Jesus Christ is God, but He also was a Man in every respect. He had feelings and private thoughts. He loved people. When they had the courage to approach Him, it touched Him deeply. As He visited towns, He traveled with an entourage of common folk like you and I. Children adored His wonderful infectious laugh, widows melted at His attention, misfits felt safe with Him, sinners could receive correction from Him, and adults sat at His knee like children who finally felt wanted.
When Jesus initiates a relationship with you, it is intrinsically permanent. He does not merely want to be your buddy. He wants to develop a solid, intimate bond with you that cannot be torn asunder by the storms of life or by the pleasures of this world. In fact, He wishes to take up residence in your soul, so that you become, as it were, His home. If you think this is something you want, simply say so!
In the third chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus told a man called Nicodemus that he had to be born again. Jesus wasn't talking about his body, but He wanted to get Nicodemus thinking about his eternal soul. When your mother was in labor with you, you had no choice. You had to come out one way or another! The alternative was death, wasn't it? In fact, it was critical for you to come out of the birth canal. You had to be born. Despite her physical suffering, your mother glowed when she held you for the first time.
This is how God feels about you. When He sent Jesus Christ to die for your sins, He was giving birth to your soul! Anyone who receives Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior becomes a child of God. As a member of the family of God, you can know God as your heavenly Father, your protector and friend. If you refuse to be born again, it is as if you are a stillborn. It breaks His heart. He was the first to see you in your mother's womb, and He will be the last one to hold you in this world.
Maybe you have never been very lucky in life. I want you to know that God has a season of joy waiting for you. His grace is so pure that no memory of molesting hands can ruin it. His love is so deep that no sting of rejection by another person can end it. As long as you are breathing, He will stand with you turning back the darkness of pain, sin, and loneliness. As you face reality, the emotional impact will lessen as He heals your broken mind. He will bring understanding and wisdom. Misplaced affections, secret failures, and keen disappointments are issues only Jesus can repair, if you let Him. Face yourself and you will find Him standing behind you, watching. Let Him be a Physician to you. Let Him reset your broken life like fractured bones. Let Him hold your hand until the fear subsides. Let Him touch that disfigured soul of yours. If you want Him to do this for you, simply say so!
Almighty God reshapes piecemeal lives and fixes bankrupt souls. He puts steel into the center of hollow marriages, and places on the widow the wreath of royal affection and provision. He closes the mouth of the slanderer, and brings justice to all who trust in Him when wronged. He refreshes the weary saint overcome in battle. And with a passionate patience, He seeks your soul and your attention. He wants your love, but He also simply wants to love you! You don't need to choose those sins you seem doomed to repeat. You don't have to be left to fend for yourself. Your days of being buried in the black hole of gloom, sin and self destruction are over. He wants to remove that veil that has kept you from trusting anyone. He wants you to be exclusively His. The third chapter of Revelation says He is knocking at the door. It is the door of your heart! Only you can open that door. If you want to, simply say so!
If you are ready to begin a new relationship with the Lord and be born again, pray this simple prayer and sincerely ask Him to be your personal Lord and Savior. I suggest that you pray it outloud.
This moment your name is being written in the Book of Life in heaven. As you read your Bible, you will discover all He has planned for you. Expect wonderful things as you follow Jesus Christ!
The sun was setting and the birds were still
As he sat revealing to me His will.
I wanted to jot down a few things He said, but
Just about then, He dropped His head.
I held my breath, for His feelings were so deep,
That I trembled slightly with an urge to weep.
Then quietly He simply touched my hand
As if I was someone who could understand Him.
You could be a spunky marigold this summer! Marigolds have shallow roots though,and they never live through the winter. Their beauty is flashy, but brief.
Marigolds are ok.
But I should like you to be a lovely iris, a rose or lily. They have good roots and survive the seasons of time. Their beauty lasts from year to year.
I think you'd be happier as an iris, a rose, or a lily.
But marigolds are ok.
He laughed outloud as I blushed with pleasure
When Jesus whispered: you are His treasure!
Quickly I glanced up to see if it was true.
He nodded and smiled the way a Daddy would do.
Then He hugged me and squeezed me there
On His knee, before the whole angelic army!
They quietly wondered who I might be
But Papa just announced: she belongs to Me.
I heard what He said and began to cry.
As he held me with a contented sigh.
And Jesus was watching us, nearby.
I could see a few stains from tears He had shed.
And in the upper corner, there was something red.
He said He purchased it at a great price.
And then He caressed it once or twice.
He showed me on the underside all the work He had done.
I looked for flaws but there were none.
He wove all the threads witha purpose divine.
I noticed that the stitching was very fine.
Then the Master looked up so I could see
All the delicate embroidery, inside me.
Chrissy Mueller is a personal friend of mine. I hope her poetry and prose speak to your heart!
