Sisters

There was a man who had several sisters. All these sisters were very close. As a matter of fact the whole family was very close, brothers and sisters alike. This family grew from the pitter patter of little feet to adulthood with little pitter patter feet of their own. But two of the girls never married and were in close with this brother and his family. His family adored the two sisters and made deep bonds even going into a family business together.
After a time the sisters and the aged parents moved to another state nearby. Thus disjoining the close knit little group. This was hard for them all, but something that had to be done.
Sometime later one sister fell ill and died of the most dreaded------cancer! All were devastated. She was so missed. It was as though those left, had their hearts ripped from their chest in such agony to see such sickness and finally it to end in the death of a very beloved loved one………
There was a woman along with her husband and children that had moved to the area where the man lived. She had lived away from her family for over twenty years. She had four sisters. She was so eager to finally be “home” closer to family. All the sisters lived within a 5 hour drive. After settling in, the woman made a few trips to see her sisters. And the first Thanksgiving ever to be at her house was upon her. She had waited oh so many years for this very occasion!! She sent out the invitations, and made special plans. Attending to every detail with anticipation. Well, two sisters did not show up. Two sisters did. Wow, how things were so different. There seemed to be no pleasing the two sisters & their families. The accommodations the woman had to offer seemed inadequate due to it’s simplicity. They scoffed that the life style of the woman and her family and constantly “pecked” at her like a scavenger bird on it’s mauled prey. The food was picked at and not much eaten. The activities planned were poorly attributed. The two sisters laughed and shared with each other, leaving the woman out of their lives and hearts-----leaving her utterly heartbroken. The two sisters left earlier than planned, as soon as they could get away. Tears were all the woman saw for days, weeks……….
What had happened, what went wrong?? After all these years, it was not the distance in miles that made them apart, she discovered, but their hearts!
The woman tried to inquire as to what was wrong, only to be met with more malice than during the Thanksgiving holiday.
Ahhh, sorrow………tears……..heartbreak!
After all these years, a long move across the country with such hopes and dreams of coming home from Christmas…..coming home for good. To the hearts and homes of the four sisters……..only to find out………they died! Yes not the same as a finally death mentioned with the man’s sister. But the death of the living. For many weeks, and months the woman grieved and grieved over the loss of her sisters. Oh how painful. How devastating to loose them so quickly and so agonizingly sorrowful.
How ironic the woman thought to herself as she thought of the man and his sisters……..They are desperately grieving over such a loved sister, how precious is that. They probably do not even know the how wonderful it is to mourn so much….the lady thought to herself, there will not be mourning over me like that……..not by my “blood” sisters. Oh to the man’s sisters I say, “You are blessed”. Hold on to every precious memory, for not everyone gets to have the kind of relationship that you have had with your sisters!
It is a rare jewel----treasure it!
The lady, as the time of year comes around when her sisters “died” to her, she still grieves. I am not so sure it isn’t harder to grieve the “living, dead” as they are able to still hurt you. And the lady is often reminded by silence, no invitation to family gatherings, so on………..that family really is.
There is two kinds of “Family”: Your “blood” relatives. And those who belong to the body of Christ Jesus are a family. The latter for the lady being what has held her and her family together all these years. This is the most important family there ever will be.

Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you." "Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother." Mark 3:31-35

There is two kinds of death. The first kind is simply where you “choose to loose” a relationship. This is really very sad. When it is not a matter taken out of your hands as with physical death. But one of one’s own choosing. It can be in the form of the most venomous breaking apart. Or it can simply be by starving the relationship. By not “feeding & nurturing” it. Either way, death is sure to be the out come. Then there is the physical death in which we all will experience. The last breath. Then our physical body “tent” will return to dust in which it came.

All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. Ecclesiastes 3:20
(But remember this is only the physical body---your soul is eternal)

There is two kinds of “Life”. Life here on this earth and life after death. We will ALL live the two. One here on earth and one either in heaven or hell. Depending on whether or not God “knows your name by heart”!!

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' Matthew 7:21-23

So what shall we say? but love…………..

Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Matthew 22:37-39

Tears

When was the last time you shed tears in the “name” of Jesus Christ? What I mean is on behalf of Christ and His sufferings, have you cried?

When was the last time that reading any of the 4 Gospels did you weep?

Perhaps you have shed tears at church during a particular touching song or testimony………

But when was the last time you cried at His feet? When was the last time you looked into His face and was broken over your sin?

I was reading this story recently and was really captured in a moment of challenge by this woman’s repentant heart. And I asked…………..
When was the last time I shed tears like this woman?

Read it and weep!

Luke 7:36-50 Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is-- that she is a sinner." Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you." "Tell me, teacher," he said. "Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?" Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled." "You have judged correctly," Jesus said. Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven-- for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

What kind of woman are you? One who has it all together and doesn’t have a need for tears? Or one who is a mess and need Jesus to pick up all the pieces and carry them in a basket!!?? A real “basket case”!

I am not trying to sound like an easy believeism here, however, this story depicts one not becoming “clean” before coming to Christ, but one who knew that only coming to Christ would make her clean!!

I have cried a lot in my lifetime. Yet to think of washing the Lord’s feet with my tears………would I have enough?................

She came completely “empty handed”. It does not record that she brought anything to Jesus, but a broken heart & some perfume. But she knew that she was at the feet of the Holy Son of God. As she came into the Presence of The Almighty she bowed her will, her life, her everything at the Savior’s feet. That is how we are to come……………..

Nothing in our “hands”—our lives……..not church attendance, teaching Sunday School, Pastoring, leading, singing in the choir, social work, giving money to the church or poor, driving a church bus, our own goodness etc, etc, etc, whatever is your “righteousness”-- will never impress God……….

He wants a broken and contrite heart…………..how is yours?
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psalm 51:17