Today's Christian lesson diverges from the names of God, to be resumed on Monday. There is a special lesson for today. Today my girlfriend and I attended a beautiful Catholic wedding in Dearborn, Michigan. One of the many things the Catholic Priest said echoed something I have heard my fellow Protestant Pastors say many times.
"At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Jesus invited a little child to stand among them. “Truly I tell you,” He said, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven" Matthew 18:1-4
You have to become helpless like a baby, like a child, to really get close to Jesus. You have to come to the end of yourself --- the end of your own strength, in order to become useful to Jesus, to love Him completely and to surrender to him completely. I came to the end of myself in 2008, and surrendered completely to His will in 2008 and in 2009 read the Bible cover to cover 10 times, and was Baptized. You have to come to the end of yourself to appreciate God's Grace. Are you doing life in your own power, or in God's power? Have you come to the end of yourself and said, Lord, I cannot do life in my own power --- I surrender --- I need you. Please carry me? Have you ever prayed that prayer? This reminds me of a beautiful poem by Ryan Hart:
Footprints in the Sand:
"One night I dreamed a dream. I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, one belonging to me and one to my Lord.
When the last scene of my life shot before me I looked back at the footprints in the sand. There was only one set of footprints. I realized that this was at the lowest and saddest times of my life. This always bothered me and I questioned the Lord about my dilemma.
"Lord, You told me when I decided to follow You, You would walk and talk with me all the way. But I'm aware that during the most troublesome times of my life there is only one set of footprints. I just don't understand why, when I need You most, You leave me."
He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you, never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.
"At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Jesus invited a little child to stand among them. “Truly I tell you,” He said, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven" Matthew 18:1-4
You have to become helpless like a baby, like a child, to really get close to Jesus. You have to come to the end of yourself --- the end of your own strength, in order to become useful to Jesus, to love Him completely and to surrender to him completely. I came to the end of myself in 2008, and surrendered completely to His will in 2008 and in 2009 read the Bible cover to cover 10 times, and was Baptized. You have to come to the end of yourself to appreciate God's Grace. Are you doing life in your own power, or in God's power? Have you come to the end of yourself and said, Lord, I cannot do life in my own power --- I surrender --- I need you. Please carry me? Have you ever prayed that prayer? This reminds me of a beautiful poem by Ryan Hart:
Footprints in the Sand:
"One night I dreamed a dream. I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, one belonging to me and one to my Lord.
When the last scene of my life shot before me I looked back at the footprints in the sand. There was only one set of footprints. I realized that this was at the lowest and saddest times of my life. This always bothered me and I questioned the Lord about my dilemma.
"Lord, You told me when I decided to follow You, You would walk and talk with me all the way. But I'm aware that during the most troublesome times of my life there is only one set of footprints. I just don't understand why, when I need You most, You leave me."
He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you, never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.
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