Tuesday, December 22, 2009

My 2009 Christmas thoughts; The gift

Luke 2:8-11




Luke 2:14

Luke 2:14 (31 <span class=
Paul Lee

Image Retrieval and Copyright from:
http://www.heartlight.org
( http://www.heartlight.org/gallery/2392.html )







"He who did not

spare His own Son,

but

delivered Him

up for us all..."



Do you think

anything

whatsoever could beat

the price

that this gift cost?





Luke 2:14

Luke 2:14 (72 kb)
Image Retrieval and Copyright from:
http://www.heartlight.org
( http://www.heartlight.org/gallery/1260.html )
( Meaning of Gloria in Excelsis Deo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloria_in_Excelsis_Deo )



The Gift

by Me

History waited,
Prophesies foretold,
But God's People rebelled,
Time did not stand still
But as we remember
History poised still for this time,
The time of the anointed Messiah king.

But then the noise of the tender wail of a child
The innkeeper friend crouched on the level above
"What? The voice of a child?" he said as he saw
Jesus laid in the
barrel for feeding below
'What of the Jewish king?'
he wistfully wondered

Meanwhile in the nightly shadows a shepherd snored softly
His friends nearby, A sheep as his pillow, The sky for his coat.
Then the sky burst forth in glorious light
The shepherd
jumped up in much of a fright
'An angel, a messenger from God his king !?!
Surely not come to see me in all this might?'
The angel cried out,
shaking with wonder at the message he brought,
"Don't stand terrified, it's joy I bring,
great joy you should sing"
But then the refrain,
a million bright messenger's,
shaking with wonder at the message they brought,
praising God
and saying
"Gloria, Gloria in Excelsis Deo, to God be the glory
both now and forever!"
.
Shaking with wonder at the message he heard
the shepherd ran full speed with the wind in his face
to look for the Messiah in meager cloth
who had bothered to tell the stinking shepherds
that
the time of the anointed Messiah king had come.



31-39So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God's chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:

They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.
We're sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.
None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I'm absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us. (Romans 8:32, The Message)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8%3A32&version=MSG&src=embed

Romans 8:32

32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%208:32&version=NKJV

You may want to use this link to read the verse in the NKJV in it's chapter context: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8&version=NKJV




Romans 8 - Matthew Henry's Concise

Commentary on

the

Bible


Resources » Commentaries » Romans » Chapter 8 » exegesis

Their final triumph, through Christ.

All things whatever, in heaven and earth, are not so great a display of God's free love, as the gift of his coequal Son to be the atonement on the cross for the sin of man; and all the rest follows upon union with him, and interest in him. All things, all which can be the causes or means of any real good to the faithful Christian. He that has prepared a crown and a kingdom for us, will give us what we need in the way to it. Men may justify themselves, though the accusations are in

full force against them; but if God justifies, that answers all. By Christ we are thus secured. By the merit of his death he paid our debt. Yea, rather that is risen again. This is convincing evidence that Divine justice was satisfied. We have such a Friend at the right hand of God; all power is given to him. He is there, making intercession. Believer! does your soul say within you, Oh that he were mine! and oh that I were his; that I could please him and live to him! Then do not toss your

spirit and perplex your thoughts in fruitless, endless doubtings, but as you are convinced of ungodliness, believe on Him who justifies the ungodly. You are condemned, yet Christ is dead and risen. Flee to Him as such. God having manifested his love in giving his own Son for us, can we think that any thing should turn aside or do away that love? Troubles neither cause nor show any abatement of his love. Whatever believers may be separated from, enough remains. None can take Christ from the

believer: none can take the believer from Him; and that is enough. All other hazards signify nothing. Alas, poor sinners! though you abound with the possessions of this world, what vain things are they! Can you say of any of them, Who shall separate us? You may be removed from pleasant dwellings, and friends, and estates. You may even live to see and seek your parting. At last you must part, for you must die. Then farewell, all this world accounts most valuable. And what hast thou left, poor

soul, who hast not Christ, but that which thou wouldest gladly part with, and canst not; the condemning guilt of all thy sins! But the soul that is in Christ, when other things are pulled away, cleaves to Christ, and these separations pain him not. Yea, when death comes, that breaks all other unions, even that of the soul and body, it carries the believer's soul into the nearest union with its beloved Lord Jesus, and the full enjoyment of him for ever.

Previous commentary:
Their interest in the love of God.

About this commentary:
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Bible is available in the Public Domain.

http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/Matthew-Henry/Rom/Their-Final-Triumph-Christ


Other helpful tools for Romans chapter 8:

Heartlight's search God's Word

Coffman Commentaries on the Old and New Testament - http://www.searchgodsword.org/com/bcc/view.cgi?book=ro&chapter=008


Christ notes


Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
(see below text) - http://www.christnotes.org/commentary.php?com=mhc&b=45&c=8


Classic Bible Commentaries
Courtesy of E-Word Today

Chapter 8: | Darby | Geneva | Gill | Jamieson Faussett Brown | Johnson | Luther | Matthew Henry | Matthew Henry Concise | Wesley | Index | Bible Gateway |

For example: John Wesley's Notes on the Bible - http://www.ewordtoday.com/comments/romans/wesley/romans8.htm



Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Mom's Miscarriage; Sorrow For A Child That Was But Now Is Not


Sorrow For A Child That Was But Now Is Not
by Me

I look for a secret place to hide my heart
with it's joys and sorrows
A place to lay it down where none will dare to follow

I try the green grass in the meadow
But no the field mice may notice it
there in the shadows

I try the bubbling brook
But no this will not do
Mr. Beaver surely will look

Sorrow seems to stay to long
then picks his hat up
And walks right out the door
only to return once more

But Joy
she never seems to meander meaning
only to pop in quick.

Even if...
I could find a better place
than green grass or a bubbling brook
I could never find
a secret place to hide my sorrow

For a heart may be hidden
where few will dare to follow
But that heart cannot be hidden from
the steps of it's own soul


"Another little one was sent to bless our hearts and to be our friend. For just a very little while we loved this one as one of us." *

In my heart I still weep. Sometimes a deep raw fathomeless heaviness would lay upon my soul that at first I could not shake off sometimes almost for days at a time. 'How did I know that all babies go to heaven as "...we have no clear indication in scripture as to what happens to babies when they die"* and if not where was this brother or sister of mine?' These where my jumbled thoughts at the time.

" We planned and wondered what we should call this one when he/she with us first appeared as we crowded around gazing at the angel face, marvelling at God’s goodness and the amazing feat of what He could create.

But then the Lord wanted to take this little one to be with Him, another soul to praise His name for all eternity. This soul was made perfectly for the purpose of eternity."*

It will never be the same. Yes, in my heart I still weep.

* Note: Please do not reproduce any part of this document. All quotations are used with permission from Tarry Home and are taken from Miscarriage
http://tarryhome.blogspot.com/2009/10/miscarriage.html

Following added 20th September 2011. I now have hope. This YouTube video describes my feelings.  
My sweet sibling, I still love you, may you rest in peace for eternity with Jesus. Of course you never were our future, for God is. My soul waits and trusts in the Lord that you are with Him forever. Dear one, I love you but He loves you more than I do now and more than I ever could have on earth. Jesus gives us a hope and a future.
















Tuesday, December 15, 2009

The Children


This poem is a wonderful

reminder of God's goodness to

children despite death from

malnutrition, poverty and disease.

Please Read.


The Children

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Poems/ByDate/1366_The_Children/
By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org

Quotemael: Devotionals: HEARTLIGHT

Tuesday, December 15, 2009


 
“Be assured, if you walk with Him and look to Him, and expect help from Him, He will never fail you.”

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Check this out...

Hi guys!

Don't forget to check out my Mom's inspiring blog posts at
http://www.tarryhome.blogspot.com/ .

Also if you go to her profile you will also notice that she has other blogs on the subjects of
Christmas with Christ http://chritmaswithchrist.blogspot.com/,
sewing http://joyz-own-dezign.blogspot.com/,
dogs of a special kind http://joyzowntzus.blogspot.com/
and two blogs one by Erica http://ericasfloweringfamilymemoirs.blogspot.com/
and one by Joseph http://spotjoseph.blogspot.com/.

Have a great "Christmas with Christ"!

God bless,
Jessica

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Tears of the Saints

I found the following You Tube link

on the "Reformed Baptist Missions Prayer Group" on Facebook.

Prayer? Money? Mission Work? Can't do all three? Each one counts.

'Having seen all this you can chose to look the other way,

but you can never say again 'I did not know"

- William Wilberforce

I hope you enjoy taking up the enormous and many times daunting challenge not to look the other way!

Three other links you might want to watch (Click on the words):

The Unreached - Did you know 2.0 

Still Waiting - the plight of the unreached

Every Language, Every Person

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

The joys of having a toddler in the house; "Don't tell Mommy!"





Recently when I was baby sitting Jarryn he got into mischief as all two year olds do... There was felt tip scribbled all over his legs.
Trying not to smile I said "O Jarryn! Naughty boy, what do you think Mommy will say? I don't think she will be very pleased."

His reply was, "Mommy sh" (translated: O, what about Mommy? Keep quiet, don't tell her and all will be fine.)