In the place of your fathers will be your sons. You shall make them princes in all the earth. I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations. Therefore the people will give you thanks forever and ever. (vs. 16-17)
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him Who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
And then the children come. The son becomes a father, the daughter, a mother. Bearing fruit. Generation to generation. I remember when Heather, our oldest, was about three years old, and we had visitors for lunch. A little tow-headed boy her age and his mommy. Heather was so irritated with his syntax that she finally, in exasperation, cornered him and told him, in no uncertain terms, what she knew to be the truth: "My mommy's name is Mommy!"
"No," he responded with equal fervor. "My mommy's name is Mommy!"
"My mommy's name is Mommy!" she retorted, losing what little patience she had with his constant use of my name.
Both "mommies" laughed til we had tears in our eyes. Of course, we were both Mommy. Hard concept when you have built your entire sense of safety and nurturing around the one and only Mommy in the whole world.
Abba has a much bigger job. He is the God of the whole earth. But He is Father to those of us who have become His own possession. Christ is our husband, with Whom and for Whom we bear more children for the kingdom of the dear Son. I have many children that I did not bring forth from my own body. Malda, my dear friend, and I were in college when we made a trip with Campus Crusade for Christ from Texas to San Bernardino, California, to the organization's retreat center. On a crystal clear California day we headed to the beach with our tracts, The Four Spiritual Laws. We were to look for people to share the truth of Jesus with that day. Malda was a little more reserved about the encounters than I (she is much wiser than I), so I went first. That first attempt was civil, but the young woman we shared with was uninterested in Christ. We prayed again and looked around the beach. Toward the pedestrian pathway, sitting on a blanket and fully dressed, was a young woman all alone. She stuck out from the crowd because she was not in beach attire, so we headed her direction. Malda was nervous. But it was her turn. As we approached the young woman, she looked up and smiled, giving my friend the courage to sit down to speak. Instead of walking through the Four Spiritual Laws casually, Malda simply read them to her pretty much without looking up. The last line says: "Can you see any reason why you would not ask Jesus into your heart right now?"
"No."
My thought. No, you don't want to or No, you don't see any reason why you would?
We prayed with the only girl on the beach wearing a dress. Then she wanted us to wait to tell her boyfriend about her new Friend. We left them praying together on the beach, but not until we had gotten her name and address so that we could write to her and help her move on. That is how you make children with Christ. Daughters and sons of the Most High God. Princes and princesses in His household. Babies who need nurturing and love in order to grow up godly in Christ Jesus. They are everywhere, every day, waiting for our Beloved to point them out to His Bride.
Our Husband is the seed of this progeny. Entrusting to us the joy of showing each one how to grow up to be like her Father. So that our spiritual children are equipped to parent others. Generation after generation, forever and ever, will be called children of God - a holy race, a chosen people. We live in the palace of the King of Kings. The blood of royalty grafted with an oath into our own plebeian plasma. The rights and privileges, yes, even the inheritance, of the Prince of Peace, our Beloved, are guaranteed to us, the Bride and to our children in Him.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him Who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
And then the children come. The son becomes a father, the daughter, a mother. Bearing fruit. Generation to generation. I remember when Heather, our oldest, was about three years old, and we had visitors for lunch. A little tow-headed boy her age and his mommy. Heather was so irritated with his syntax that she finally, in exasperation, cornered him and told him, in no uncertain terms, what she knew to be the truth: "My mommy's name is Mommy!"
"No," he responded with equal fervor. "My mommy's name is Mommy!"
"My mommy's name is Mommy!" she retorted, losing what little patience she had with his constant use of my name.
Both "mommies" laughed til we had tears in our eyes. Of course, we were both Mommy. Hard concept when you have built your entire sense of safety and nurturing around the one and only Mommy in the whole world.
Abba has a much bigger job. He is the God of the whole earth. But He is Father to those of us who have become His own possession. Christ is our husband, with Whom and for Whom we bear more children for the kingdom of the dear Son. I have many children that I did not bring forth from my own body. Malda, my dear friend, and I were in college when we made a trip with Campus Crusade for Christ from Texas to San Bernardino, California, to the organization's retreat center. On a crystal clear California day we headed to the beach with our tracts, The Four Spiritual Laws. We were to look for people to share the truth of Jesus with that day. Malda was a little more reserved about the encounters than I (she is much wiser than I), so I went first. That first attempt was civil, but the young woman we shared with was uninterested in Christ. We prayed again and looked around the beach. Toward the pedestrian pathway, sitting on a blanket and fully dressed, was a young woman all alone. She stuck out from the crowd because she was not in beach attire, so we headed her direction. Malda was nervous. But it was her turn. As we approached the young woman, she looked up and smiled, giving my friend the courage to sit down to speak. Instead of walking through the Four Spiritual Laws casually, Malda simply read them to her pretty much without looking up. The last line says: "Can you see any reason why you would not ask Jesus into your heart right now?"
"No."
My thought. No, you don't want to or No, you don't see any reason why you would?
We prayed with the only girl on the beach wearing a dress. Then she wanted us to wait to tell her boyfriend about her new Friend. We left them praying together on the beach, but not until we had gotten her name and address so that we could write to her and help her move on. That is how you make children with Christ. Daughters and sons of the Most High God. Princes and princesses in His household. Babies who need nurturing and love in order to grow up godly in Christ Jesus. They are everywhere, every day, waiting for our Beloved to point them out to His Bride.
Our Husband is the seed of this progeny. Entrusting to us the joy of showing each one how to grow up to be like her Father. So that our spiritual children are equipped to parent others. Generation after generation, forever and ever, will be called children of God - a holy race, a chosen people. We live in the palace of the King of Kings. The blood of royalty grafted with an oath into our own plebeian plasma. The rights and privileges, yes, even the inheritance, of the Prince of Peace, our Beloved, are guaranteed to us, the Bride and to our children in Him.
No comments:
Post a Comment