During Advent. the season of preparing for the birth of God's Son; on December 22, 1988 we were blessed with the birth of our first child, a son. He is 19 today. As his parent, he was told this morning having known him for a long time, he was beautiful when he was a newborn and beautiful today. He is a gift from God, he is a blessing to us and has so many, many blessings to please his parents. He has free will, he aggravates his parents and gives them a challenge.This brings to mind a bible study I wrote (but not Thee Author) for Junior High Students about creation, Genesis and the Sims. The Sims is a video game that you are the creator. Not many things in life are under our control, but God can do ALL things. Maybe the Sims is the video game equivalent to the movie, Bruce Almighty. As the Sims creator for your game, you design the Sim (person), you give your Sim personality, you decide what family to create for your Sim and assign those Sims (people) attributes, you build a house for your Sim & you get your Sim a job. The next part of the game is the Sim is hungry, ignores the family unless directed not to, the Sim has to be told to wake up, shower etc. The Sim's energy level decreases and for the first time, the Sim looks up to you, the creator, and begins to complain. After about 3 hours of the game, one starts to wonder if this is all there is. Psalm 8: 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?
If at this point, you are thinking we are bad parents. Let me assure you that I LOVE my son. The Sim game is fun. But we are like the Sims. It is amazing when the first people created by God didn't shine and tap dance, that He didn't say something like game over and start again. As a parent, I want to protect my son, the birthday boy. But God had bigger plans for His only Son, Jesus Christ. He wants to save the world, to give you, all your children and His Son, eternity.
John 3: 5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
Matthew 25:31-46
31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
37 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
44 "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
45 "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
46 "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
Let me add that my son spiritually pleases me and makes me proud. And from time to time, I pray for him that His Heavenly Father will do what I cannot do for him.
Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
Ephesians 3: 14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
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