Daisies.

To say there are too many children is like saying
there are too many flowers in the world.
~Mother Theresa

This morning’s flowers are placed as a poignant and vivid memorial of the innocents lost by the tragedy of abortion. In a similar way that our sanctuary has been made more lovely… brighter... more inviting… our world would be a better place had these nearly 50 million children been allowed to live their God-ordained lives.

Daisies are so simple and beautiful. Each bloom is special, though few are perfect. Daisies traditionally represent innocence. The loss of innocent life in abortion is a tragedy of our day.

Daisies also symbolize feelings of affection. People must know that, in spite of their circumstances, each child is an indication of God’s affection for them. He has created each child for His glory and purposes, to bless that family.

Daisies also stand for hope. We must continue to hope in the Lord. We must pray.

Pray for mothers who taste the bitter tears of regret. Pray for the fathers who spend their lives wondering. Pray for men and women facing difficult life decisions. Pray for legislators. Pray for churches. Pray the God gives you His love for life.

May we hold dearly the gift of human life… from conception to natural death. May we love and protect our babies. May we cherish and care for our elderly. May we support and embrace the physically and mentally challenged. May we choose life and be a voice for life.

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him.
Deuteronomy 30:19-20

The Great I Am

This from the Words of Victory Newsletter... very timely for me... for most, I would venture.

The Great I am
written by Dr. Mark Becton
www.wordsofvictory.net

I recently returned from a trip to Israel with experiences that I pray will last a lifetime. One such experience took place on the Sea of Galilee. The captain stopped the boat's motor, and I read to our group from John 21. The disciples had been fishing all night and caught nothing. From the shore, Jesus tells them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat. Reluctantly they do so, and when they do, their nets are about to break because of all the fish they've caught. I told the group that Peter and the others did what all good fishermen would have done. They counted the fish and boasted of catching 153 fish.

I then shared with the group something I had written in my journal months earlier after reading this text. Burdened for our church to reach more people for Christ, I wrote as a prayer, "Lord, please show us where the fish are."

Like Peter, I felt we had been working hard but had seen little for it. Thus, I asked those on the boat with me to pray with me that the Lord would show us where the fish are in our city, state, nation and world. Yet, I was about to learn again how Jesus never stops teaching.

One of our guides on the trip later reminded the group of the 153 fish that were caught in John 21. He then asked, "Did you ever wonder why God was so specific to record that they had caught 153 fish?" He said, "In Hebrew, numbers can be translated into letters, and letters into numbers. In Hebrew, the number 153 translates into the statement 'THE GREAT I AM'."

The more I let this new information soak in the more I realized the great lesson Jesus was teaching me...and you. Every one of us, at one time or another, have felt like Peter and the disciples. We've worked hard at something, but for all our efforts we've seen little results. After working hard and long to make ends meet, you still find yourself in debt. After, praying, asking others for godly advice, and writing out your pros and cons on the matter, you still haven't come to peace regarding a decision.

I could go on, but I'm sure you can write in your specific circumstance where all your efforts have left you frustrated and confused. Then, listen to the lesson Jesus taught using 153 fish. The lesson as if you get close to, listen to, and obey THE GREAT I AM, He will take care of the fish. Too often our answer for little results is to simply work harder. Jesus' answer, however, is different. It's not about working harder. It's all about getting closer. According to Peter's experience, when you get close enough to hear and obey Jesus' instruction, the fish take care of themselves. Then, the real effort begins as you haul in all the fish.

In my journal, I now have a new entry where I thank the Lord for being a consummate teacher and for teaching me the lesson of John 21.

Love,
Bro. Mark