Confident Decision Making by Sonkist Ministries on Mixcloud

For those of you who are viewing this on an iPhone or iPad, please listen to our radio shows using the MixCloud iTunes App here. Download the app and then search for “Sonkist” under the “cloudcasts” search option.

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

Luke 2:16-19

I recently watched the movie The Passion of The Christ again, and I found myself moved by so many aspects of what the Lord did for us when He gave His life so we could receive the gift of salvation. I was also touched by the portrayal of Mary, Jesus’ mother, who had to witness the brutal abuse and then crucifixion of her beautiful firstborn son.

From the time of His conception, Mary was fully aware of Jesus’ Deity. After the angel Gabriel told her about God’s special plan for her as the mother of Jesus, she burst into song:

“My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.

Luke 1:47-48

Her recognition of the uniqueness of the baby Jesus continued after His birth and the arrival of the shepherds, who explained the divine message they had received from an angel and the “heavenly host.” This was their long-awaited Messiah, the Lord who would save them! She’d received another glimpse of the plan God had for this special child, the One who she had been called to care for and raise to adulthood.

I can only imagine the years of joy Mary must have had with Jesus. When did she first notice His unique relationship to His Heavenly Father? How did she play with Him, pray with Him, and teach Him knowing that her boy was fully human but also fully God? And what other insights into Jesus’ position, power, and ultimate purpose here on Earth did she receive along life’s journey?

There were times when Mary didn’t always comprehend all that her child was called to accomplish. When he was twelve, Jesus couldn’t be found in the group of family and friends returning from Passover in Jerusalem. So Mary and Joseph returned, searching for their young son for three days. When they found Him and asked Jesus how He could have caused them so much worry, He replied:

Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he was saying to them. Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

Luke 2:49-52

It seems as if, little by little, Mary was learning too. She tucked away these Truths about her Son and Savior until that day when she had to watch this blessed gift God had shared with her offer His life so everyone could have the opportunity of being saved from their sins. Yet even in His pain, we see how much the Lord loved and treasured His mother too:

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” John 19:24-26

In the midst of His agony, Jesus asked John to care for His mother once He was gone. He provided a source of earthly protection and provision for her, and, in doing so, expressed His deep appreciation and affection for her. Oh how she must have treasured these final words spoken in her behalf in the days, weeks, and months to come!

There’s no better time than this month that commemorates mothers to consider what kind of things we are treasuring up in our hearts too. Sure, we’ve got a lot on our plates these days: high taxes, evil people, split families, government problems, and worldwide calamities. Yet has much really changed since the days of Jesus? I don’t know about you, but I want to be much more like Mary – treasuring those things in my heart that really matter for eternity.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms – and may the Lord bless you in ways that you’ll always treasure!

Thought of the Month

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal^. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:19-21

Highlights of Heaven by Sonkist Ministries on Mixcloud

For those of you who are viewing this on an iPhone or iPad, please listen to our radio shows using the MixCloud iTunes App here. Download the app and then search for “Sonkist” under the “cloudcasts” search option.

The words on the front screen at church were reiterated in our pastor’s message a few minutes later. What intrigued me most was the expression “witnesses.” Who were these people? Why had they chosen to be present when Paul preached? And what prompted the Apostle Paul to even use this term in his letter to Timothy in the first place?

According to scholars, the witnesses were men, women, and children who had gathered throughout Paul’s ministry to discover for themselves what this man had to say. Whether they had believed Jesus was Messiah and accepted God’s free gift of salvation wasn’t Paul’s point. He had shared the Word, and people had been present – watching, listening, and, for some, taking action based on the Gospel message.

Witness is an interesting word. It infers the ability to provide a testimony based on some experience or observation. While it often relates to legal or official proceedings, it also is connected to faith – but not just any faith. In fact, one of Microsoft’s dictionary definitions is “somebody who publically states his or her strong Christian beliefs.” So the assembly mentioned in the Scripture above would have included those who had been onlookers as the apostle shared about Jesus, and some of them would certainly became true witnesses for their Lord and Savior after they believed.

There are many places in God’s Word that talk about this topic, and one of the most famous is that “great cloud of witnesses” mentioned in Hebrews 12:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith . . . (verses 1-2a).

So this group not only includes earthly observers but also those standard bearers of our faith who have gone before us (as mentioned in Hebrews 11). Basically God gently reminds us that we’ve got a bigger audience than we ever imagined! Those faithful onlookers – including Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, and David – surround us! Along with mere mortals in our world, these heroes in the Lord’s kingdom are also our witnesses – watching and waiting to see what we will do with our lives.

I don’t know about you, but this concept alone urges me to strive harder as I serve my Savior! Champions of our faith are cheering us on – like a crowd gathered to witness an event here on earth might do! And, just like the Apostle Paul encouraged, we need to be passing on to others who we truly are and what we really believe. Each and every day people should be able to observe our commitment to Christ – for this is the best testimony we can offer.

Oh may our witness grow stronger and stronger in the days ahead! Let’s remain firm in our faith, fervently serving our Savior as we finish the race He already has planned – with His grace and for His glory!

Thought of the Week

You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD,
“and my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may know and believe me
and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed,
nor will there be one after me.

Isaiah 43:10

Soul to Sole by Sonkist Ministries on Mixcloud

For those of you who are viewing this on an iPhone or iPad, please listen to our radio shows using the MixCloud iTunes App here. Download the app and then search for “Sonkist” under the “cloudcasts” search option.