His hands

I have a thing with hands. I'm pretty sure I always have. I notice people's finger nails - probably with more of a jealous eye than anything. It's true, I confess, I'm totally jealous of pretty nails. Somewhere along the way, I've just destroyed mine. But anyway, let's move on... My thing with hands: My grandmommy has the most beautiful hands, so does my mom. They'll be totally embarrassed when they read this, but ladies, it's true. You do have beautiful hands.

His hands have been on my mind lately. Shane and Shane sing a gorgeous song, check it out: "Before the Throne of God Above." This is my current anthem. They sing, "My name is graven on His hands..." And that is where it started: my fascination with His hands. The line comes from Isaiah 49:16, one of my most favorite sentences in the entire Word of God:

"See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands..."

As a part of the New Covenant, I can rest assured (thanks to Ephesians 3:6) that while Isaiah gave those words to the Israelites, God gave them to us. My name is written, no, engraved, on His hands.

Back in the day, Hebrews would engrave a symbol of their city on their hands as a sign of devotion to their land (Exodus 13:9). He has written my name on His hands as a sign of His devotion to me. I find it even more awe-inspiring that these very hands, that have my name engraved on them, have also been pierced by nails because of my sin. How much more deserving is He of my devotion!

May His Name be forever engraved on my hands.

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. "
Psalm 19:1

My Enduma (The Re-do)

** I wrote this post a couple of weeks ago, titled "Don't be the one without proper attire!," but my heart has been unsettled with it, so I'm calling for a re-do. :) **

I'm in love. It's true. I'm madly in love. After reading the Parable of the Wedding Banquet in Matthew 22, I fell in love with Jesus all over again. I truly felt like His beautiful Bride, but not because of anything I've done. It's all Him, I tell you!

I'm pretty sure I hadn't ever really read this parable. I didn't remember it at all. In fact, I was highly shocked the first time I read it! I had my own ideas about how the King would treat one of His guests... and then the King had His own ideas!

Here's Stephanie's brief summary of the Parable of the Wedding Banquet, just in case you were like me and hadn't read it:

The king's son is getting married, so the king invites "all those who had been invited" and was rejected - even after a 2nd invitation! He destroys all those people for mistreating his servants who were sent with the invitations, and then the king sends out an invitation to anyone the servants could find. The servants gather all the people in from the streets and escort them to the wedding banquet. The king came in to see all the people and noticed one man not wearing wedding clothes. After questioning the man, who was speechless, the king had him thrown into the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

In Stephanie World, when I first read about the king finding the man without wedding clothes, I got really excited. I thought, "Oh wow, the king is going to take him under his wing and give him new clothes, and just really give him the royal treatment!!" And then I continued reading..... And found that instead the man was actually thrown out into utter darkness...?!!! Ok, so not exactly a happy ending. What gives?? My God is not mean, so I had to do some research.

Turns out that what I found swept me off my feet! Since the servants had gathered people straight in from the streets, no one had proper wedding clothes. If proper attire was expected of them, it had to be provided for them, which is where the king comes in: He provided the wedding clothes. He had to! He mentioned to his first invitees that "everything is ready" (vs. 4) for the wedding banquet which leads me to this idea that He was the provider of the proper attire. The Greek word used for "clothes" in these verses is transliterated "enduma" which means an "outer garment." The fact that it's an outer garment is awesome because that means the guests' own stained, tattered and torn street clothes were covered by this beautiful enduma, fit for a wedding, given to them by the king himself. Oh, I love that!

This symbolism Jesus uses here sings to my heart, y'all! As you know, we are all invited to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb. (I am giddy just thinking about that day! I just really can't wait!!) In order to attend this Feast, though, we must be covered by Our Enduma, Jesus Christ. And I love how He covers us so my God will not be able to see these tattered, old clothes I've been wearing all these years! Oh, how great is our God!

"Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
'Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.'"
Revelation 19:6-8

One Touch

This is the 3rd blog I've started today. Since the words in my heart just don't want to come out, I'll let Nicole C. Mullen take the mic and express it all for me.

Wanted: Discernment

I love when opportunities fall in my lap. I love being asked to do something. Somehow, though, my plate just became full. Too full, I think, and I don't know what to do, so I thought I'd talk it out here.
Here is what is on my plate:

1. Regular job
2. 2nd job
3. Refugee Mission work
   
4. Growth Group
5. Stepping Up
6. Piano lessons
7. Nursery work
   

I haven't quite started - or actually gotten - that 2nd job, but I'm hopeful my interview this Wednesday will bode well in that department... hoping and praying... and begging.... Anyway I'm just worried how to balance everything, or if I shouldn't balance everything and give up something - or some things. I've been praying about it and then had a great conversation with a friend. Her advice was excellent: There are good opportunities and there are the best opportunities. Choose the best opportunities. Sounds simple enough... if only.

So which one is the best? I am absolutely certain the 2nd job is the best - especially since it's certain to get me to the end: out of debt and in to seminary, so I'll keep that one. Refugee work: Work with these people who don't know Jesus but want to know Jesus and they're right in our own backyard - that's what I want to do. Growth group & Stepping Up will keep me sane - at least that's what I'm hoping - building my relationships with friends and God, doesn't get much better right? Piano lessons - I can't really quit those, can I? And I don't really want to - just a little more income is always excellent. Nursery work - I'm at church anyway, so I think that one can stay. And plus it's really fun.

So basically, maybe everything can stay. Or maybe I can just see how things go and then decide?

Tea Party With Jesus

This morning has been SO fun. I braved church last night - successfully! - since I hadn't run a fever all day, and so I could rest this morning in case my body continued to lack the energy I so desperately desire. My body won out this morning and I didn't make it to Sunday School. But my pride is telling my body that Jesus simply had other plans. Take that, body!

Back to my Tea Party: Allow me to set the stage for you, as the title "Tea Party" may be misleading. Replace tea with a bottle of water. Replace the pretty dress with my pajamas. And replace the nice, china tea set with a few Bibles and close to ten of my favorite Bible study materials. And there you have it: My Tea Party with Jesus. Probably sounds more like an all-nighter, college study session, but Tea Party just sounds better. I digress. Moving on...

Thanks to LPC's Catalyst, I've been in and out of the book of Jude the past few days. Jude has been a welcomed NT relief from my "read the Bible in 90 days," which by the way is not on schedule as it has taken me 20 days to get through Exodus. Our God is a God of details, which is reason #23958723 that He is God and I am not. Okay, back to Jude: Today I finally had the energy to really dig in to His Word and see the goodness God gave Jude. Before I reveal said goodness, I want to share the road I traveled this morning that opened my eyes to the goodness. It started in an email from Cheryl asking me to research Hinduism since the children we'll work with in a storying session this week have a Hindu worldview. The article she sent me lines up with the beliefs a dear NYC Hindu friend has shared with me the few times I've been able to pick his brain about Hinduism. What I found fascinating in the article were their 3 paths to salvation through YOGA! Yeah!! YOGA!!! Three different kinds of yoga "give" Hindus salvation, or so they think.

That leads me to the goodness I found in Jude:

"Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord." (Jude 4-5)

Jude's writing to a group of believers whose church had become infiltrated by false teachers. He's urging them to fight for the Truth. NASB & KJV translate my favorite part "...to contend earnestly for the faith..." (italics mine). I love that! Contend earnestly. John MacArthur's comments on this verse, "... Jude wrote this urgent imperative for Christians to wage war against error in all forms and to fight strenuously for the truth, like a soldier who has been entrusted with a sacred task of guarding a holy treasure." (The MacArthur Bible Commentary, Bold mine)

Jesus! Toss me my Sword! I'm goin' in! AH! Doesn't that just get you all rowled up inside!? We've been entrusted with - according to Strong's: "delivered something... to keep, use, take care of..." - God's Word. As His saints, it is our duty to guard His Holy Treasure, to make sure others know that JESUS is THE Way, THE Truth, and THE Life. No one can get to the Father except through Jesus (John 14:6). No Yoga, no Buddha, no good works... Only Jesus.

I am so excited by the fact that God has entrusted you and me with His Holy Treasure, His Kingdom Secrets (Matthew 13:11). We may not know all the secrets, but we sure do need to tell the ones we do know!

"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!'" Romans 10:14-15