I love to read the Christmas story. There is one particular verse that shows the true heart of Mary as a mother. Luke 2:19 tells us she "treasured" and "pondered" upon the words spoken about her newborn son. That is what a mother does when words are spoken about your children. She treasures and ponders upon them. She is reminded about them throughout her life. When one of her children is sick, she is encouraged to know the Lord is their Healer. When one of them is rebelling, she ponders upon Scripture such as Proverbs 22:6. When she watches her children marry, she ponders upon Scripture such as Jeremiah 29:11. When she watches them have children of their own, she treasures the look in their eyes when they hold them. All of these attributes of a mother are ones that make a mother. A godly mother prays for her children as an act of love. Unfortunately, there are many children who do not have such a mother. There are too many children in this world who will wake up this morning without the love of a mother. They are not just ones in other countries that we see ads for that need food, clothing, etc. There are many right here in the United States without a loving mother. Some are without due to their mothers making 'bad' decisions. Others are because of the acts of others. No matter what the reason, they need to know Jesus is there for them. How can that happen in such circumstances? Believers need to walk in obedience to the Lord and share Him with all they meet. We all need to love people with His love. Jesus came to this earth to die for all. His birth was just the beginning to a great story. As I think of Mary who "treasured" and "pondered" upon her Son, I wonder what thoughts were going through her mind. She had been told she was going to give birth to the Messiah. Did she know what that would entail? Did she know her Son would die in such a horrific way? Did she realize the impact her Son would have for generations to come? As a mother she would have had some instincts but would they have given her insight into what was ahead? A mother prays for her children to have the best in life but with her giving birth to the Messiah what else could she pray for Him when He was the best? This morning I am praying for...
- children who do not have a loving mother
- children who do not have a mother to protect and care for them
- children, young or old, who have 'bad' memories of their mother
- children, young or old, with addiction that has been passed down from their mother
- children, young or old, who have lost their mother
- mothers who have lost their children
- women who were not given the right example to be good mommies
- women who have aborted their babies
- mothers in abusive situations that are affecting their children
- mothers who have taken in or adopted children who needed loved
Mary was given the greatest gift when she was chosen to be the mother of Jesus. Every mother is given a gift when they are chosen to be the mother of their children. I know I am blessed with the gift of my sons. I cannot imagine what Mary went through as she watched Jesus be killed. But I can imagine how she "treasured" and "pondered" upon hearing the words said about her son. It makes a mother proud to hear such things. It also makes for good memories when reflecting back on them.
Dear Jesus,
Happy Birthday! Today is a day set aside to celebrate Your birth yet we celebrate You every day. Oh how I pray for those who don't practice celebrating You. I pray more believers would share You so more people would come into relationship with You. I also pray for more people to take the step to be sanctified so they can walk in obedience. Father, I pray for a cleansing in my spirit so I can walk in obedience better today. I pray for Your words, actions and attitude to be mine in a different, new way. I pray for those who are alone today to draw close to You. I pray for my boys, their ladies, and my grand babies to realize the true meaning of this day. May Your love surround them in a great way not just today but every day. I pray for the blessing of healing in Doc's body. May You empower Him as he is Your faithful servant. I pray for the ones who have lost loved ones, especially in the last days, to draw near to You. I pray they will find You in a way they can celebrate today. I also pray for the families with ones in their last days to find Your comfort. Thank You Jesus for being My Gift Giver. Amen.
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