my Father's hands

I looked down at my hands this morning and realized how much they look like my dad's and my mom's hands. They passed so many traits on to me. In turn, my husband and I have passed our traits on to our children.  The other day, a gentleman commented how much our daughter favored me.  He said God works it so children will carry on the good things.  He mentioned how his seven sisters each remind him of his mother. It was a sweet conversation.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Genesis 1:27 KJV

God made us in His image. We are to be a reflection of Him. We carry the traits of our heavenly Father. We have many traits as human beings that reflect our Creator. We have a driven desire for relationship with Him. A desire for love and an inner understanding of morality that can only come from God. We as humans, in general, follow a set of rules and laws for what us good and bad. We seek love, we seek good,  we seek to fulfill our needs for relationship with others and God.

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
2 Corinthians 3:18 KJV

Spiritually, we are also a reflection of God. We are changed into His likeness through salvation.  We are to be His body,  His hands , feet, and voice to those around us.  When they see us, they should see Him.

Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
1 Corinthians 12:27 KJV

We, as His children,  are a reflection of our Father. We carry His traits. We remind others of Him.

My dad used to tell us kids, "You're an Ellis and I expect you to act like it " How much more so does our heavenly Father expect us to behave as His child? He wants our lives to show the world who He is in a true reflection of love, mercy,  righteousness , and goodness. He is a good, good Father. That is what He wants us to show the world. May we reflect the traits of our heavenly Father in a manner that is worthy of who He is in us.

trust the plan

It is truly amazing how God provides just what we need when we need it. His plan is evident in every circumstance when we just listen and attend to His voice.

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord : and he delighteth in his way.
Psalms 37:23 KJV

As I studied the Christmas story in Luke chapter 1 and 2 this past month,  I was truly inspired and awed by the plan that God had laid out for Jesus to be born. His plan was laid out by the prophets, Isaiah, Amos and others. The scriptures of the Old Testament foretold the birth of Jesus hundreds of years before he came. God spent hundreds of years preparing for the birth of Jesus. He prepared the lineage for his family. He prepared Elizabeth and Zechariah for the birth of John so he could prepare the way. He prepared Mary and Joseph to parent and raise Jesus. He even prepared the desires of Ceasar to require taxation that sent Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem. He prepared Simeon and Anna in the temple to greet the young couple when they brought the sacrifice to dedicate Jesus as the firstborn. They prophesied and ministered to the young Babe and His parents. God prepared them.

In much the same way,  God prepared for us as well. He has known all along that we would be here.  He prepared for us. Jeremiah 1:5 says He knew us before we were even formed in our mother's womb. He planned and prepared for us. It is no accident that we are here. You are not an accident. When we seek Him and walk in His plan, we can fulfill the purpose He has for us.  He will not leave us.  We may not understand everything,  but we can trust that His plan for us is perfect.

As you do not know what is the way of the wind, Or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, So you do not know the works of God who makes everything.
Ecclesiastes 11:5 NKJV

Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth,  Zachariah, Some in and Anna may nor have understood everything they were asked to do. They may have some of the story,  but as human beings, they did not have all the knowledge of God. They had to trust; trust that God was leading them in His plan.

This week, I have really needed to trust that God has a plan.  It is so hard to watch your sweet child endure pain and go through a surgery. I may not understand why he must go through all this. But in the midst of it all, God has revealed bits of His plan.  We have prayed with a young lady and shared my son's story. When we call out in prayer, God answers. This morning, I was preparing to head back up to the hospital and I was reminded that our steps are ordered by the Lord. I heard Him remind me that He prepared each day for us. A little later, ad my daughter and I stepped on the elevator, a gentleman spoke words of encouragement and life into our souls. He reminded me that I am here for the purpose of raising my children and passing on what I know  and what I to them. In that brief conversation,  God spoke to reinforce that He is preparing for us daily. He ordered our steps today. He provided needed encouragement. Throughout the day, contacts and reminders were heaped upon us of God's careful planning and timing. When we take the time to be prayerful and attentive to God, we can find ourselves emersed in His live and goodness in every moment, every circumstance.  We are not promised tomorrow or perfect, easy life. We are promised His love,  His faithfulness,  and God's ever prepared plan for us to follow. He asks of us to trust. His hand us on our lives and is easily seen when we simply allow Him to lead.

Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me.
Psalms 139:10 NKJV

No matter how tempting it is to become confused, frustrated or doubtful, we only need to trust that God's purpose is still evident for us.

For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name’s sake, Lead me and guide me.
Psalms 31:3 NKJV

We will find hope, comfort, peace, and joy in the knowledge of God and His plan. He has already prepared for us. Take His hand and hold on.

busy days

It is sometimes overwhelming to think about all the things we are trying to accomplish. I know I have a running list, a calendar on the fridge, a calendar on my phone, one in my purse and one on my desk at work. There is also a work calendar at my place of employment with school wide events, a church calendar, my kids’ school calendars and after school activities. The list goes on and on. We have chores that need to be done, people to care for and all the activities that fill our days. We have so much going on at times, that we become overwhelmed, exhausted and maybe even resentful of these many things. I may feel like I have left more to do at the end of the day than I actually accomplished. I don’t think I am the only one. I am sure we all have those moments. I realize that we can fill our calendars to overflowing so much so that the important things of life get overlooked. I heard someone today talking about scheduling ‘quality time’ with a loved one. Quality time. Isn’t all time, quality? God made time and therefore, anything he made is quality. How we spend our time may not be of quality. I am thinking that all we do should be for the glory of God.  I Corinthians 10:31 says:

Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.

That means whatever we are doing should be done all for His glory. I am not always grateful for those chores and activities that feel like they are wasting my time. But, I should be grateful and glorifying God for that house that needs a repair or that floor that needs sweeping. I should be thanking God for those that made that mess in the first place. While cleaning up a mess may not seem like it glorifies God, our attitude doing it should be most important. We should be glorifying God in the middle of all things. Our lives, our heart and our mouths should be pouring forth praise to the Creator who made all things and has blessed us with these things. The custodian at my school reminds me of this often. I may walk through the cafeteria after the breakfast time and I will hear her singing praises and magnifying God as she sweeps and mops that floor as she does every day. She is always ready to praise.

If those things we are busying ourselves with are taking away time from the most important, then maybe we need to re-evaluate our priorities. Maybe we have to put aside and de-clutter our busy-ness. Have we put so much busy activity into our calendars that we neglect the important things of God? Have we neglected our time with Him, with the body of Christ, with precious loved ones?  God did create time and He knows the limits of time. We all know this too well. Time with God is the most precious. It is time that should be marked off first and foremost. Time to spend in His presence, time to pray and read His word. That should be most valued as the time best spent. Time with the body of Christ, in fellowship and corporate worship, learning of Him should also be of high priority. There are not many things that should interfere with time with God’s body. These are our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are part of that body and need to value our time with one another. “Forsake not the assembling of ourselves together.”

Hebrews 10:25

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

We need one another for strength, and fellowship. This is how we support one another, check on one another and join together in the intimate worship of our Savior. Fellowship with the body should be a high priority.

Time with family should also be high on the list. Family, unfortunately, sometimes falls to the bottom of our list. Marriages and relationships greatly suffer from neglect. God ordained the family as a reflection of His love for us and it needs to be given the utmost respect and priority as this truly does glorify God. Family units are meant to reflect the love of God. When we are not invested in our marriages, children, and family, we are failing to reflect the love God has for us. This is a true failure on the part of Christians. We need to place a higher value on family relationships. It isn’t about what we give or buy. It is about the care and love invested into one another.

All we do, rather great or small, is meant to be done for the glory of God. What activities are you doing? Do any not glorify God?  Does your attitude while doing those little things reflect the love you have for God and the wonderful blessings He has bestowed upon you? I know I have to remember, even in the small things that may seem menial or just time consuming, we are still a reflection of the love of God. As I tie a shoe, again; sweep up that mess one more time; or just listen to a friend, all those little things add up to faithfulness in glorifying God when done from a heart that loves and wants to reflect God.  We can remember that even though it may just seem like another delay or another thing to do, our heart will reflect what is in it. God knows our hearts and He knows that we are doing many of these things because we love those around us, we are trying to make things better for them, teach them, love them, and sometimes, just get through the next hurdle. God knows it all. He loves us and He cares for us too.

Matthew 25:23 His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

God will give us the strength when we are weak or give us a chance to rest. We need to call on Him, spend time with Him and always keep our time with Him as most precious. May we all take a moment to reflect on the goodness of God and the many blessings that may fill our days because we are so blessed to partake in each activity of our day. Each moment we are alive is a gift from God. 

Mary and Elizabeth

When Mary heard from the angel that Elizabeth was also with child, she quickly left to go to see Elizabeth. Elizabeth lived quite a distance, maybe 100 miles away from Mary. But Mary made the 10 day journey on foot to see her cousin. Why would she do all that?  I imagine, having just heard this life-changing news, from an angel, that she would be bearing a Son, the Messiah, on top of the social impact this pregnancy would have, gave her little choice, but to seek out Elizabeth. It is not recorded that Mary told anyone about the angelic visitor. She quickly ran to Elizabeth. The angel gave her big news for herself and also shared Elizabeth’s news of her pregnancy. When the Mary entered the house, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost.

^{Luke 1:35-41}

³⁵ And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

³⁶ And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.

³⁷ For with God nothing shall be impossible.

³⁸ And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

³⁹ And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;

⁴⁰ And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.

⁴¹ And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:

^{When the Mary entered the house, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost. Elizabeth spoke great blessing upon Mary and Mary in return spoke blessings. These two women came together to share their experiences with one another. One the elder and one the younger were able to support one another, care for one another and provide a spiritual partner that the other needed. Mary needed Elizabeth’s wisdom in what she was facing. She needed strength to go home and face the reality of being pregnant. She needed to tell Joseph and her family. She wanted them to believe her. Elizabeth may have needed Mary’s help as she was older and now found herself to be pregnant for the first time. She may have needed Mary’s support with household duties or with getting things ready for a small baby when there had been hope dashed. She may have needed a listening ear. God placed these two women together to serve and support one another.}

^{This teaches us a lesson, as women, we are to care for one another, support one another and lift up one another.}

^{Titus 2:1-8}

2 But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:

² That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.

³ The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;

⁴ That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

⁵ To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

⁶ Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded.

⁷ In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,

⁸ Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.

^{We are directed to be teachers of those who are younger than we are: to be examples to them.  Just as Paul exhorted Timothy to be an example of the believers (1 Timothy 4:12), we are to be an example to others. We are to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2) and we are to pray for one another. (James 5:16).  As part of the body of Christ, we are to care for one another, be kind to one another and love one another. If we cannot help one another, we are not obeying God’s commands. We are to spend time as a support for each other in times of trouble and in times of good. We are to be there for one another and lift other’s up. That is what God expects. He took the time to record this precious time between Mary and Elizabeth as an example of what it means to look to our elders for wisdom and to provide a support for one another. Even in the midst of declaring the birth of Jesus, he made sure these two women connected to help each other through a huge ordeal in their lives. God cares about our individual needs as much as he cares about His whole body. He is a good Father that looks after us. He uses us to be those loving arms and those who can speak wisdom into one another. He is eager to use us today. Can we be used as the hands and feet of God? Can we be used as the encourager and the lifter up of someone else?  Let’s be aware that God uses us to provide for the needs of others and others can provide for us as well. Let’s all do what God has called us to do, and that is to love one another as Christ loves the church.}