Ask and You Shall Receive??

Last week I learned a couple of very important spiritual lessons from my little 3 year old granddaughter, Kiana (who just happens to be the most beautiful, the most intelligent, and the sweetest granddaughter in the whole wide world...and I am completely impartial). Anyway, last Tuesday, my daughter, Rachel, was driving home from work. Her husband had met her in Niceville to "hand off" Kiana to her so that he could continue to his second job. Rachel didn't know it at the time, but Kiana had asked her daddy for french fries before the "hand off" and he had told her to "ask mama." After Rachel picked up Kiana and started for home (Niceville is about 30-45 minutes away from Crestview where Rachel lives) Kiana did just what daddy told her to do and asked mama for french fries. Rachel said "No, we're going home and I'll fix you some supper." Now to say that Kiana was less than happy with her mama's response would be an understatement! She began to cry, as most children would. But after 30 minutes of crying...not throwing a fit, just crying...Rachel began to think that something other than withdrawal from french fries might be wrong with her, especially since she had seemed to not really feel well that morning. When they reached home, Kiana was still distraught. Rachel took her inside and held her and loved on her, all to no avail. Finally, in a desperate, last ditch effort, Rachel said "Do you want to talk to Nina?" (In case you haven't figured it out yet, I'm Nina!!) Rachel had barely gotten the words out of her mouth before Kiana immediately stopped crying and said "I talk Nina!" It didn't take my daughter long to figure out little Miss Kiana. She knew that if she could just talk to Nina...she'd get her french fries!! Unfortunately, Nina wasn't at home to receive her phone call; and even if she had been there's no way Kiana could have gotten her french fries from me...even though I would have tried to figure out a way! The lesson for me was a two-fold one. First of all, Kiana knew just who to go to with her need. She knew that Nina was the answer to her lack of french fries. Do we know Who to go to when we have a need? Or do we try to get our need fulfilled on our own? That doesn't always works well, does it?! Our Heavenly Father knows our needs before we even have them...and He has promised to supply ALL our needs. And there's where the second part of my lesson comes into play...sometimes what we THINK we NEED is not good for us at all. Kiana really wanted french fries. But mama knew that what she really needed was good vegetables...not greasy french fries. How many times do we ask God for something because we REALLY NEED IT, GOD!!?? But God, Who knows our hearts, lovingly says "I don't think so! That's not good for you!" God wants to give us the things we really want...but there's a stipulation. Ps. 37:4 says "Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart." Before the "desires" comes the "delight." When we delight ourselves in the Lord...when we seek our happiness in the Lord, in Who He is, in His being, and in His love...He WILL give us the desires of our hearts. The Amplified Bible adds even more...He'll give you not only the desires of your heart but "the secret petitions" of your heart also. The secret is that when we're delighting in the Lord, OUR desires are HIS desires. It's no longer I WANT, but HE WANTS. And we are always assured that what HE WANTS is GOOD!! So my lessons??? Go to the right place for my needs but always go delighting in the One Who loves me and knows what I REALLY need!

The M.O.B.

This Saturday, February 7, 2009, will be a milestone for the Women in the Word Life Connections class...the first get-together of the M.O.B.!! Lest you read this and think we've become a part of organized crime, M.O.B. simply stands for Members Of the Body...the Body of Christ universally, the Body of Believers at Victory Baptist Church in St. Marys, Georgia, locally, and the Body of Women in the WIW Life Connections class specifically. God's Word has quite a bit to say about how this M.O.B. should function. I think one of the best descriptions is found in First Corinthians 12. This chapter give us a very clear and vivid picture of what our job is in the Body of Believers, universally, locally, and specifically.

1. God gives each believer at least one spiritual gift with a specific purpose in mind...as a special way of serving others. (1 Cor. 12:7)
2. Each member of the Body is equally important...whether a "foot," a "hand," an "eye," or an "ear," the Body can't function properly without YOU! (1 Cor. 12:14-17)
3. God has placed exactly the right people in the Body of Believers at Victory Baptist Church, and specifically in the WIW Life Connections class...and He did it to make all the "parts" of this Body work together smoothly, with each "part" caring about the others. (1 Cor. 12:25)
4. If one "part" of our Body hurts, we hurt all over. If one "part" of our body is praised, we all share in the happiness. (1 Cor. 12:26)
5. Together we are the Body of Christ...we are each one a "part" of His Body. (1 Cor. 12:27)

To sum it all up, the job of the M.O.B. is to SERVE EACH OTHER, TO VALUE EACH OTHER, TO CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER, TO SHARE GOOD TIMES AND BAD TIMES WITH EACH OTHER...Why? Because, as believers, we are all part of THE BODY...the very BODY OF CHRIST!!

So...welcome to the M.O.B.!! Together we'll serve, value, care, and share with one another. And as we do, not only will we grow closer to each other, we'll also show the world what it means to be called a Member Of the Body and we'll bring glory and honor to our awesome God!