Alabaster Box

This is a great song that exemplifies our life being an offering poured out to Jesus, even when others don’t understand how we can be so free in our giving of ourselves to the Lord.

They just don’t know the cost of the oil, or the price we’ve paid to get to the love of Jesus.

Never give up on motherhood

I’m a mom.

Many of you are…and one of the things I’ve learned in motherhood is that it’s totally unpredictable.

You never know what to expect or what should happen next.

Try as we may to set routines and schedules, life happens..and sometimes things don’t go as planned. That’s just the way of life.

Children have expectations that we sometimes don’t meet– either because we will not to, or because we simply can’t even if we wanted to. Other times we have expectations of our children that prove futile in the end.

Along the way in this journey of motherhood, God is constantly revealing to us little by little His master plan for moms. Parents are children’s crown, and until they are old enough to make their own decisions they need the blessing of mom and dad’s anointing and direction.

Let us not give up or get weary in our mothering. One day our children will rise up and call us blessed.

But until then, keep being faithful. Keep setting your ground rules. Continue to discipline in love.

Most of all, always disciple your children through prayer and patience.

They are your children for life, but they won’t always be children for life.

One day, if you are faithful, they will rise up and call you Blessed.

Anointing For Children: Book Review

This is an excellent resource for all mothers who desire to pray their children through the struggles of life.

Though small and compact, this book is full of wise nuggets of wisdom and inspirational stories of moms who were faced with circumstances to pray the release of God’s power in their children’s lives.

“Anointing for Children” covers stories such as:

• a rebellious son praying as his mother is stabbed in the heart
• how a boy descends into drugs and gangs
• when a son falls under the control of a cult
• or a 2 pound, premature baby fighting for his life…

…and more.

This little book by Melanie Hemry and Gina Lynnes comes along with a small tube of aromatic anointing oil made from pomegranate (which represents the fruitfulness, abundance, and favor that God gives to us and to our children).

On a personal note, I’ve used this oil in praying over my own children with the result of God’s spirit permeating their bedrooms and their hearts as the lingering smell of the strong anointing oil left behind nighttime thoughts of Mommy’s prayers for them.

I highly recommend this book as an encouraging factor in each mom’s life, and as inspiration for us to pray daily for our children, with fervor and with faith.

Mary and Martha (women of the Bible)

 

TRANSCRIPT

 

Mary and Martha.

These two ladies were instrumental in carrying a message to all women throughout generations to come, yet they never knew just how important their life messages would be.

Let’s get a bit of background on these ladies.

Mary and Martha were sisters and Lazarus is believed to have been their brother. The three of them lived together and were friends of Jesus.

The definitions of their names alone give significant insight into what these 2 women were like.

Though sisters, they were vastly different in their opinions and ways, and the Lord took their differences at stride while loving each of them in terms they could appreciate.

It may be first of all important to note that Jewish tradition did not allow for the training of women in leadership or as a disciple. Jesus broke this mold in His relationships with women, since it is evident that Mary Magdelene, Joanna, and Susana and others were among his closest followers.

Mary means “loved by Yahweh” and Martha means “lady”.

We can tell in many of the passages of scripture that Jesus dearly loved Mary as she seemed to touch his heart and reach him where it really mattered. Martha was a lady by the true definition. She was of great service to her master and to others. She followed protocol, was proper, and knew how to serve her fellow man..

One of the main stories of Mary and Martha prove just how their differences were frustrating to Martha. Martha was irritated with Mary for not helping her serve Jesus. We find the story of this in Luke 10:38-42.

Mary seemed to have no true sense of traditional women’s roles, since rather than helping her sister Martha serve during one of Jesus’ visits, she decides to sit at his feet instead and be taught the Word directly from the master. I imagine Mary saw herself as a pupil of the Master, and she sat in anticipation under the instruction and tutelage of her mentor. Although Mary probably helped around the house, she obviously didn’t bother with homemaking and serving duties when Jesus was around. Her service to Jesus was of a different nature.

We find that when Martha fusses about Mary not helping her out in the kitchen and asks Jesus to make Mary help her, Jesus gently guides Martha into seeing that Mary was doing no wrong and that in fact, her service to the Lord in sitting at his feet was just as important, if not more so, than the busy, practical serving Martha was doing. Martha was tempted to feel somewhat superior to Mary as she resented her for not doing what she felt was the greater duty. Jesus was quick to set Martha straight and show her that there was no need for a judgmental attitude. There was room in the Kingdom of God for different personality types, and Jesus loved the free spirited, non-traditional Mary as much as he loved the stricter, protocol-keeping Martha, and Martha had no right to judge Mary’s character.

It was also evident in other scripture that Mary had been known to display spiritual sensitivity to Jesus’ needs, while Martha always served in the background. (Luke 12:4) Mary oftentimes received criticism for outward displays of affection and emotion, as in the time she poured ointment over Jesus’ feet and wiped them with her hair. The disciples complained that the ointment could have been saved for the poor. However, Jesus rebuked them explaining that she understood his purpose on earth which was to die for our sins, and because of this she grieved for him and anointed him before time.

Mary’s whole demeanor toward Jesus was that of worship.

Jesus was and still is looking for those who will worship him in spirit and in truth. Mary was a true worshipper.

Martha was a true servant and was consistent, stable, and always busy. Martha was always busy preparing and making things happen behind the scenes. Without Martha nothing was bound to be the same. She was needed in her personality and all that she was to the Lord’s world, but her one fault was that she didn’t realize just how needed her despised sister Mary was. I’m sure she loved her sister…but probably just didn’t understand her ways, and may have been irritated by what seemed to be her passivity.

The story of Martha and Mary gives us hope for the future.

How shall we live for God? Will we be of service to him by staying busy with the practical aspects of ministry or religion?

Or will we be of service to him by sitting at His feet as He teaches our hearts His ever-present words of righteousness and truth? Will we worship Him with our attention and affection?

How will we choose to serve our Lord?

Faith Without Works

My brother and I had a conversation a couple of days ago about having faith without works is dead.  What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? (James 2:14 [NKJV]).  In this context, works means what are you doing to show you have faith.  Having faith without trust is dead to God.  When we pray and ask God for certain things, we are commanded by God to have 100% faith.  Although, we tell ourselves and others we have faith, is it 100%.  Here is the test.  After you put in your request(s) to God, do you turn it over to Him and not focus on it anymore or do you still worry about it?  If you are yet worried, guess what?  You are not being 100% faithful; maybe 99%, but not 100%.

We are human and, at times, our flesh gets in the way.  Our spirit is willing but our flesh is weak.  We need to learn how to truly believe and trust in God 100%.  Just think how much easier our lives would be if we are worry-free.

God we ask that you bless us with more faith; that you bless us to be able turn over our situations to you and let go.  In Jesus name, we pray.  Amen.

Rita J. Cartwright, Owner
RJ’s Word Processing Services
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