences. We compliment each other's weaknesses with our individual strengths. We serve in different functions in our union, which enhances our productivity. Men and women actually have the same basic needs, but we want them provided for in different ways. Sadly, these differences often drive a wedge between two people.

When a woman thinks of romance, she envisions sweet gestures, thoughtful gifts and romantic words. They want focused attention and help around the house. When a man thinks of romance, he pictures a trip together to the sporting goods store, or the fishing hole or the hockey game. Many men believe that "bringing home the bacon" is enough work for one person and they resent family expectations.

Women want their man to look nice; but whether he is in jeans or a fine suit, it does not really matter. Most men like their women to look like a supermodel. They do not want their wife walking around with uncombed hair and no make-up, or in a tattered t-shirt and jeans. Men appreciate it when women make an effort to look and smell their best.

There are exceptions, but women usually find it easier to express their feelings and to communicate what they need and want. Many men find it hard to communicate. It is easier for them to show their love than to say it. Some even bottle up their feelings and an avalanche of accumulated resentment finally buries their love. The couple ends up frustrated and growing apart.

As virtual strangers, the only hope we have is for both genders to honestly communicate with each other and to volunteer how we feel and what we need rather than to keep our partner guessing. We can ask our mate to stop doing something that offends us, to start doing something we are failing to receive or to change the way we both do things and to serve one another as Christ serves the church (Galatians 5:13).

Prayer:

Father God, You are preparing us as the Bride of Christ. We are learning Jesus' character and how to communicate with Him on an intimate basis. Our love for Him grows with each passing day and we honestly share with Him what we think and how we feel. Help us to do this same thing with one another. This will improve our relationship and prevent many divorces. Remind us to pray, praise and worship together.

Thought for the Day:

One way to create a mutually edifying relationship is to learn how to communicate your feelings and needs effectively.

Never Underestimate the Power of Obedience

The book of Ruth tells us the story of two widows who are willing to live in poverty to do the will of God for their life. They moved from Moab to Canaan with no means of support and no prospects. Thankfully, Jewish law stated that the poor could glean the leftover grain from the fields in order to have enough to eat. Due to Ruth’s submission to her mother-in-law, she met and married the owner of the field, one of Naomi’s distant relatives named Boaz. God blessed the women through two years of gleaning and now even more through this marriage to Boaz.

Due to their obedience, God gave Ruth and Boaz a son named Obed. Obed had a son named Jesse, who was the father of King David (Ruth 4:17). Mary came from this family lineage and she gave birth to the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. God has a master plan for each and every life, which He designed before we were even conceived in our mothers’ womb (Jeremiah 1:5). Once we surrender our life to God, He uses us to do miraculous deeds for His Kingdom.

The instant we ask Jesus Christ to save us, He showers us with His forgiveness and places His hope, peace and joy in our lives. Our spirit, which was formerly dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1), is Born Again and shall never die (1 Peter 1:23). We are a new creation spiritually. Then, He changes us from within as we walk through His sanctification process.

We are now dead to the power of sin and alive to the things of God through Jesus Christ (Romans 6:11). Our former way of life is ended. We crucify our old sinful self, which was corrupted by its deceitful desires. Now we are made new in the attitude of our mind and created to be like Jesus in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:22-24). Never underestimate the power of your obedience to God’s call on your life.

We may work in the church nursery, usher, attend the parking lot, greet people, teach a class, sing in the choir, count the offering, serve on a committee, direct a ministry, help in the children’s ministry, run the lights and sound during the service or volunteer in the church office. Each position in the church is vital and depends upon every other position. Did you realize that the Pastor could not preach if competent people who love the Lord did not fill these other ministries?

In the same way, the human body could not function without the innermost parts that we rarely give any attention to. In fact, think about our big toe. It stabilizes the entire body. Without this tiny part on our body, we would have trouble walking, standing and keeping our balance. In the Body of Christ every part is equally necessary to the balanced ministry and function of the church (1 Corinthians 12:12-16, 24-25; Ephesians 4:16).

We may not recognize during our lifetime the immense contribution our service made to the Body of Christ, but in eternity we will be surprised at all the lives we touched by our faithfulness. Consider this scenario: If you smile at one person as they enter the church sanctuary, and that person feels so comfortable during the service because of your smile, that he/she accepts God’s gift of salvation.

Then that same person goes out and leads hundreds of others to serve the Master. You had a direct influence on all of those lives believing in Jesus for Salvation. Never underestimate the multitude of ways that God can use you to advance His Kingdom on the earth. Freely you have received, so freely give in obedience to the leading of His Holy Spirit moment by moment throughout the day (Matthew 10:8; Galatians 5:16-25).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, Your blessings for us on earth now far outweigh any tribulation life may send our way. You sustain us and keep us as Your own through every trial and temptation. You work everything, even the negative things out for our good (Romans 8:28). We look forward to living with You for eternity as well, and to sharing with You an inheritance of all that God had for mankind from the beginning. Satan stole Paradise from us, but he will be defeated in the end by Your glorious triumph over him. Help us to live in faithful obedience to Your call on our life.

Thought for the Day:

It is only when each part of Christ’s Body functions in obedience to His will that we can enjoy harmony and accomplish the work of the Lord.