Precious Lamb

If you’ve seen “The Two Towers” from The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the word precious might remind you of Gollum and his purring obsession of the ring. He loves it for the power it holds. He strokes and worships it. He killed to get the ring for himself, and its evil influence changed him from a happy go lucky hobbit into a haunted, emaciated beast. Yet he refers to it as “Precious.” He will do anything to get it back, even as it destroys him.

Contrast that with The Precious Lamb of God.

The word “Lamb” throughout the book of Revelation actually translates as “pet lamb” from the Greek, a term of endearment. It first appears in chapter five:

“I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.’ Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders” (emphasis mine). 

John hears the exciting announcement that the Lion of Judah, the Root of the kingly Davidic line has saved the day and looks up to see…a lamb…and a slain one at that! How can we reconcile all Jesus is with a word that means a cherished family pet?

The point is not to make Christ less than He is, but to highlight how precious and worthy He is because of His sacrifice. That’s why this word translated “Lamb” is not the same word as in the rest of Scripture, where it refers to an animal sacrifice or member of the flock. 

Even those spotless sacrifices could not pay the price for our sin permanently. They had to be offered again and again in an endless, bloody procession that was only a temporary fix. Until Jesus, the holy Lamb of God willingly gave up His blood on our behalf. That’s why He is so precious and beloved and the center of adoration in heaven; cherished and surrounded by worshipers from every tribe and nation and tongue. He is the only One worthy to save us.

But here’s where it gets even better. The same word translated as “pet lamb” in Revelation is found one other time in Scripture. In John 21:15 Jesus gives Peter his assignment to lead the Church. “Jesus said, ‘Feed my lambs.’”

Who are His lambs? He’s talking about us! All who will believe in the name of Jesus are His precious pets. We’re cherished lambs of the Shepherd who guides and protects us from evil. 

Are we precious to Him because possessing us will increase His power, like the lord of the rings? No. Jesus already has all power. We are precious to Him because He made us and loves us beyond anything we can possibly comprehend.

Do you know how precious you are today? Are you God’s little lamb? Do you love Him because He was willing to face rejection, torture, and death for you? Do you worship the Lamb of God because He bore the weight of your sin and shame? 

He paid the sacrifice for us all, and rose as victorious conqueror over death and hell. No wonder we worship the Lamb who was slain! He is most precious.

#lambofGod #youareprecious #lionandlamb #Shepherdandlamb #Jesustreasuresyou #Easter #spotlesslamb

Moms of All Kinds

courtesy of Sela Photography

Moms come with a variety of personalities, abilities, strengths and weaknesses. We have stay at home moms, career moms, creative-artistic moms, logical-analytical moms, moms who bake and others who buy readymade. Some moms love the Lord and are compassionate and nurturing, others are gruff and distant. But every mom, no matter how dysfunctional, is a blessing in some way or other. This Sunday is a day to thank God for who they are and how they have blessed us—even if only for the gift of life.

My mom was not a stay at home, cookies and milk mom, but I remember experimenting with my Easy Bake oven and chattering away at her while she made dinner. My mom was a well educated, high powered career woman, and busy at church. But she was always approachable when I needed to talk, and I had fun helping in her three year old's Sunday school class as a teenager. 

She didn’t tell me I had to read the Bible every day, but she always tucked an age-appropriate devotional into my Christmas stocking. When I was in high school I began going to the family room where she read her Bible each morning. Her example was one of JOY in the Word of God. So I started drinking coffee like her and reading my Bible every day. Since she was a reference librarian and lover of books, she always brought home other delightful books and magazines on whatever each of us were interested in.

When I had babies she didn’t ask to babysit or keep my girls overnight, but she always had toys at her house—Fifi, the milk wagon, assorted books. She stopped by our house often, and has developed relationships with each of her grandchildren, loving and praying for them daily. Now she is also Mom to three son-in-laws and her granddaughters’ husbands. She’s establishing relationships with great grandchildren, and is “Mom” to a host of missionaries and others who look to her for wisdom, prayer, and kindness.  

There was a time when I didn’t see or appreciate all this about her. I had a picture in my head of what a mom should be. I selfishly wanted her at my beck and call, not taking into account her passions, needs, and giftings. Now that I’m a mom and grandma, I treasure all she is and all she’s poured into my life. She continues to bless me and a growing throng of others. I’m grateful God gave me just the right mom.

I’m also grateful my daughters, sons in law, step kids, and grandchildren show understanding and appreciation for who I am, not who they wish I was. I am free to be myself—creative, quirky, a lover of God and nature, a bookworm, baker of sweet treats, and a bit of a neat freak.  Their acceptance frees me to love them to the best of my abilities, even if they might sometimes wish I was a little more of this, and a little less of that.

I encourage you to shower love and appreciation on the moms in your life this Sunday, and beyond. God created them to be one of a kind, unique, and beautiful. Tell them what you love about them and how they have blessed and continue to bless your life. So many of us have insecurities about all we are not; it’s wonderful to hear some things we’ve done right.

Happy Mother’s Day!

#mothersday #appreciatingmom #whatkindofmom #iloveyoumom #whatsgoodaboutmothers

 

Recovered and Recovering

“Hello, my name is Beth and I’m a grateful believer in Jesus Christ. And I struggle with…food issues, insecurity, selfishness, pride, people pleasing…” There's the raw honest truth! The second part is different every week, sometimes every day, because I'm a work in progress. But I'm glad to tell you the first sentence remains the same; no going back.

I haven’t arrived yet. For so many years, though, we in the Church acted as if we had. We got saved, sanctified, and self-satisfied. In our hearts, of course, we knew all the dirty little secrets about ourselves. Since no one was sharing, we thought no one else struggled with them, so we put on a good face and went around looking like we had it all together. All the while we were dying inside. The world wasn’t impressed, because they either saw through our sham, or they thought they wouldn’t be accepted into the club because they weren’t good enough.

When I was thirteen I asked Jesus to save me from my own self-destruction. I was born again—into a brand new person. He transformed me; my life now has meaning and purpose. He set me free from the weight of sin in my life. In a sense, I am a recovered sinner. But I am also still in recovery, because as long as I live in the flesh, I will continually be at war with the temptation to sin--to withhold love, kindness, and forgiveness, against emotions that rage within me, and my own mind and selfish will.

Apostle Paul said it well, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:12-14).

So I’m a grateful believer who still struggles. But the great news is I no longer struggle alone, nor do I struggle in vain. If you know Jesus Christ you understand this too. His power is available to us when we’re weak. We have always been and always will be weak. We just haven’t always admitted it. 

I think it’s time the world knew that Christians, true Christians—not just those who slap on the title, but the ones who truly, deeply love and long for Jesus to be Lord of their life—are still in recovery, still fighting the battle. Our testimony is not how strong or perfect we are in ourselves, but how strong and perfect our Savior is. He daily works His transforming power in us to follow in His ways by His Spirit and His grace.

#overcomingsin #celebraterecovery #admityourstruggle #gratefulbelieverinJesusChrist