Sunday, December 07, 2008

Countdown to Christmas: Day Seven

Christmas is about gifts....

This Christmas I have already received a wonderful gift. My Sunday School class has given me the gift of joy and pure delight. They are a class that longs to love others with the love of Jesus Christ. They continue to give their time, energies and resources to do just that. This past summer several of our class members went on the mission trip to Vermont. God allowed us to minister to children; poor, dirty and neglected children. When we arrived home God tugged at our hearts and we knew we had to respond. Jon and I will be leaving the 14th to take to Vermont all kinds of presents for the families in the small trailer park. I am so very proud of my ladies! Not only that; God used the Vermont trip to speak personally to me. In a Quiet Time about a month ago, God said that Vermont was only a way to open our hearts to the hurting in our own community. I challenged the class and shared exactly (from Scripture) what God had said to me. My class said, "Count us in!" I am so proud of them. We mailed out 269 personal invitations to, "To the Lady of the House" in our community. This Thursday we will showing the ladies that accept the invitation (from God) how to put a little spark into their Christmas. We will provide a meal, tips on looking better, meal time sparkle, family fun, home decorations and gift giving. Our most important goal is to minister the Holy Spirit to whosoever shows up. We will share the good news of Jesus Christ. Not all of our ladies are able to physically be there since it is in the afternoon, but they have the most important role of all; prayer. I challenged them to pray in the shower, pray when there head hits the pillow, when the go through a drive through, when they are at a stop light and every time God brings it to their mind. I would like to ask you to pray with us.

My class has given me a most wonderful gift....themselves! I love my ladies because they want to give the most important gift to others. Jesus Christ is the most important gift to give. I started out our lesson today with these Questions: Who do you give Christmas gifts to? How do you choose Christmas gifts for people you love? What is Christmas? What gift will you give Jesus? Isaiah 66:19-20 "...And they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles. Then they shall bring all your brethren for an offering to the Lord out of all nations,..." I love my ladies because they desire to give God exactly what He longs for this Christmas...more children.

Merry Christmas!

1 comment:

Sandy said...

I've been thinking about what you said Sunday morning about what we were going to give Jesus for Christmas. I'll be honest. He wasn't on my list. There were no items for Him at Wal-Mart or Target or online. There was no money budgeted for His gift. Sure we give donations to various organizations this time of year, but nothing that specifically says, "Jesus...THIS if for YOU from ME." As this was rolling around in my head/heart a more recent prayer that God would give me a broken heart for the lost also made it's way into my thoughts. Tonight at an Upward practice (J.R., kids aren't the only one's who can find Jesus through Upward)I ran into a lady who visited our Sunday School class yesterday. Through our conversation, she admitted that she was "new at this" and was "in the learning stages." She told me she didn't even have a bible yet. As she told me this, I was reminded that in the bag I had brought with me (a school bag filled with odds and ends I could occupy my time with) was the bible the church gave me at graduation. I carry it back and forth to work so I can read it before my children get to school in the mornings. I CLEARLY heard God speak to me, "That's what I want for Christmas! I want YOU to give MY word to HER!" What better gift to give? The only thing is, I'm not really sure WHO received the gift. God received the gift of my obedience to Him. The visitor received God's love letter to her. I received that broken heart for the lost I've been praying for. Thanks for allowing God to speak so plainly through you Pam. Keep teaching, keep blogging and God will keep Speaking. I'm listening.