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viltglance007
Guest
What is the best Christmas gift you ever received? For me it was Christmas 1974. A young man by the name of Tom Kimberley gave me an engagement ring. With this ring my life was never the same. I accepted the gift offered gladly. God blessed us with three children; Jackie, Tim and Will.
I think God puts gifts in our lives to help shape our personality and our walk with him. These gifts come in the form of people who enter our lives. The circumstances as to how they enter our lives come from God. One such person for me was a dear lady by the name of Mary Romp. My folks owned a grocery store in a small town of only 400 people. Everyone knows everyone there. This is the town where Tom and I both were raised and still live. Tom was farming at the time and needed a part for his tractor so he could finish planting before a rain came. He had asked me to go get the part. I stopped at the grocery store to get some snacks for Jackie and I, as the part for the tractor was two hours away. Mary was at the store shopping and overheard me telling my mother of the journey ahead of me. Mary said she was going home for the afternoon and would love to take Jackie home with her so Jackie could take her nap. Mary was a family friend of everyone in town, so it made perfect sense to have Jackie take her nap there. After I got back from my mad dash to get the part Tom needed, I stopped to pick Jackie up. Mary was sitting in a rocking chair holding Jackie as she slept. It was such a loving picture. As Mary sat there rocking my little girl, she said these words I know God gave her to tell me. "Donna, those dirty dishes will always be there, the carpet will always need to be vacuumed, but you won't always have a little one to rock." I'll never forget those words as it is so true. The gifts God gives us we need to give all of our attention to. The chores life gives us we need to put in perspective.
Luke tells the story of Lazarus' two sisters, Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42. As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a village where a woman named Martha welcomed them into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord's feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was worrying over the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, "Lord. Doesn't it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me." But the Lord said to her, "My dear Martha, you are so upset over all these details! There is really only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it won't be taken away from her."
My life was molded by the gift of an engagement ring and the gift of wisdom from Mary Romp, but the best gift I have received came an early summer evening on June 5, 2000. This is the day I took God's FREE gift of Jesus Christ into my life. Jesus became a real and living person to me on that day. I could feel his Spirit entering my body that night when I accepted him as my personal Savior. He was the one who went to the cross for my sins so I could be forgiven. He was the one God raised from the dead so I could some day live with Him in heaven. He is the one that fills the emptiness so many of us feel. It was an easy gift to receive. I just prayed an easy prayer as described in Romans 10:9-10. That was all. I just prayed.
"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved." (Romans 10:9-10) As the scriptures tell us, "Anyone who believes in him will not be disappointed."
I think God puts gifts in our lives to help shape our personality and our walk with him. These gifts come in the form of people who enter our lives. The circumstances as to how they enter our lives come from God. One such person for me was a dear lady by the name of Mary Romp. My folks owned a grocery store in a small town of only 400 people. Everyone knows everyone there. This is the town where Tom and I both were raised and still live. Tom was farming at the time and needed a part for his tractor so he could finish planting before a rain came. He had asked me to go get the part. I stopped at the grocery store to get some snacks for Jackie and I, as the part for the tractor was two hours away. Mary was at the store shopping and overheard me telling my mother of the journey ahead of me. Mary said she was going home for the afternoon and would love to take Jackie home with her so Jackie could take her nap. Mary was a family friend of everyone in town, so it made perfect sense to have Jackie take her nap there. After I got back from my mad dash to get the part Tom needed, I stopped to pick Jackie up. Mary was sitting in a rocking chair holding Jackie as she slept. It was such a loving picture. As Mary sat there rocking my little girl, she said these words I know God gave her to tell me. "Donna, those dirty dishes will always be there, the carpet will always need to be vacuumed, but you won't always have a little one to rock." I'll never forget those words as it is so true. The gifts God gives us we need to give all of our attention to. The chores life gives us we need to put in perspective.
Luke tells the story of Lazarus' two sisters, Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42. As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a village where a woman named Martha welcomed them into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord's feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was worrying over the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, "Lord. Doesn't it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me." But the Lord said to her, "My dear Martha, you are so upset over all these details! There is really only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it won't be taken away from her."
My life was molded by the gift of an engagement ring and the gift of wisdom from Mary Romp, but the best gift I have received came an early summer evening on June 5, 2000. This is the day I took God's FREE gift of Jesus Christ into my life. Jesus became a real and living person to me on that day. I could feel his Spirit entering my body that night when I accepted him as my personal Savior. He was the one who went to the cross for my sins so I could be forgiven. He was the one God raised from the dead so I could some day live with Him in heaven. He is the one that fills the emptiness so many of us feel. It was an easy gift to receive. I just prayed an easy prayer as described in Romans 10:9-10. That was all. I just prayed.
"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved." (Romans 10:9-10) As the scriptures tell us, "Anyone who believes in him will not be disappointed."
