Mary and the Angel

My children never cease to amaze me with their observations and questions.

Here's my most recent example...the other night we rented "The Nativity Story" and watched it together as a family.

Granted, there were parts in the movie that weren't in total keeping with God's Word, but we talked about creative license, and how Hollywood adds things out of imaginiation to make the story more realistic for the viewer.

So today we're running errands (Yeah! I'm finally feeling better!) and a song comes on the radio that talks about how someone will react when they see Jesus face to face.

Caedmon says, I don't think I'll stand. I think I'll bow.

I said, "I know what you mean, Caedmon. I think I'll be face flat to the ground."

"Why Mommy? Why all the way down?"

"Because, son. There never was a sinner worse than I was. I KNOW how much I've been forgiven, I KNOW what a great gift my LORD is to me. I want to honor Him in the best way that I know how to, to thank Him."

Then Brennan asked, "Mommy, is it ok for us to bow down to anyone other than God?"

"No, baby. Only God deserves that level of honor from us. No one else."

"Why did Mary bow down to the angel, then?"

It took me a minute, and a few questions of her to realize that she was referencing the movie that we watched a few nights ago.

"Did Mary really bow down to the angel?", I ask.

Then they both emphatically told me that she did.

"Well, kids. I don't remember the Scripture saying that she did that..so we'll need to go back home and look it up in our Bible and see for sure."

From just that one observation, we had the most awesome talk about angels, and how God doesn't want us to worship angels. We talked about how we're not to worship the creations of God, only the Creator, and that angels are created beings.

Then Caedmon asked, "Mommy. What do I do if an angel ever comes and wants to tell me something?"

WOW! Where do they get these questions?!

So I told him, "Caedmon, I don't think that an angel would ever come to you and speak on behalf of God. That's what the angel Gabriel was doing...he was being God's spokesperson to Mary and to Elizabeth. However, he was speaking prophesy, he was revealing God's plan for the future. So, I don't believe that angels come and speak prophesy to men anymore. Today, son, for someone to prophesy means that they will point you back to Scripture. But, there is no NEW revelation. The revelations of God are found in His Word."

We didn't have the talk about entertaining angels unaware, because Mommy hasn't studied that passage enough to be able to explain it adequately. :)

It was just such a neat conversation to have. I am amazed by how much of the Word these kids absorb...and so hoping that their very imperfect Mom's failures from day to day won't keep them from loving God and His Word for all the days of their lives.

Here's the passage from Luke about Mary...it doesn't mention anything about her bowing down.

Luk 1:26
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth,
Luk 1:27
to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
Luk 1:28
And coming in, he said to her, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord {is} with you."
Luk 1:29
But she was very perplexed at {this} statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.
Luk 1:30
The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.
Luk 1:31
"And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.
Luk 1:32
"He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;
Luk 1:33
and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end."
Luk 1:34
Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?"
Luk 1:35
The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. Luk 1:36
"And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month.
Luk 1:37
"For nothing will be impossible with God."
Luk 1:38
And Mary said, "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

The Sovereignty of God

Today I got up early, and was looking forward to rekindling my love of studying God's Word over a great cup of iced coffee...ALONE.

Yet, my little guy is an early bird. I promise, I worked like mad to train him to be a late riser, but the older he has gotten, the more he has chosen to defy me. :)

God just wired him that way, I think. He loves to get up early.

So, before my coffee was even brewed, he walked in, chattering like a mockingbird.

It turned out wonderful, though. We had about an hour and a half together, and we studied Matthew chapter 2 on an in-depth level.

One of the cross references was Psalm 103:19 "The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all."

Wow! What a powerful verse.

These past months, I've really struggled with the sovereignty of God. I was taught, as a child, that satan controls this world, and God will control everything after Jesus comes back.

Yet, that isn't what Scripture says. Over and over again, it speaks of the sovereignty of God...TODAY. Even Peter was told by Jesus that satan had gained permission, by asking (of God), to sift him like wheat. The operative words here, though, are that satan had to ask permission of the Father first.

I believe, from my study of the Word, that nothing happens in the life of the believer without God's permission.

Romans tells us that we are a slave to that which we obey..either to sin or to righteousness. So, I believe that it's different for someone who doesn't belong to Jesus. I don't think that satan has to ask permission in their lives, although I'm still studying that hypothesis out.

I do believe that satan can't even breath a nasty breath on one who has been sealed by the Holy Spirit, in Christ, without God's permission.

So, to see that verse today was really amazing for me.

I asked Caedmon all about it...

WHO established God's throne? He did, Mommy.

WHERE is it established? In the heavens.

WHAT does it mean that God is sovereign? He rules, Mommy. He's in control.

WHAT does that mean to us, Caedmon? We can trust Him, Mommy.

WHO does God's sovereignty rule over? ALL, Mommy...everything.

Then there was a cross reference that took us to Revelation, where we learned about the new heaven and the new earth. (Did you KNOW that the new earth will have no seas?! I didn't!)

It talked about the new Jerusalem being the bride for Jesus. ( I'm paraphrasing a bit..but that's the gist.) I was SO excited when Caedmon said, "But Mommy, I thought the church was the bride of Christ."

Yippie! He's listening!

And, I was reminded of something quite dear to my heart, in this interchange with my little guy...this conversation we had today about God's Word, and his questions that stemmed from our study, are the EXACT reason why I hope to find a church where our children are welcomed in the service with us.

There is nothing that takes the place of these kinds of discussions with my children. Nothing. That's my job as a Mother, to ground them in the Word...and I hope to find a church home where the Word is taught, and not through a paraphrase, but through the Word itself. ( Oops! I think I just picked up the soapbox!)

I want to be able to talk with my children about the hard questions that they have of Scripture. Goodness knows that I have my fair share of tough questions for Scripture!

I was also reminded today that time in the Word, 1st thing in the morning, with Caedmon, just makes him a different little boy. It truly is like the Shepherd's staff for him...he was wonderful today, and yesterday I was ready to bar-b-que him for dinner!

I guess he's just like his Mommy in that...I'm not much fun to be around when I haven't had my time with the Lord, either.

Today was a wonderful day. I needed it. :)

He did too!

Jes

Revelation

So, up until 2 nights ago, I've never had the courage to study Revelation.

Quite frankly, it just scared me! I remember, before I was a Christian, going with a friend to my 1st Precept study, and it was Revelation part 2, and Kay was teaching on the video...and I was convinced that everyone in that room was about to sprout a second head!

That seems so hilarious to me now!

Especially in light of what the very first few verses of Revelation say: 1:3..."Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near."

To think! I've been afraid of Revelation, when the Bible says that there is blessing for those who read it and for those who hear it, and heed it!

14 "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this:
15 'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot.
16 'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.
17 'Because you say, " I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,
18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.
19 'Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.
20 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.
21 'He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
22 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"

Wow! How many people there are who live like verse 17! I say that without judgement...for I was one of them for so many years. I didn't realize that knowing that Jesus died on the cross for my sins, and living in light of that truth, are two totally different mentalities.

Women talk with me all the time and say things to the effect of, "I'm saved, but I just struggle like Paul says he did...the things I do, I do not want to do, and the things I don't want to do, I do."

In essence, they take Paul's comments totally out of context, and use them as a scape goat for their choices to abide in sin.

We can't be in both camps...if you're not sure of that truth, then re-read the letter above, to the angel of the church in Laodiciea.

We can't live for the world, and for Christ.

For, Romans 6 makes it clear that we can't have 2 masters.

If you are living in such a way that you are continually running back to a habitual lifestyle of sin, and you want to live for Christ, then I encourage you to go to God in prayer, and repent, and ask Him to show you what it means to make Jesus your LORD and Savior.

In the greek, the word "Lord", means one who has complete disposal of everything".

Is Jesus your Lord?

Or, are you holding on to the world, all the while trying to live for Christ through the power of your flesh?

Sweet friend, when push comes to shove, your flesh will fail you every time.

You cannot train your flesh.

Only through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, through Christ's shed blood on the cross, can you hope to live a life of overcoming, as is spoken of in this chapter.

Don't be deceived. The enemy would love for you to think that all you have to do is believe that Jesus died on the cross, and then that you are free to live however you please.

That is not faith.

That is not belief that is powered by faith in a risen Savior.

In fact, in Romans 5, Paul makes it clear that a belief system like that would be an overt abuse of grace..and that we are never to live like that.

Read Revelation 3:14-22, and ask God to search your heart, and to reveal to you if you are really His, or if you've just believed as the demons do.

To be His, you simply cannot live like the church in Laodicea, saying,"I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing".

Ask Him...even if you need to ask Him to give you the strength to believe...and repent.

To say that you believe in Jesus, yet all the while refusing to repent before Him, is not true salvation.

It's like the pastors who say that they'll never preach about sin or about the blood.

OH MY GOODNESS!

Without the BLOOD of Jesus, and without the admission of sin on our part...without seeing that we fall short of the Glory of God because of the sin in our lives...WHAT DO WE HAVE?

A FALSE GOSPEL! Paul said not to even let someone in the door who was teaching this garbage, yet many churches today have turned to this false gospel.

Please...ask God to show you the value of the blood of Jesus, and the filth of your sin, and through His love to wash your sins away in that precious blood...shed for you!

MMMMM....I can tell that Revelation is going to be rich!

Love and Hugs,

Me