A Better hope Is Introduced

From Rev Dr Tom Nibbe

Today is Mother's Day.

On this very special day we acknowledge the role our mothers have  had in our lives. Our moms have loved us and shown us how to love  ourselves and others. Our mothers are those who have prepared us  to take this life on and do the work we do and to do it up right. Our moms are not necessarily the women who have given birth to us, but all those  special, unique and distinctive ladies who have greatly impacted our lives.
 
Prayer
Thank you, Gracious and Loving God, for the blessing of mothers in our lives.  As Abraham Lincoln once said, all that we are and everything we hope to be,  we owe to our dear mothers. May all the ladies we know who've meant so  much to us --- who share in this message today --- be blessed in this sincere expression of our love. May they know our sincere expression of appreciation. May they have a day of happiness and rejoicing.

We pray this simple prayer in Jesus' name. Amen.
 
Attributes Regarding Motherhood
 "...a mother is a person, who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never really cared for pie..." Anonymous

 "...mothers are like 'dab' rapid-fuse adhesive --- even when they're gone, they're still holding the family together..." Anonymous

 "...by the time a woman realizes her mother was right ---  she has a daughter who thinks she's wrong..." Anonymous
 
"...if at first you don't succeed... try doing it the way Mom told you to do it in the beginning..." Anonymous
 
"...behind every great kid there is a mother who is  pretty sure she is screwing it up..." Anonymous
 
 "...all that I am and all that I ever hope to be...I owe to my mother..." Abraham Lincoln
 
"...a definition of motherhood... learning about strengths you did not know you had... Linda Wooten
 
"...no man is poor who has a Godly mother..." Abraham Lincoln
 
"...motherhood is the exquisite inconvenience of  being another person's everything..." Anonymous
 
"...all I am I owe to my mother..." George Washington

Scripture
 "...while Peter was still speaking these words the Holy Spirit came  on all who heard the message...the circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles...for they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God..." (Acts 10:44-48)

 "...the Lord Almighty is with us...the God of Jacob is our refuge..." Psalm 46:11 [King David]​

"...for everyone born of God overcomes the world...this is the victory that has overcome the world...even our faith..." (1 John 5:4)

"...without faith is it impossible to please God..." (Hebrews 11:6a)
 
"...greater love has no one than this...that he [she] lay down his [her] for his [her] friends...everything I have learned from my Father I have made known to you..." [Jesus] (John 15:13)

"...the Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word..." (Hebrews 1:3)
 
The Message
This is a message for those who are truly seeking "the straight story", the bottom line, that is, the essence of what a life of faith is all about... this is for the specific person the Lord has been speaking to my heart about...the person who senses some "element within" causing some considerable disturbance. What is it? Something being stirred deep  within. Something speaking in what seems to be a foreign, but attractive message lacking words. It seems to be something needing clarification. It is a strange, but friendly voice.

It is the Holy Spirit knocking on your door.

What is your relationship to the thought of having a personal relationship with the Creator of the Universe? It may sound too big for the likes of "flesh and bones" creatures like you and me...but the bold invitation of the Scriptures suggest just that...

Yes, there are the trappings of religion. I suppose we all have them. Trappings are not the essence of faith. Sometimes faith  and religion are almost opposite each other...but true spirituality  is about a personal relationship with God. I would like you to  note a powerful passage in Hebrews 3:1b...
 "...fix your thoughts on Jesus..."
 
Can you imagine an eternal deity, that is, God, as human being also?  What difference would that make in terms of living your life, day by  day, being totally genuine with yourself, and yet, being spiritual at  the same time? It reminds me of a joke riddle that I heard some months ago. What do you call a 6'8" dude with a switch-blade knife? The answer to that riddle is..."You call him, 'Sir!'" There is something "creatively intimidating" about an awesome human being standing before you requiring your attention.

Would you be as responsive to somebody who gave you a Bible and asked you to read it? Often, a person would take the Bible politely, set it aside, and not read it. If the person who is seeking your attention and response is the Lord Jesus Christ, you really would pay attention. A real live person with an urgent message for you  is a lot more effective than a well-written book, meant to help you out,  that you end up never reading...even though it would save your life.
 
This is the precise reason that the Lord Jesus Christ as a person, not only the exact representation of Almighty God, but God in human flesh, is so  impressive. You really need to respond to him. You can't brush him off. As you read this message, He's reaching out to you. He is calling you  from the shadows of ignorance and despair into the light of His Good News.
 
Could you discern some kind of reward, some kind of premium or  advantage in dedicating your life to that God-Man and his proposition meant to transform your life and cause you to come powerfully alive as never before?

That "calling forth" is not so much the imposition of an old worn-out religious life,  that out-of-fashion religious routine to restrict your life, if you have perceived it  that way, or being miserable straightening out some of those back-alley ways,  that up to now have seemed to, despite good intentions, continue to plague your daily life. The wrinkles of life are ironed-out by a new genuine relationship with your companion and friend, the Lord Jesus Christ.

I'd encourage you at this point, if you have never turned your life over to God in Christ Jesus...that you go ahead and do that...just say... "Lord Jesus, I turn from my own way, and in repentance, I freely choose to follow you. I know you died on the cross of Calvary for my sins, and I  thank you, that you did so, so that I might be freed from my bondage to sin, shame, guilt, and regret in my life. I acknowledge that you rose from the dead on the third day, and therefore, paved the way for my destiny to inherit eternal life. Thank you, Jesus. I receive you as my personal Lord and Savior. Amen."
 
I want to share something in the message for today that may transform your life...and cause your floral arrangement to blossom forth...
 
As we read the passage from Acts, it seemed unlikely that those who had, just then, simply heard Peter's preaching became immediately initiated into a life of faith in Jesus, and were exhibiting the gift of the Holy Spirit.

This is the power of God's Word in the preaching of the Gospel!
 
That which churns within us is the work of the Spirit. When we hear the preaching of the Word, the Holy Spirit works within us, and without all other kinds of encouragement and inspiration, we hear the truth of the Gospel and we come to "life"...that is...the saving grace of God through Jesus.

I would like to invite you this Mother's Day to receive God's forgiveness in Christ Jesus and the assurance of Everlasting Life. If your heart has been searching for something, and you don't know what it could be, it is the Holy Spirit calling you to come home to God. Accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit like those Gentiles of old.
 
Blessings to you on this special day...Let mom know you love her... In my case, thank you, birth mother, for the gift of life... Thank you, adoptive mom, a new, wonderful home and family... Thank you, Dad, for being mom and dad, upon mom's passing... Thank you, Aunt Hilda, for caring for me summers and holidays after my adoptive mom passed...we were destined to be together...
 
Cordially, Tom